Brides of Dracula

Brides of Dracula Hold and Win Overview

Players are transported to the mystical land of Transylvania in this latest slot by iSoftBet. Here you will not only meet the notorious bloodsucker himself, Dracula, but his three wives, each of which looks more deadly than the last. As you may have noticed from the title, this slot is also a Hold and Win slot, meaning that players will have the opportunity to take part in a re-spin bonus that could land them a variety of exciting wins. Strap in for a horror-themed goldrush.

The features in Brides of Dracula are split into two distinct groups. The first group is the pick a letter bonus which is triggered at random on any spin. You are then prompted to pick a letter from those shown. The one you pick will reveal one of three modifiers that improve your chances of achieving bigger wins. These are the win spin bonus, the bonus add feature and the wild desire feature. The other group contains the Brides of Dracula re-spin feature, which is effectively this game's Hold and Win feature. All bonuses will be explained in greater detail later on in the review.

Theme and Symbols

Of course, the theme for this slot is inspired by the 1897 fictional novel Dracula, written by Bram Stoker. However, unlike other games, this puts a special emphasis on Dracula's wives as the main characters. In the novel, the "wives" of Dracula are referred to under a range of terms, including sisters, vixens and brides. They reside within Dracula's castle and are provided for by Dracula, who regularly brings them victims. Like Dracula, they are also members of the living dead and are repulsed by sunlight, garlic and the cross. This game makes them the stars of the show.

The background for this game is in the base game an exterior shot of Dracula's castle, which in real life is associated with a castle in Transylvania called Bran Castle. In the game, you see this castle on a dark and moonlit night full of atmospheric fog. To the left of the reels is a creepy ancient forest, the trees of which you can imagine creaking ominously in the wind as visitors approach. Moving through into the re-spin feature, you'll find yourself within the castle where fresh wooden stakes portend a terrifying confrontation.

The board for this slot has been designed like a gothic fireplace with sharp and malicious looking details surrounding the symbols.
The symbols for Brides of Dracula are split into low-paying, high-paying and special symbols. The low-paying symbols are the J to A in playing card royals in a gothic style. On the other hand, the higher paying symbols are the three different vampire wives and Dracula himself. The smiling Dracula symbol is the most valuable regular symbol in the game. He awards a top payout of 16x your stake for the top combination of 5 across a pay line. Finally, the special symbols are comprised of the vampire hunter symbol, which represents the wild. This symbol can substitute for any regular symbol to help score more wins. He also pays out at 20x the stake for the top combination. Lastly, there is the full moon scatter which represents the scatter symbol.

Game Play

Brides of Dracula is played on a 5-reel, 3-row playing board with 25 fixed pay lines. To win combinations, players must land three or more matching symbols on pay lines moving from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.

The betting range for Brides of Dracula is 25p to £25 per spin. To adjust their bet levels, players can toggle their stake up and down using the tool located at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

Further information, including a short tutorial and a display of the paytable, can be found via the menu button in the right-hand corner of the screen. The spin and auto spin buttons are located in the centre of the screen.

Volatility for this slot is rated in the medium to high range. The return to player percentage for Brides of Dracula is 95.5%, which is below average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 6,040x your total stake.

Features

The first set of features on this game are the pick a letter bonuses. These can trigger randomly at any time. When activated, players will be prompted to select a letter from a range. Your choice will then determine the modifier bonus you are awarded.

They are as follows:

Win Spin feature: A jumble of mystery symbols are added to the reels. These will all transform into the same matching symbol. A win is guaranteed when this feature becomes active.
Bonus Add feature: Additional moon scatter symbols are added to all 5 reels, boosting your chances of activating the Brides of Dracula re-spins feature.

Wild Desire feature: Some stacked wilds are added to the reels here. You could land between 2 and 5 stacked wilds when this bonus becomes active.

The other feature and the one that is mentioned in the title for this game is the Brides if Dracula re-spins feature. This bonus is triggered when players land five or more of the moon scatters on the reels at the same time. The triggering scatters are then held on to the reels while three re-spins are awarded. Any new scatters that fall onto the reels also become stuck, and the re-spin tally resets to three.

Special gem symbols also fall in addition to the scatters collect three of the same gem colour, and players will be granted a special reward. The gems also reset the re-spin counter to 3.

The gem bonuses are shown below:

Blue Gem: unlocks up to 3 extra rows on the game grid.
Green Gem: increases the value of the prizes attached to each of the moon symbols on display.
Red Gem: awards an extra re-spin.
Purple Gem: delivers a multiplier. This can boost your overall payout by 2x, 5x or even 10x.
When you have exhausted your re-spins, all of the moon scatters values on the board are added together and paid out to you in one lump sum.

Conclusion

There is a lot to like about Brides of Dracula, from the exciting visuals to the lucrative features and spooky soundtrack. However, what this slot doesn't offer is a decent free spin round or an RTP that promises anything but infrequent small payouts. The top prizes don't justify getting excited about either. If you are thinking about playing this game, have a go on the demo before you start risking real money.