Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters Demo Slot - Review for Canadians, Demo Play & Payout Info

Introduction

Microgaming has received significant levels of criticism in recent years, with their game development side of their operation suffering significantly, with most of their recent games outsourced to less-experienced software providers. This has resulted in some rather disappointing games, Playboy Fortunes being a great example of this.

Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters is the software provider’s attempt to, perhaps, change this - and this unique-looking game, which utilizes a “Hyper Clusters” mechanic (meaning there are no paylines, and that wins are formed by landing clusters of symbols) offers something quite exciting - and something very different from what we’ve seen from the software provider in recent years.

Graphics and Theme

Our first impression is that Microgaming has really done a good job with the graphics and animations. The reels are set on a black, eerie backdrop, and colourful gems land on the reels, creating quite a unique-looking and interesting effect.

We also really like the layout that Microgaming has opted to take; Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters looks great, and the user-interface is far more user-friendly and easy-to-navigate than some of Microgaming’s other HTML5 slots.

Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters’ RTP and Volatility

Unfortunately, due to the fact that Microgaming has yet to release any information about the RTP of Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters, we’re unable to give a definitive answer as to both the game’s volatility and RTP. However, after having taken quite a close look at the game - and going by the vast majority of recent Microgaming slots - we are fairly confident that Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters is a medium variance slot, meaning wins will be fairly frequent - albeit on the smaller end of the scale.

Bonus Features

There’s quite a bit going on in Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters, and the first thing you’ll become aware of is the “Special Gems” feature. This sees the wild gem symbols substituting for any of the regular gem symbols - essentially acting as wilds - and this makes it easier to form wins. There are also mystery gems present on the reels, and when these land in view, they all transform into the same instance of a gem - again, allowing you an increased chance of winning.

Enemy Reward

During the base-game, you’ll find that you’re awarded a prize when you manage to defeat one of the game’s protagonists. Each gem corresponds to one of the five enemies in the game, and if you manage to defeat any of the enemies (achieved by landing a certain number of gems) then you’ll be awarded a cash prize. Microgaming states that the prize is based on the total bets during combat - i.e, if you change your stake size, the total prize is relative.

Champion Skill

There are also a few “Champion Skill” mechanics in play in Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters, and matching enough gems will charge up the corresponding skill - essentially a reel modifier. For example, when you manage to activate the red gems, a number of random red gems will appear on the reels - increasing your chances of forming winning combos.

Finally, there’s the blue gems, which, when activated, will award multiplier gems randomly on the reels.

It can seem quite a lot to take in at first - and we think it’s fair to say that there is a lot going on - but Microgaming has managed to pack a great number of bonuses and features into Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters, and it’s actually a pretty fun game once you get the hang of how to play it!

Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters Review

One of the first things we should point out is that the maximum win - while still respectable, at 2,500X stake - is quite a lot lower than what we’ve become used to seeing in today’s fast-paced, action-packed and ultra-competitive iGaming world. When we’re seeing game developers like Pragmatic Play and Big Time Gaming regularly pushing out games with 20,000X+ win-potential, it is a slight disappointment, especially from a company as esteemed as Microgaming.

That being said - we do like the fact that the bonus round is based around a ‘fight’ - and it actually reminds us quite a lot of NetEnt’s Street Fighter II. It can be a little bit confusing to get your head around at first - and it’s worth having a full read through of the game’s rules and paytable so you know exactly what’s going on at all times. But, on the whole, we feel as though Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters is a pretty good effort from Microgaming, and they’ve definitely stepped things up, especially when compared to some of their more recent releases!

Disclaimer: Gems and Dragons Hyper Clusters trademark / license is owned by Games Global. This site is not endorsed by Games Global.