Dream Zone

Dream Zone Slot Review

Slot Provider: ELK Studios

RTP: 96% | Variance: Medium-High | Maximum Win: 2,500x

Our Score: 7.2

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WHY YOU CAN TRUST THIS REVIEW: The information and opinions on this page are the result of an comprehensive process of information gathering and live game testing by the gambling experts who work at allslotsites.com. Find out more here.

About Dream Zone

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 16th July 2020

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

Dreamzone is a cluster pays slot from ELK Studios played on a 5×5 grid with wins from 3 or more adjacent identical symbols. Avalanches follow each win and the aim is to clear the grid to open up a bonus round with a 2x win multiplier and 3 drops. Clearing the grid again increases the multiplier to 4x, then 8x, then 16x, right up to 512x if you can get that far.

This medium-high variance slot has a 2,500x max win. Spins start at 20p.

Dream Zone Game Information

  • Release Date: June 2020
  • RTP: 96%
  • Variance: Medium-High
  • Maximum Win: 2,500x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 5
  • Rows: 5
  • Paylines: Cluster Pays
  • Minimum Stake: £0.20
  • Theme: GemsSpace
  • Features: Cluster Pays, Win Cascades, Wilds, Symbol Upgrades, Exploding Symbols
  • Format: Cluster Pays

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Dream Zone

IMPORTANT: To give you an accurate assessment of the games we review our writers play 200 spins. Whilst this is a useful tool to help us review games and to give an example of what might happen when you play, keep in mind that 200 spins is only a very small sample and cannot be used to accurately predict what might happen over another 200 spins. The outcome of all slots play is always random.

Boom Or Bust? Our Session By The Numbers

Test spins and results analysis by Mark Wadie on 10.07.24

Results from 100 spins with real money on Dream Zone at Bacana Play.

  • Stake Size: £0.2
  • Start balance: £27.97
  • End balance: £21.75
  • Hit Rate: 24% (24 winning spins in 100)
  • Biggest Win: 19.6x
  • Bonus Drops Round: 1

This is a fun game initially but it becomes a quite relentless slog after a while. The win rate was just under that published in ELK Studio’s game sheet (27.7%) though that’s not unusual. It would probably even out over another 100 spins.

Dream Zone Bonus Drops
Dream Zone Bonus Round with 4x multiplier

I managed to clear the grid once to unlock the bonus round and that’s quite a thrill. I scored a small 19.6x win from this by clearing the grid a second time and playing with a 4x multiplier, but that’s where it stopped.

Other than that, the base game is very samey and there are loads of near misses where you don’t quite clear the grid. A good run in the bonus round would be fantastic but I suspect Dream Zone might get frustrating after a longer session than mine.

What We Liked

  • Clever twist on avalanche wins mechanic
  • Multipliers of up to 512x
  • Cool intergalactic theme
  • Nice electro soundtrack

What We Didn't like

  • Becomes quite boring after a while!
  • Low max win of 2,500x

Dream Zone Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 7
  • RTP and Variance 8
  • Maximum Win 5
  • Symbols and Paytable 8
  • Features and Gameplay 8

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"A solid cluster pays game with a clever twist on the Avalanche Wins mechanic. Big multiplier potential let down only by the 2,500x max win."

Overall Score: 7.2

Theme & Design

Our Score 7

Dreamzone has a deep space theme with shades of NetEnt’s Starburst or Red Tiger’s Laser Fruit. Though in this case the action takes place on a grid rather than standard reels and rows. The backdrop is a black with bright laser lines that are reminiscent of the film Tron. The grid floats and the paytable is made up of jagged gemstones. The visuals are complimented by an electro soundtrack with an 80s vibe. It’s got a nice feel to it though I reckon it might start to drive you a little mad after a while.

Dream Zone by ELK Studios
Dream Zone – space-themed cluster pays action

RTP and Variance

Our Score 8

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

The RTP of Dreamzone is 96%. That is about average for online slots and certainly good for a game from this provider, many of which come in at 94% or 95%.

This is also a medium-high variance game, rated 7/10 on the game info sheet published on ELK’s own site. This is balanced with a win frequency of 27.7% which means around 1 in 3 to 4 spins will produce a payout of some kind.

What does all that mean? I would expect fairly frequent wins but they will be small in size. And from time to time Dream Zone will also knock out a big payout.

Maximum Win

Our Score 5

What Is Maximum Win?

Maximum win refers to the maximum amount a player can win from one spin. It is expressed as a multiple of the stake. For example, where the maximum win is 100,000x, from a £1 stake, the maximum win would be £100,000.  

Wins are capped at a rather disappointing 2,500x per spin. This is well under what we normally see from high variance slots these days and there are many more from Elk with much higher potential like Avalon Gold (25,000x) of Frog Blox (25,000x) for example.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 8

Dream Zone plays on a fixed-size 5×5 grid. It is a cluster pays slot, but unusually, the minimum cluster size is just 3 symbols which must all be in adjacent positions on the grid.

Symbol values start small but the bigger the clusters, the greater the payout.

Dream Zone Paytable
The paytable with 100x for 11 or more top paying premiums

There are 10 symbols in the table. They are low value purple, blue, green, orange and red that range from 0.1x for 3 purple up to 6x for 11 or more red; and high value purple, blue, green, orange and red which are valued at from 0.4x for 3 purple up to 100x for 11 or more red.

In addition to the regular symbols, there is also the golden ‘W’ which is the Wild which subs for any pay symbol to complete a cluster.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 8

There is a clear objective when playing Dream Zone. You want to clear the grid through avalanches to trigger the bonus round. Along the way you get a helping hand from some extra features.

Avalanche Wins Remove Symbols From The Grid

After any cluster if formed, all symbols in clusters are removed from the reels and existing ones drop in to replace them. If another win is created then the process repeats.

The key point here is that new symbols DO NOT drop down to replace the ones that are removed. So with each win more of the grid is cleared. If you can empty it completely, you trigger the bonus round.

Every Win Collects Dream Features Which Activate Later

On any winning spin, Dream Features are collected which can be triggered on future spins where you don’t win. There are FOUR to collect.

  • Added Wilds – at random to help produce wins – up to FIVE may be dropped onto the grid
  • Symbol Explodes – up to FOUR symbols are removed at random and replaced
  • Symbol Upgrades – ONE low value symbol is upgraded to a premium one ACROSS THE GRID
  • Scatter Affect – ONE symbol becomes scatter pays for the spin and pays out wherever it lands, regardless of whether its in a cluster or not
Dream Zone - Dream Features
Dream Features down left of grid, ready to use

Bonus Drops – Your Chance to Clear The Grid for a 512 Multiplier

Clear the grid and you enter the Bonus Drops game.

The round starts with THREE free drops (spins) and a 2x win multiplier applied to all your wins. If you clear the grid again you go up to the next level with an increased multiplier.

Dream Zone Bonus Drops
Bonus Drops with 2x multiplier

There are NINE levels to go through with multipliers of 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, 32x, 64x, 128x, 256x and finally 512x.

Let’s be honest, that’s the stuff high variance dreams are made of – a compelling, relentless journey of free drops and progressively bigger multipliers. What a shame they capped the wins at 2,500x though!

The Final Verdict

Dreamzone is a kind of fun slot from ELK Studios with a clever twist that sets it apart from other Cluster Pays games. By creating an objective of clearing the grid to unlock the bonus round ELK have added another layer of jeopardy to every avalanche. The more successive wins you get, the more chance you have of unlocking that bonus round and starting your journey towards that 512x multiplier! The game looks compelling too with its deep-space background and bright gemstone symbols.

On the flipside, the 2,500x top payout is very low for quite a volatile slot whilst in just a short test session the gameplay started to lose a bit of its shine. Nevertheless, if you are into spacey games with cluster pays and multipliers, this could still be a good choice for you.

Useful Tips When Playing Dream Zone

Remember, online slots are games of chance, there is NO strategy that can improve your odds of winning. However, reading our review and following these tips will help you get the most out of your time playing this slot game.

1. Clear The Grid!

It’s simple – clear the grid as quickly as you can to unlock the bonus round and the chance to play with bigger and bigger multipliers!

2. Play At Low Stakes

With high variance slots like these it always makes sense to play with low stakes to avoid burning out too quickly. You can spin from just 20p.

3. Watch Dream Features Collect At The Side Of The Grid

Winning drops cause Dream Features to be collected at the side of the grid for use on non-winning spins. These include extra wilds and symbol explodes.

4. Play At Our Recommended Slot Sites

We have chosen the sites on this page because they all scored high in our reviews and they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. That makes them fair and safe places to play slots.

Who Made Dream Zone?

  • Name: ELK Studios
  • Established: 2013
  • UK License: 40844
  • Total Games: 60 +
  • Known For: Amazing artwork, wide choice of themes and styles
  • Popular Slots: Avalon Gold, Dropz, Nitropolis, Wild Toro
Find More ELK Studios slots

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