Hellcatraz II Dream Drop

Hellcatraz II Dream Drop Slot Review

Slot Provider: Relax Gaming

RTP: 93.99% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 10,000x

Our Score: 7.8

Play at Grand Ivy Casino
QUICK LINKS: Game Information | Where To Play | Full Review | Testing Notes | Tips For Players | About The Developer

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 Hellcatraz II Dream Drop

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 27th June 2024

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.

With high variance and a huge progressive jackpot pool, Hellcatraz II Dream Drop from Relax Gaming is the perfect choice for players in search of bumper wins. We love the retro-style graphics which provide a more unique take on the prison theme. The expanding play grid is a cool touch, giving you a minimum of 3,125 ways to win. There are also a bunch of features in this game, including a particularly fun Mystery Reveal feature. The max non-progressive win of 10,000x is, for us, the only thing that you could consider ‘average’ about Hellcatraz Dream Drop II.

Hellcatraz II Dream Drop Game Information

  • Release Date: 27.03.23
  • RTP: 93.99%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 10,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: Yes
  • Reels: 5
  • Rows: Up To 9
  • Paylines: 3,125 minimum
  • Minimum Stake: £0.20
  • Theme: Action
  • Features: Wild Symbol, Cascading Wins, Mystery Reveal Feature, Free Spins, Bonus Buy, Progressive Jackpot

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Hellcatraz II Dream Drop

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 27.06.24

Results from 200 spins with real money on Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop at Casumo.

  • Stake Size: £0.2
  • Start balance: £1,039.10
  • End balance: £1,036.59
  • Win Rate: 18% (45 winning spins in 250)
  • Biggest Win:  108.9x
  • Free Spins Round: 0

Hellcatraz 2 showed itself to be an entertaining slot. It’s not overly-packed with features, but the gameplay is nicely woven in with the prison-break theme and arcade design and there are tons of fun little animations, particularly when you trigger, or get close to, the bonus features.

Once you’re spinning it’s all about waiting for those Mystery Reveal symbols to count down to zero and trigger (the number displayed drops by 1 with each cascade). And it can be quite a wait. Many times they counted down to 1 before the wins dried up, the sequence of cascades ended and the game re-set. I saw a full count down to 0 on just 4 occasions in 250 spins. This produced 3 small wins of 9.7x, 11.9x and 0.6x, before a 108.9x on the final occasion. This was from 4 reels expanding upwards, all revealing coins as shown in this screenshot. It’s not complicated – the more Mystery Reveal symbols in play the better, so keep your eyes on that top reel.

Hellactraz 2 Dream Drop Mystery Reveal Feature
Mystery Reveal feature expanding 4 reels for a big win

I also triggered the Dream Drop bonus once and it delivered the regular Rapid JP which stood at €1.39 at the time!

Hellactraz 2 Dream Drop Bonus Game
Dream Drop Bonus game. – a Rapid JP win

The free spins round failed to appear in 250 spins which is not uncommon for a high variance game. Overall the win rate was 18% but that 108.9x win saved the balance from taking too much of a beating.

What We Liked

  • Unique theme and design
  • Chance to win multi-million GBP jackpot
  • Mystery Reveals expand the grid with up to 59,049 paylines
  • Cascades after every win
  • Exciting, high volatility game engine

What We Didn't like

  • Low RTP to account for jackpot contributions

Hellcatraz II Dream Drop Review Scores

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

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"Simple, amusing and very entertaining, with a chance to scoop a huge jackpot. What more could you want?"

Overall Score: 7.8

Theme & Design

Our Score 8

This game brilliantly combines retro artwork with a prison theme that fans of slots like San Quentin xWays and the original Hellcatraz game will love. The grid is a prison block that represents Alcatraz prison, floating on an island looking back at San Fransisco. The theme extends to the symbols too, including prisoners and a police officer. 

While there are a bunch of prison-themed slots games, the 8-bit graphics of this one help to differentiate it from the rest. Little details like the police helicopters delivering your free spins are a nice touch too.

Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop by Relax Gaming
Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop – fun arcade graphic style design

RTP and Variance

Our Score 7

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.

This game has an RTP of 93.99% which is just 0.1% lower than the majority of slots on the Dream Drops network. We can certainly forgive them this, as 12% of every spin goes directly to the progressive jackpot pool. Plus, you can shoot for the jackpot with a minimum bet of just £0.20, though your chances of striking the progressive jackpot do increase in line with the size of your stake.

The variance on this slot is high, so it can burn you fast and players on a tighter bankroll who still want to shoot for a progressive jackpot might find this a little restricting. Titles like Cosmic Rush Dream Drop and Temple of Fury Dream Drop both offer much lower volatility and that same progressive jackpot.

Maximum Win

Our Score 8

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.  

With a progressive jackpot on offer, the top payout of this game is impressive. However, it gets even better for its generous 10,000x non-progressive max win. This game will definitely suit those players who enjoy big swings.

It is worth noting that the original Hellcatraz game (without the progressive jackpot) has one of the highest max wins out there at 51,840x and an increased RTP of 96.46%. So, if you like a big win, but aren’t fussed about shooting for that progressive jackpot, the original slot game could be a better choice.

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Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 8

The game is originally played on a 5×5 grid, which can expand to up to 9 rows high if you trigger enough exploding mystery symbols via the Mystery Reveal feature. This can change the number of win ways from 3,125 (5x5x5x5x5) up to 59,049 (9x9x9x9x9) when all reels are fully expanded. You might notice the border between the top row and the rest, this border denotes where those exploding mystery symbols can land.

This is a win ways game so you make wins by landing 3 or more symbols on adjacent reels (regardless of the row they are on) starting at the leftmost reel.

Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop Paytable
The paytable with 2.5x for 5 top paying guards

There are 8 pay symbols in total, plus a Dream Drops symbol, a Wild symbol, and a Scatter symbol, that we’ll cover later. The low paying symbols are the card suits, paying from 0.1x your stake for 3 symbols up to 0.4x your stake for 5 symbols. The premium symbols are the prisoners and policemen, paying from 0.3x your stake for 3 symbols, up to 2.5x your stake for 5 symbols.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 8

Hellcatraz II has a handful of well-thought-out features that really add something to the gameplay. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Cascading Wins

The cascading wins feature causes any symbols that are part of a winning combination to disappear. This makes room for new ones to fall into their place. If you make another win with these symbols, they too will disappear. The cascade of symbols continues as long as you keep making consecutive wins.

Mystery Reveal 

The top row of the pay grid is separated from the rest, being the only part of the grid where the Mystery Reveal symbol can land. At least one of these symbols will land on every spin. The symbol starts with a number from 1 to 5 on it, which decreases with every consecutive win in the current sequence of cascades. 

If you reach 0 on the counter then you trigger the Mystery Reveal feature. This expands all of the Mystery Reveal symbols in that row by between 2 and 5 rows, increasing the size of the grid. Once they’ve finished expanding, they’ll convert to regular paying symbols OR coins. If they are pay symbols, they help complete win lines as normal. If they are coins, then they are collected and paid out.

The coins can be worth between 1x and 1000x your bet.

Free Spins

The scatter symbol can only appear on rows, 2, 3, 4 and 5. If you land 3 scatters, you get 6 free spins, plus 3 extra spins for every additional symbol. During the free spins game, you’re also awarded an extra spin if you land another scatter symbol. 

Dream Drop Jackpot

Dream Drop Symbols can only appear on the top row. If you land five of the symbols on the same spin then you get to play the Dream Drop Jackpot game. The screen changes to a grid of 15 prison bar symbols. You get to pick one at a time, revealing one of the jackpots rapid, midi, maxi, major, or mega. As soon as you match three of the same jackpots, that’s what you win. The seed values for the jackpots are shown below:

  • Rapid (seeded at €1)
  • Midi (seeded at €5)
  • Maxi (seeded at €100)
  • Major (seeded at €25,000)
  • Mega (seeded at €500,000 with a minimum payout of €1,000,000)

The Final Verdict

The fun retro graphics style and detailed prison theme make this slot a winner. There are a handful of features, including an expanding paygrid that keep the game feeling fresh and exciting too. 

Hellcatraz II builds on the success of the original game by adding in that tantalizing Dream Drops jackpot of up to €3,000,000. It’s great that you’re able to shoot for the progressive jackpot with the minimum bet, but worth remembering you have a greater chance of hitting it, the bigger your bet. This combined with the high variance makes this a good choice for players with a healthy bankroll.

Useful Tips When Playing Hellcatraz II Dream Drop

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. Eyes On The Top Row

Keep watching that top row for the Mystery Reveal Symbols. When their numbers count down to zero you’ll see reel expansions and many more chance to complete win lines.

2. Watch For DD Symbols Too

Entry to the Dream Drop bonus game to play for the big jackpots only happens when 5 DD symbols appear on the row above the reels.

3. Choose A Sensible Stake

Use bankroll management and set a low stake relative to your total funds to avoid burning out too fast. This game is volatile!

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 Hellcatraz II Dream Drop?

  • Name: Relax Gaming
  • Established: 2010
  • UK License: Remote 037462-R-319357-014
  • Total Games: 100 +
  • Known For: High variance, high max win, progressive jackpots, innovative game mechanics
  • Popular Slots: Money Train, Temple Tumble, Dream Drop Jackpots, Hellcatraz
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