Dead Man's Trail Dream Drop slot review
Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop is a Relax Gaming progressive jackpot slot that’s part of the provider’s famous Dream Drop Jackpot network, which includes over 40 games. Outside the network (the version you will find at most casinos across the US), Dead Man’s Trail features a standard 5×4 layout with 40 fixed paylines.
As a progressive jackpot game, the RTP is on the lower end at around 94%, while the volatility is high. However, the slot still boasts up to three special features, one of which is a full board-style mini-game. I cover all this in the comprehensive Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop slot review below.
Highlights
RTP 94%
Volatility Low
Max win 50,000x
Number of reels 5
Number of rows 4
Number of paylines 40-
Jackpots Yes -
Slot type Slots -
Slot theme Halloween, Horror -
Software provider Relax Gaming -
Launch date 13/09/2023
79/ 100
70% Playscore based on 3 critics
Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop review summary
While writing this Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop review, I quickly found that this game is primarily made for risk-takers and those who enjoy the kind of top-end potential progressive jackpots can offer. However, thanks to the inclusion of the Coin Feature and especially the Trail Bonus mini-game, it can appeal to a broader audience.
The pirate theme is somewhat original and, together with the visuals and sounds, creates a cinematic atmosphere rather than a bright, cartoonish take.
Pros
30,000x Trail Bonus
6 Dream Drop jackpots
Coin multipliers can get high
Cons
Low 94% RTP
No standard free spin round
Mini-game feels complex
Outside of that, Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop offers a standard 5×4 grid and very few symbols. Volatility is high and the 94% RTP is low, although that’s not unusual for a progressive jackpot slot. The 50,000x overall max win and 30,000x Trail Bonus cap help offset the low RTP.
Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop comprehensive review
To go beyond a quick summary I’ve broken down the game’s RTP, volatility, bonus features, symbols, paytable, and how and where to play it.
RTP and volatility
The Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop RTP is set at 94%. This means that the game is designed to return roughly $94 per $100 wagered over a very large number of spins, although individual sessions can vary sharply.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| RTP | 94.00% |
| Maximum win | 50,000x + progressive jackpots |
| Number of paylines | 40 |
| Volatility | High |
The volatility is high, meaning results can be swingy, with longer dry spells offset by the potential for larger wins.
Even though the 94% RTP is lower than the industry average of 96%, it’s still good for a jackpot slot. Jackpots tend to have lower RTPs, often below 94%, so this isn’t all that bad.
The high volatility isn’t for everyone and I’m more a fan of medium volatility, but it’s what makes the potential high wins of up to 50,000x all the more exciting.
Moreover, the 30,000x win potential of the Trail Bonus and even millions of dollars from progressive jackpots pair well with the high volatility.
Alexandra Manea
Bonus features
Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop has three features you need to know. Let’s review each one.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Bonus features | Trail Bonus mini-game, Coin Feature with multipliers, progressive jackpots |
| Top features | Trail Bonus |
| Jackpot | Rapid, Midi, Maxi, Daily, Major, Mega |
Trail Bonus
Trail Bonus is a full mini-game that functions like a board game, where you can win up to 30,000x your stake. If you land 3 or more Bonus symbols you’re transported to a map with 37 tiles, and a random counter decides how many moves your pawn can make per turn, which can be 1–9. Depending on the type of tile you land on, the game triggers a different action:
- Start tile: Starting tile for the game, later triggers the Reset special action
- Normal tile: Awards the amount shown, each capped at 10,000.
- End tile: Ends the mini-game, and you’re awarded what you’ve collected so far
- Mystery chest: Triggers one of 11 possible special actions
Special actions can multiply or increase normal tile values, sum up their totals, or even add random amounts to your total win. They can also replace end tiles with normal tiles or mystery chests.
The bonus features in Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop are exactly what I want to see in modern slots: original, interactive mechanics with meaningful win potential.
The progressive jackpots might be the highlight for many, but I think the best part of this gaming experience is the Trail Bonus. I’m a big fan of board games, and including one in a slot is a welcome sight and a break from the ordinary. With its several distinct tiles and as many as 11 special actions, a lot can happen on the trail and the rewards can be very high.
For many slots a major bonus game would be enough, but Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop still makes sure to keep the base game entertaining. It does that with the Coin Feature that can multiply your stake by a significant margin at any time.
Alexandra Manea
Coin Feature
The Coin Feature is triggered any time you land coin symbols on at least three reels. These symbols have specific multiplier values. Whichever coin symbols you land on at this point, their values are summed up, and they multiply your current stake. The result is your win from the feature.
Coin multipliers are normally small, and as there are no respins involved you’ll generally land only a few. However, their multipliers can still reach 50x or 75x.
Dream Drop Progressive Jackpots
The Dream Drop Bonus feature is what can lead players to winning a progressive jackpot from the Dream Drop network. However, in most US casinos, this network is not yet available as casinos across country. You will likely see the same scenario if you decide to play Temple Tumble 2 Dream Drops.
I do still consider it’s important to be informed around it. To trigger it, the Dream Drop symbols need to fill the gridline in a jackpot pre-spin.
When they do, you assume the role of a pawn that can take 1–9 steps per turn, similar to the Trail Bonus mini-game. However this time, you can land on jackpot icons tied to the Dream Drop jackpot tiers.
Every time you land on an icon, the meter for that jackpot gets filled by one. If you manage to fill up a meter, you’ll win the jackpot. Rapid and Midi jackpots have a meter of 3, Maxi a meter of 4, Major a meter of 5, and the biggest Mega jackpot a meter of 6.
With that in mind, here are the available jackpots and their starting values, and what you need to know about them:
- Rapid: $1
- Midi: $5
- Maxi: $100
- Major: $37,500, but guaranteed to land before reaching $50,000
- Mega: $1 million the first two times, then increased by $500,000 for two times, then remaining capped at $2 million
There’s also the Daily jackpot, which is guaranteed to land three times every day in specific time windows. If you’re lucky to trigger the Daily Jackpot spin, you’ll get a quick 3×3 game where you need to form a line of 3 DD symbols in the middle to get the current Daily Jackpot value, which starts at $700.
Symbols and paytable
Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop has a straightforward symbol layout: 4 low-paying ones (A, K, Q, J) and four high-paying picture symbols (Blue, Green, Orange, and Red pirate). Despite that, the highest-paid is the Wild, with five Wilds paying 60x.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Theme | Pirates |
| Reel layout | 5×4 |
| Highest paying symbol | Wild |
| Adjustable paylines | N/A |
| Visuals | Pirate-themed, gloomy, dark |
| Sound | Themed background music score and ambient sounds |
| Mobile quality | Good |
The Red pirate is the best regular symbol at 30x for five, followed by the Orange pirate at 15x. Blue and Green pirates are worth 5x, while A, K, Q, and J pay up to 3x.
The game also features Bonus symbols, three of which activate the Trail Bonus feature. Lastly, you get coin symbols with multipliers from the Coin Feature and Dream Drop symbols that activate the Dream Drop Bonus, i.e., the progressive jackpots.
Because Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop is a high-volatility game with a low RTP, the smaller symbol pool actually works in its favor. Couple that with the 5×4 grid, and you get more chances to create winning combinations.
I saw wins more frequently than what the high volatility might suggest, but I’m not complaining. I also managed to trigger the Coin Feature multiple times and the Trail Bonus once, all within a single hour-long playing session.
Alexandra Manea
How to play Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop
Playing Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop is straightforward. The gameplay is the same as in most other Relax Gaming slots and slots overall. You start by setting the bet between $0.20 and $30. You then start playing by spinning the reels with the Spin button.
You can speed up the game with the Turbo speed button, and use the Autoplay function to let the game play itself. The Autoplay is relatively simple; you select the number of spins you wish for it to last, but you can also set a loss, win, and single-win limit.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Min bet | $0.20 |
| Max bet | $30 |
| Autoplay | Available |
| Turbo mode | Available |
| Game history | Available |
The Settings let you tweak the sounds, including sound effects and music, toggle the splash screen and intro movie on or off when opening the game, and use the spacebar to spin the reels.
Casinos where to play Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop
Slots from Relax Gaming are available at quite a few casinos across the US. However, the versions of this game you will find are not incorporating the Dream Drop jackpots. In the case of Mega Bonanza, for example, you will be playing the base version, with a Mega Jackpots instead:
| Casino Logo | Rating | Bonus | Go-to-casino button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
|
82/100
Expert rating
by Denise M.
83%
Playscore
based on
|
7,500 Gold Coins + 2.5 FREE Sweepstakes Coins
|
Play now |
|
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Not available in AL, CA, CT, DE, ID, KY, LA, MD, MI, MT, NV, NJ, NY, TN, WA, and WV. Age 21+ Additional T&Cs apply. |
|
2
|
90/100
Expert rating
by T2P contributor
89%
Playscore
based on
|
Up to 630,000 GC + 1,000 FC
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Play now |
|
|
3
|
83/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
83%
Playscore
based on
|
15,000 Gold Coins + 2.5 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now |
|
Expert verdict
Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop is much better than your standard progressive jackpot game. It has a largely original, highly interactive Trail Bonus that can last indefinitely until you win the maximum 30,000x reward. The RTP is low, but this mini-game and the remaining features compensate for it, especially the overall max win of 50,000x.
Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop is perfectly suited for high-risk takers, but also for many casual players, thanks to its low bet minimum and exciting regular features. It’s not for you if you don’t like high volatility games.
FAQs
What is the RTP of Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop?
Yes, Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop is a progressive jackpot slot. It’s part of Relax Gaming’s Dream Drop jackpot network that encompasses around 40 games. There are six jackpots here, with the largest reaching up to $2 million.
What is the maximum win potential of Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop?
No, it doesn’t. However, it still has a bonus round in the form of a board game-style mini-game where you move your pawn over a board, adding wins with each step. There are also special actions you can activate randomly. The game lasts until you step on the end tile or reach the maximum 30,000x win.
Does Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop have a progressive jackpot?
Yes, it is. As a high-volatility slot, wins are infrequent but tend to be on the higher side. This type of volatility generally appeals more to risk-takers.
How do I trigger free spins?
The RTP of Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop is set at a rounded 94%. The industry average is 96%, which makes it a low RTP, but it’s still in line with what’s generally offered in jackpot slots.
Is this a high-volatility slot?
The max win is set at 50,000x your stake. The Trail Bonus feature has a max win of 30,000x, while progressive jackpots reach wins of up to $2 million.
