Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop Slot

Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop Slot Review

Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop from Relax Gaming takes us back to the mysterious island prison in a sequel with a lot of potential!

The original Hellcratraz was released in 2020, and it quickly gained recognition as one of the best of its time. The ability to switch between Mixed Mode and Lockdown mode to shake up the gameplay really made Hellcatraz diverse, yet it had a ‘grind’ element to it with a key meter that granted entry to free spins.

Of course, Bonus Buys were a quick and easy way to jump straight into the action, but it’s no longer an option for all. Has Relax Gaming reinvented Hellcatraz 2 to fit the 2023 status quo? or will we be locked in with the prisoners and locked out of free spins?

To bolster the excitement of Hellcatraz 2 comes the Dream Drop Jackpot mechanic, which we think stands as the best of all Jackpot features out there.

Without further ado, lets check out the new (and hopefully improved) Hellcatraz 2.

Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop – The Base Game and Features

Hellcatraz 2 is a 5-reel, 5-row slot with 3,125 initial ways to win. To form a win, you need at least 3 of any symbol to connect from left to right on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel.

Like its predecessor, Hellcatraz 2 has a few features up its sleeve, and at full swing Hellcatraz 2 can reach up to 59,049 ways to win.

Mystery Reveal Feature

At least one Mystery Symbol is present on every spin. Mystery Symbols can only land on the top row of the game area, and they’ll display a counter between 1 and 5.

When the counter reaches zero, the reveal is activated and all affected Mystery reveal symbols present expands upwards between 2 and 5 positions and reveal the same symbol.

It is possible to reveal coin symbols with a value between 1x – 100x

Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop – Free Spins

Relax Gaming has decided to decommission the old way of triggering free spins, with good old-fashioned scatters present to take its place. We think this is a much-needed improvement as it eliminates the grind aspect that was present in the first game.

To trigger the bonus you’ll need 3 scatter symbols, which will award 6 Free Spins. Any additional scatters award +2 Free Spins each.

During Free Spins, the Mystery Reveal Feature works as it does in the base game, but the counter number is reduced on average.

Additional spins are awarded during the bonus with each scatter awarding 1 additional Free Spin.

Hellcatraz 2 – Bonus Buy (Non Dream Drop)

Hellcatraz 2 has a bonus buy feature, but it’s available in the non dream drop version of the game.

If you’re playing the Dream Drop variant, then you’ll need to trigger Free Spins organically.

Where there is the option, the cost of the bonus buy is 70x.

Hellcatraz 2 – Dream Drop Jackpots

The Dream Drop Bonus can be triggered by revealing 5 Dream Drop Symbols in the top row before any normal spin.

There are 5 Jackpots to be won: RAPID, MIDI, MAXI, MAJOR or MEGA.

If you’re well acquainted with the Dream Drop Jackpots thus far, then you’ll know that Relax likes to tailor it to each game, and Hellcatraz 2 is no different.

In Hellcatraz 2 you’re presented with 15 options, with the goal of matching 3 of the same Jackpot Symbols. Click on the coins to reveal a jackpot, and once 3 of the same are revealed, the respective jackpot is awarded.

Hellcatraz 2 – RTP Variants

There’s always an internal struggle when it comes to deciding on which version of the game you should pick. A lower RTP on the Dream Drop version is necessary to make it viable because the total jackpot contribution is 12% of the total bet, but risk could outweigh the reward.

Hellcatraz 2 (No Dream Drop) – 96.10%

Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop – 93.99%

Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop – Our Verdict

Hellcatraz is quite a nostalgic slot, and a sequel could perhaps come under close scrutiny from those with a long love affair with the original game.

Fans of the original will be pleased to know that Relax Gaming has done Hellcatraz justice in the sequel. The Mystery Reveal Feature has been fine-tuned to work a little differently, but it’s an improvement overall in our eyes.

Another rather large change is the way in which the bonus is triggered. If we’re honest, Hellcatraz became sort of unviable once bonus buys went away, but the tried and true 3 scatter system eliminates that tedious grind.

The largest difference is the Dream Drop Jackpots, which has once again been tailored specifically for Hellcatraz 2. It’s not entirely innovative with its ‘pick me’ match 3 function, but the appeal of Dream Drop Jackpots compared to other Jackpots is undeniable.

On it’s own Hellcatraz 2 is quite capable too. The maximum win here is 10,000x, so it certainly doesn’t rest on its laurels with the Jackpot feature to carry it.

To summarise, Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop is a very welcome sequel with all the best bits of the first game, some improvements, and the significant addition of Dream Drop Jackpots.