Xmas Drop Slot Review

Overview

Xmas Drop is a Christmas-themed online slot from Hacksaw Gaming featuring 5 reels, 4 rows and 19 fixed paylines. The minimum bet is 0.10 per spin while the maximum bet goes up to 100 per spin, allowing appeal for players of varying budgets. This medium volatility slot has an RTP of 96.22% and hit frequency of approximately 18%, leading to an excellent balance of frequent small payouts mixed with larger wins.

Gameplay takes place against a snowy forest backdrop with jolly ol' Saint Nick wobbling alongside the reels. The visuals capture the nostalgic joy of the holidays with bright colors and fun animations. Festive symbols like Christmas trees, candy canes and teddy bears adorn the reels, along with classic card suit symbols on gift boxes. Players can look forward to two types of wilds, a free spins scatter symbol and a 20500x maximum win.

What makes Xmas Drop especially entertaining are the bonus features focused around the special Wild Santa and Wild Gift symbols. When part of a winning combo, the Wild Santa symbol can expand to cover an entire reel with wilds, providing huge win potential. Even better, if this expanding Wild Santa overlaps a Wild Gift symbol, it transforms into a multiplier up to 200x for massive payouts!

In addition, two free spins bonus rounds offer more frequent encounters with the rewarding wild actions. With 10 free spins, the Night Before Xmas mode boasts boosted Wild Santa and Wild Gift appearance rates. The Santa Claus is Coming to Town round takes it further by letting Wild Santas activate reels to guarantee their presence for remaining spins. Both provide festive excitement and chances for big rewards.

With its blend of yuletide theming and engaging special features, Xmas Drop provides an enjoyable holiday-themed gaming experience suited for casual and regular slots players alike. It may not be the most groundbreaking release, but still delivers a fun and rewarding Christmas adventure.

My Thoughts Overall

Having now tested Xmas Drop extensively, I find it succeeds in bringing Christmas cheer to the world of slots in an entertaining package. While the theming and features don't feel wildly innovative, the game still delivers a cohesive holiday aesthetic that puts me in a festive mood. Small touches like the snowflake animations and Santa's animations are charming.

The medium volatility ensures a nice balance of frequent wins to sustain excitement, while the bonus features inject thrilling big reward potential into the mix. I'm impressed that despite the traditional theme, Xmas Drop avoids feeling dated. Expanding wilds and multipliers have appeared in slots before, but Hacksaw Gaming executes them adeptly here for captivating gameplay.

Across my numerous play sessions, I rarely felt bored thanks to the steady pacing and fun bonus potential. Whether playing for hours on desktop or jumping in for a quick holiday spin on mobile, Xmas Drop kept me engaged. That expanded Santa wilds and ensuing multipliers up to 200x never fail to quicken the pulse when hit!

All in all, while not wildly innovative, I give credit to Hacksaw Gaming for developing an entertaining and rewarding Christmas slot. Xmas Drop succeeds in delivering cozy holiday vibes with smooth, stable gameplay. The special wild features provide regular excitement for big wins. For festive fun and rewards, Xmas Drop hits the mark!

Bonus Features

Xmas Drop includes two entertaining types of wild symbols, along with free spins bonus rounds for added rewards. Here's an overview of the extra gameplay elements that make this Christmas slot exciting:

Wild Santa Symbol

The Wild Santa symbol provides typical wild function, substituting for other symbols to help complete winning combinations. Additionally, if a Wild Santa is part of a win, it expands to cover the entire reel with wilds, providing huge win potential. I triggered multiple 100x+ wins from these expanded Santas! They only expand downward and a maximum of one can appear per reel.

Wild Gift Symbol

This wild also substitutes for other symbols. Its special power activates when an expanding Wild Santa overlaps it. The Wild Gift will then transform into a multiplier ranging from 2x to 200x that applies to the whole expanded Wild Santa for tremendous payouts. Having multiple expanded Santas with Wild Gift multipliers is every slots lover's Christmas wish!

Night Before Xmas Free Spins

Landing 3 Free Spins symbols triggers this round awarding 10 free spins with boosted Wild Santa and Wild Gift appearance rates compared to the base game. It provides excellent potential for frequent wild reel wins and big multipliers. I netted 20x to 50x on numerous spins thanks to the abundance of special wild actions. 4 scatters during the feature triggers the Santa Claus bonus next.

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Free Spins

Triggered by 4 scatters, this mode also provides 10 free spins but with every reel able to be activated by Wild Santas upon landing. Once active, a reel will guarantee a Wild Santa for the remaining spins. This creates amazing potential for multiple wild reels and huge wins every spin. I achieved my biggest payouts from this bonus round, including a 250x win when two expanded Santa wilds with Gift multipliers triggered together. Three scatters during the round award four extra spins to extend the rewarding fun.

Win Potential

For a festive slot, Xmas Drop offers solid payout potential in both its base game and bonus features. The top standard symbol combination of five Bells awards a 20x bet win, while five of either wild symbol pays 25x the stake. These provide regular small wins as you play.

However, triggering one of the two free spins modes is where the biggest rewards lie. The abundance of expanding Wild Santas and Wild Gift multipliers can lead to massive wins. I attained my highest payouts of over 200x the stake from the Santa Claus bonus round when multiple wild reels and multipliers combined.

Across all gameplay, the maximum win cap of 12,500x the bet provides incentive to keep spinning for a shot at a huge holiday jackpot. While not record-setting, it's still life-changing money. With enhanced wild activity in the bonuses, players have excellent chances to land big wins regularly.

Of course reward potential depends partly on bet size - bigger bets amplify payouts from winning combinations. My advice is to adjust your wager based on your risk tolerance and budget. Even playing at low stakes, Xmas Drop's medium volatility supplies a thrilling stream of small hits and big prize potential.