Are you ready to revisit two of our favourite slot characters again? Series are becoming more common than ever before in the online slot industry, as providers return to previously created personalities to bring us new and improved features.
Now, Canny and Mona are back with a bang as Hacksaw Gaming bring us the fourth in their iconic series – following on from Stick ‘Em, Stack ‘Em and Book of Time. So, get ready to head back into the forest as Hacksaw Gaming leave behind the chilled vibes of Vending Machine to bring us Drop ‘Em.
With RTP options available up to 96.21% (96.34% feature buy), this highly (4/5) volatile release can produce wins up to 10,000x bet.
Like I said, we're back in the forest today. The thing about this series is that there's not much happening in the background, except from clear blue skies and bright green leaves hanging from trees. All of the action is on the grid, where we have a kind of vintage Disney style of artwork, with a variety of strangely chosen symbols that have become a staple in these releases.
Canny and his mouse friend Mona stand to either sides of the grid which is encased in wood, dancing along to the old-fashioned yet upbeat tune that ties it all together.
Drop ‘Em Base Features
Taking place across 5 reels, wins are formed on Drop ‘Em by matching at least 3 symbols on adjacent reels, beginning with the leftmost reel. Each reel holds 6 symbols, producing a maximum of 7,776 ways to win. Symbols available begin with non premiums, with 10s, Js, Qs, Ks and As, awarding wins between 0.10 and 0.50x bet for matches between 3 and 5 of a kind.
At the premium end, we have leaves, birds, skulls, snakes heads and Canny's hand holding a lightning bolt. Land 3 of a kind of any premium to see wins between 0.30 and 0.50x bet, increasing to values between 1.50 and 5x bet for 5 of a kind matches.
Finally, Wild symbols are available to substitute for all symbols except FS Scatter symbols, awarding wins of 20x bet for 5 of a kind matches.
Drop Symbols
There's only really one feature in Drop ‘Em, with all of the action revolving around it – the Drop mechanic, triggered by landing Drop symbols.
When one or more Drop symbols land on the reels, the Drop mechanic will activate after all winning combinations have been paid.
Each Drop symbol will then fall downwards off the grid, removing all symbols below it. Any symbols that are left above the Drop symbol will fall to the bottom of the reel.
Canny will then reveal a symbol, and all empty spaces on the grid created by the Drop mechanic will be filled with this symbol. In the base game, this can be any regular paying symbol or the Wild symbol. If the revealed symbols create a winning combination, the win is awarded.
If any symbols already counted for winning combinations before the Drop mechanic activated have the the ability to be included in a new winning combination, they are counted again.
Drop ‘Em Bonus
Land 3 FS Scatter symbols to trigger the Drop Spins bonus, with 10 spins awarded. This bonus starts with a pool of symbols available for the Drop mechanic to choose from – this will include every pay symbol and the Wild symbol.
Everything continues as normal, except that each time players land a FS Scatter symbol, one of two things will happen.
- Upgrade – between 1 and 10 (all) of the lowest value symbols are removed from the Drop mechanic pool.
- Extra Spins – awards +1, +2 or +3 spins. May also award an upgrade after.
It is not possible to remove the Wild symbol from the Drop mechanic pool – it will always remain.
Super Bonus
By landing 4 FS Scatter symbols players will trigger the High Drop Spins bonus, also with 10 spins.
This bonus plays out in the same way as the Drop Spins bonus, except that the Drop mechanic pool starts with only high paying symbols and the Wild symbol.
Landing additional FS Scatter symbols will do one of the following.
- Upgrade – between 1 and 5 (all) of the lowest value symbols are removed from the Drop mechanic pool.
- Extra Spins – awards +1, +2 or +3 spins. May also award an upgrade after.
Again, it is not possible to remove the Wild symbol from the Drop mechanic pool.
Land 5 FS Scatter symbols to trigger the Wild Drop Spins, with 10 spins awarded. During this feature the Wild symbol is the only symbol in the Drop mechanic pool.
It is only possible to trigger an additional +1, +2 or +3 spins through landing FS Scatter symbols in Wild Drop Spins.
Buy Bonus
Players in appropriate regions can take advantage of the following Buy Bonus options.
- Bonus Hunt FeatureSpins (5x more likely to trigger a bonus) – 3x bet (96.32% RTP)
- Big Drop FeatureSpins (3 Drop symbols guaranteed) – 40x bet (96.16% RTP)
- Mega Drop FeatureSpins (5 Drop symbols guaranteed) – 150x bet (96.34% RTP)
- Drop Spins – 100x bet (96.23% RTP)
- High Drop Spins – 200x bet (96.29% RTP)
It is not possible to buy into Wild Drop Spins.
The volatility for all options is very high, with the exception of Mega Drop FeatureSpins and Drop Spins, in which volatility is high. The RTP values above are based upon the 96.21% RTP setting.
The maximum win available in Drop ‘Em is 10,000x bet. If the sum of a single game round exceeds this, the game round will end and 10,000x bet will be awarded.
First Impression
Simplicity can go a long way, and Hacksaw Gaming are proving that to us in what they have done with Drop ‘Em. With only one simple feature, players can see a variety of results and anticipation, particularly if choosing to opt into FeatureSpins, where 3 or 5 Drop symbols can be guaranteed.
Other than this, decent symbol values and 7,776 ways to win work together to create a potent environment. Combine this with the inviting artwork Drop ‘Em offers (the bright stylings similar to that of Frank's Farm, Fred's Food Truck and Pug Life), and it's a fair assumption that this will be a popular release for the team.
The bonus games are where things really come to life, however, with upgrades and additional spins helping to take things to the next level.
No matter where you start, it is possible to reach a point where only Wild symbols can be revealed through the Drop mechanic. When the right combinations land, wins are possible up to 10,000x bet.
Finally, maths is highly (4/5) volatile, and RTP options are available up to 96.21% (96.34% feature buy), so as always it's worth checking this. Whether you've been a fan of this series so far or not, there's a simple brilliance in Drop ‘Em – one that should appeal to a variety of players.
*The screenshots taken of games reviewed on this site are taken from Demo Play, as reviews are often written before games are released for real play.
