Drop ‘Em

Review Drop ‘Em

Game studio Hacksaw Gaming was established in September 2018 whilst they released their first game about a year later in September 2019. This turned out to be the beginning of a story that hasn’t ended yet with different follow-ups released in recent years. We’re happy to let our fellow Kiwis know that the Malta based pokie developer decided to bring back Canny the Can and Mona the Mouse. In line with the ‘Stack’ version of this game, there are stacking symbols found in Drop Em, with the Drop mechanic giving the player the ultimate online experience. The highest possible win is 10,000x the stake. In our review of Drop ‘Em New Zealand, you’ll read everything about this free online pokie.

How to Play

Get ready for a grid that comes with 5 columns and 6 rows presented to you in what looks like a jungle environment. This pokie game comes with 7,776 possible ways to win. If you’re wondering how to play Drop ‘Em, here is how to play this pokie game:

• As can be seen in the game’s paytable, you will receive a payout when 3 to 5 matching symbols settle on adjacent reels, as seen from the far-left side.
• The stake levels start from as low as $0.10 and can go up to $100. You can set your bets by playing with the Up and Down-facing arrows which can be found on the side of the Spin button. Do this based on your bankroll and stick to a predetermined budget.
• Once you’ve set your preferred stake, it’s time to hit the Spin button. This button is clearly used for a single round only. The Autoplay can be used to customise the auto-spins. We suggest making limited use of the autoplay function.

Symbol Wins

As Drop ‘Em is a cartoon-based pokie, you’ll have a playing field that is brought to you in this style which is something most players will enjoy. The game’s characters are seen on each side of the playing field with the wooden grid giving players a visually different type of casino game. As for the visual part of the game, Drop ‘Em is smooth, whilst making a new spin, will make the wooden symbols drop down; this happens one by one, reel by reel.

The symbols can be grouped into low and high values. The first group is found in the standard 10-A card symbols, with the payouts going up to 0.5x the bet for 5-of-a-kind wins. The high value symbols are easy to recognise as they’ll come via a bird, leaf, skull, snake, and a lightning bolt. Their payout varies between 1.5x the bet up to 5x the bet. The game’s wild substitute for the winning symbol, whilst they can lead to payouts themselves as well. With 5 wilds you can earn yourself payouts of 20x the stake. Here’s more about the symbols:

Bonus Features

As most other titles by Hacksaw Games, the Drop ‘Em pokie comes with a nice range of features. In this game players can get ready for a total of 5 bonus features. These features are built around the Drop symbol which is known for its capability of removing the symbols below it. When this happens, the empty spaces are filled with a random symbol.

Coming with 3 different free spins features, the High and Wild free spins will only see high value symbols and Heart Wilds filling up the empty positions. Then there is also an upgrade symbol which boosts the symbols that land in the Drop mechanic.

Drop Symbol Feature

With at least one Drop symbol landing on the reels, the Drop Symbol feature will be triggered. When this happens, the Drop symbol will fall downwards, out of the grid removing all symbols found below it. The symbols above the Drop symbol will fall to the bottom of the reel which will lead to empty spots on the reels. These are filled with symbols that are randomly chosen, either paying symbols or Heart Wilds. Wins will be awarded in case the new symbols lead to a winning combo.

Drop Spins Bonus Feature

This feature is activated when 3 FS Scatter symbols land at the same time during a regular spin in the base game. With initially 10 free spins awarded, the feature will begin with paying symbols and the wild in the pool of possible symbols being chosen for the Drop mechanic.

If the FS Scatter appears, it will show 1, 2 or 3 additional free spins. It might just come with an upgrade that removes some of the symbols from the Drop mechanic pool. If an upgrade is revealed, the player will see how 1 and 10 paying symbols will get removed from the choice pool.

High Drop Spins Bonus Feature

Landing 4 FS Scatters during a spin in the base game spin will trigger the High Drop Spins Bonus feature. In this case, 10 free spins will be won. Unlike what players are used to in the Drop Spins Bonus feature, this will only lead to a set of high value symbols and the Hart Wild beginning in the pool of possible symbols throughout the Drop mechanic.

The FS Scatter will also come with 1, 2 or 3 additional free spins and may lead to an upgrade that conveniently removes symbols from the Drop mechanic pool. If the Upgrade symbol lands, somewhere between 1 and 5 paying symbols are removed from the pool. The Heart Wild can randomly land on the grid.

Wild Drop Spins Bonus Feature

The Wild Drop Spins Bonus feature is activated by landing 5 FS Scatters during a base game spin. With a total of 10 free spins, the Heart Wild symbol can also be seen during the Drop mechanic. Do note that extra free spins can be earned by landing a FS Scatter (1, 2 or 3 each time).

Bonus Buy Feature

Drop ‘Em comes with quite an extensive Bonus Buy feature. Readily available in New Zealand, you can make use of it by clicking the yellow Buy Bonus button. There are 5 different bonus buy options. Please note that they come with different RTP’s as you’ll discover below:

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins:
  • 3x your bet to increase your bonus round chances by 5x.
  • Very high variance.
  • RTP of 96.32%.
• Big Drop FeatureSpins:
  • 40x your bet to get +3 Drop symbols per spin.
  • Very high variance.
  • RTP of 96.16%.
• Mega Drop FeatureSpins: 
  • 150x your bet to get +5 Drop symbols across all 5 reels per spin (win guarantee).
  • Very high variance.
  • RTP of 96.34%.
• Drop Spins:
  • 100x your bet to get 10 FS including the symbols in the choice pool.
  • High variance.
  • RTP of 96.23%.
• High Drop Spins:
  • Pay 200x your bet to get 10 FS with only premium symbols and the wild in the choice pool.
  • Very high variance.
  • RTP of 96.29%.

Payout Metrics

The RTP of Drop ‘Em by Hacksaw Gaming is set at 96.21% which we find a very decent percentage. However, Hacksaw Gaming also offers different RTP versions of 94.19%, 92.26%, 88.10%. This is why we recommend you to check at the best online casino in New Zealand which RTP version they work with. The higher the RTP, the better. This is a high variance game (4 out of 5), with the hit frequency rate being labelled as 48.54% (that is, for the top 96.21% RTP version). This hit frequency means that winning combination will land frequently, with a winning combo made every 2.06 spins. Drop ‘Em pokie comes with a top win of 10,000x the stake. This value can also be won in the base game, which is why it is more likely to make major wins during the 3 free spins features. This is thanks to the Upgrade symbol that will upgrade the added symbol whilst the Drop symbol does its thing.

Summary

We have to say, we’re always a fan of duos in games, movies, or series, and Canny the Can and Mona the Mouse are the perfect match for an online pokie. We were very pleased with their comeback and even if you’re not familiar with the first part of 2019, you’ll be taken away by their cuteness. This means that the visuals are great with the gameplay itself also being fun. We found the Drop mechanic to be an outstanding addition to this, providing the player with every needed for the ultimate gambling experience. With the 5 different bonus buy features available, you can also take the shortcut, providing lots of alternatives to try your chances and get to the top win of 10,000x the bet. All together, we find Drop ‘Em an entertaining and potentially lucrative successor of Stack ‘Em and do recommend it to players in NZ. Hacksaw Gaming has been performing very well in recent years and Drop ‘Em is yet another example of what this game provider is capable of.