Introduction to Xmas Dreams
Xmas Dreams is a slot from Yggdrasil, a studio that is named after the World Tree in Norse mythology. However, the main character in this game is a Christmas tree, a tradition dating back to the 16th century, generally credited to Germany, that began with people bringing evergreens indoors. The game has 6 reels with varying numbers of rows, and the layout is different compared to a regular slot. The reels are horizontal, with the longest one at the bottom and the shortest one at the top, creating a Christmas tree figure of the reels.
Presents around the tree cover parts of the reels, and you remove presents and create more ways to win by landing winning combinations. Once you've cleared all the presents, the real action kicks in with Extra Lives, Wild Reels and Win Multipliers.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Xmas Dreams is a video slot from Yggdrasil with 6 reels and 3-8 rows. Some positions are locked with Christmas presents when you open the slot, which means that you start with 240 ways to win and can reach 20,160 ways to win by opening all positions. Bets start at a Min.bet of 0.1 and go up to a Max.bet of 100. The RTP is 94%, which is lower than what many slots offer, and the volatility is mid-high. The hit frequency is 19.52%, so you can expect a win roughly once every five spins, and the max win is 5,500x the bet.
The game takes place in a cozy house by a burning chimney. Through the window is a snow-covered landscape, and candles are scattered all over the house. In the middle of the screen are the reels, shaped as a Christmas tree. To score a win, you need to land 3 or more matching symbols on adjacent reels. Notice that the reels are horizontal, so winning combinations go from the bottom to the top, not from left to right as in most slots. You can play Xmas Dreams on mobile phones, tablets and desktops, so you can quite easily get into the Christmas spirit from the sofa or the office.
The lower-paying symbols in Xmas Dreams are 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A. They pay between 2x and 4x the bet for a win of 6 symbols. The higher-paying symbols are snowflakes, socks, Christmas tree decorations, and bells, and they pay between 6x and 16x the bet for 6 symbols. There is also a Wild Symbol in the shape of a train set. It covers an entire reel and substitutes for all the regular-paying symbols.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Xmas Dreams?
You can win up to 5,500x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Xmas Dreams?
The features are Respins and Destroying Blockers, Extra Lives, Wild Reel, and Win Multipliers.
Respins and Destroying Blockers
At the start of every spin, 16 of the reel positions are covered by Gift symbols, making those positions inactive. Every winning spin awards a free respin, where you have a chance to score more wins. The respins continue as long as you keep landing wins.
Each winning symbol will release a white star, which will destroy one blocker (gift symbol). Once all the blockers have been cleared, any white stars that are still around will turn red, gold or blue and be collected for the features below. Clearing all the blockers will trigger the Win Multipliers, Wild Reels and Extra Lives all at the same time. When the respins are over, the win will be added to your balance, and the blockers will return to the same 16 positions.
Extra Lives
When all the blockers are cleared, you get 1 Extra Life, and for every winning 10, Q, A, and Stocking symbol, you get a red Extra Life Star. For every 5 stars collected, you’re awarded an extra life.
Lives act as a safety net. If a respin doesn't land a win, you use up 1 life and get another respin. The respins only stop when you miss a win and have no lives left.
Wild Reel
You get a yellow Wild Reel star for every winning Ornament and Bell symbol, and five of those stars give you a Wild Reel. It’s a Wild Symbol that covers an entire reel, and it will stay in place until it's part of a win or the respins have finished.
Win Multipliers
Every winning 9, J, K and Snowflake symbol gives you a blue Multi star. For every 5 blue stars collected, the win multiplier is increased by 1. The multiplier displayed in the blue orb is not applied to the spin that it was earned on, but to the respin that follows. New multipliers from respins are added after the win has been paid.
Final Thoughts on Xmas Dreams
Xmas Dreams has a pretty innovative design, which we appreciate. Instead of the usual reels that go from bottom to top, Yggdrasil has chosen to arrange them horizontally, creating a Christmas tree. However, it’s not as creative as we first thought, because a closer look at the game reveals it’s a so-called reskin of Valley of the Gods 2. The developers have taken the Egypt-themed game from 2020 and flipped the grid 90 degrees to create the Christmas tree. The features, the payouts, and the volatility are all the same. The only change is that the RTP has been lowered from 96% to 94%.
Spinning these reels literally feels like trying to open Christmas presents since every consecutive win widens the grid and gives you more ways to win. When all the presents are gone, the game really comes to life. Wilds, multipliers, and lives all start to pile up, and the respin chain can quite easily become something worthwhile.
The star system can take a while to understand. You need to know which symbols correspond to each star, and then you can follow to the left of the reels to see how many stars you have collected toward the three categories.
Although the cleaning of presents from the grid is the highlight, we can’t help but think that we’re missing a proper bonus game. The 5,500x max win is alright, but far from impressive.
Xmas Dreams from Yggdrasil has a clever blocker system made of Christmas presents, but it lacks a proper bonus game to make it really interesting.
