5 Lions Dance

First Look at 5 Lions Dance

It’s like stepping onto a festival street somewhere in China, but instead of firecrackers, you get bursts of color and the unmistakable clatter of drums. That’s the vibe 5 Lions Dance brings as soon as the reels spin and the first lion peeks out from the edge of the screen. The slot leans hard into the Asian theme, with well-drawn lion heads, lanterns, and a low-key soundtrack that feels equal parts festive and calming.

Pragmatic Play delivers the package, and if you’re used to their style, you’ll spot the crisp visuals and sharp animation neatness right away. Released in 2020, this isn’t the oldest title out there, and it shows. It plays fine across devices, so whether you’re on mobile or a big monitor, you won’t miss a detail. This game isn’t a fantasy epic or futuristic adventure—that’s not what it’s aiming for. It feels traditional, bold, and a little bit lucky, just like the New Year’s lions it’s modeled after.

What the Game Feels Like

The grid’s classic enough: five reels and four rows, nothing too wild. But instead of old-school paylines, you get 1024 ways to win, so any three matching symbols from left to right will see some coins fly your way. No mental gymnastics needed—just watch the reels and hope the colors line up.

You can play for as little as €0.20, scaling up to €100 if you’re feeling lucky or just want to speed things up. That’s a pretty good spread for new players and those who want to bet bigger. With an RTP around 96.5%, it’s a bit above average compared to a lot of other slots. They call it low volatility, and you’ll feel that after a few spins. Wins come often, but they’re usually smallish—think more steady flickers of coins instead of earth-shaking jackpots. It suits those who like to play for a while without their balance disappearing on one dry streak.

Turbo and autoplay buttons are there if you hate waiting, but honestly, the sound effects are nice enough that the regular pace feels about right.

Digging into the Bonuses

Let’s be honest, most folks don’t get excited just for base game spins. 5 Lions Dance keeps it simple, with two bonus features—both worth the wait. For the first boost, you’ll want to land three Lion Reel symbols anywhere in the main game. When that happens, the first two reels merge into a massive reel with giant characters thudding down, picking a random multiplier between 5x and 200x. Then you get a re-spin, and if you hit a win, that multiplier kicks in. Sometimes it’s a small boost, sometimes it’s wild—just don’t expect that 200x every other day.

The main course is the free spins round. Bag three Drum scatters on reels 1, 3, and 5, and you’re in for ten free spins. It’s not just a rerun of the base game, though; before every free spin, every single lion head changes to match one randomly chosen color. So suddenly, those mid-tier symbols are all heavy hitters for one spin. It makes wins much more likely, and if the luck lines up, they’re bigger too. More scatters in this mode mean a re-trigger, so you can, in theory, keep the free spins rolling if fortune smiles. No flashy jackpots or wild new features, just two solid bonuses that do their job.

What Pays and Why

Symbols are dead simple to tell apart. Most of the time you’ll see the standard playing card values—10, J, Q, K, A—running across the reels, but they pay the least and you won’t get too excited from hitting these. The meat is in the lions: five different lion heads, each decked out in bright colors. The golden one is where the big money’s at (well, as big as this game gets for regular spins), worth up to 20x your stake if you land five in a row. The rest of the lions follow close, each offering up a chunkier payout than any card symbol.

Wilds show up as a golden ball, helping out by substituting for everything but the bonus symbols. No fancy tricks here, just old-fashioned help when you need that last connect. Drums are your scatters—land enough and you trigger free spins, like clockwork. Colorful and easy to spot, so you know what you’re hunting.

Animations are handled cleanly. When the big lion hits or a feature triggers, there’s a satisfying flash—not too wild, just enough to notice. Feels less gaudy than some newer slots, but it fits the game’s overall style.

Getting Started

To jump in, pick your stake with the coins icon, then whack the spin button. Autoplay is right next to it if you’ve got a lucky streak in mind. Most of what matters is built for quick play—just match three or more of a kind from left to right and watch what happens. If you’re trying the 5 Lions Dance demo or 5 Lions Dance free play version, settings and symbols are identical—you just won’t be risking real money.

Hit the “i” icon if you want to preview the paytable or check what the bonus features do. Nothing sneaky in the rules, and after a handful of spins it’s all straightforward.

Comparing the Feel

If you’re used to other Asian-themed Pragmatic Play slots, this one feels familiar. Players who enjoy titles like 8 Dragons or 5 Lions Gold will see a lot to like here—just with bigger grace notes on visuals and the two simple-to-understand bonus rounds.

Compared to games like Book of Dead, it’s less high-stakes, more about keeping the play going. If you like steady wins instead of nail-biting dry patches, 5 Lions Dance might actually suit you better. The bonus round isn’t as hard to trigger as some of those big-name volatile slots, but the tradeoff is you’re less likely to hit a monster win in a single spin.

Try Others Like This

If the balance of frequent wins and Asian festival style does it for you, check out 5 Lions Gold or the more mystical 8 Dragons—both from the same developer. For something fancier with a similar flavor, Dragon Tiger slots add a bit of extra fire to the mix.

Trying the 5 Lions Dance demo is a quick way to see if the pace suits you before betting real money. There’s also plenty of free-to-play options across Pragmatic Play’s range, so you can try before you commit.