4ThePlayer · Released 2024 · High volatility
Released
Jun 24
Volatility
High
Reel
6x4
Paylines
4096
RTP
94
Min bet
0.2
Max bet
100
Max win
2,298
4 Fantastic Fish Gold Dream Drop is a 2024 release from 4ThePlayer, distributed through Relax Gaming as part of its Silver Bullet programme. It takes the studio's original 4 Fantastic Fish formula, gives everything a suitably golden makeover and connects it to Relax Gaming's five tier Dream Drop progressive jackpot network. Released on 27 June 2024, it uses a 6x4 grid with 4,096 Ways to Win, has high volatility and a 94% RTP.
The fishing theme is deliberately light hearted. Tropical fish swim beneath the boat, the fisherman and his rather cool looking seagull return, and most of the familiar equipment from the original game is still scattered around the reels. The Gold edition does not radically redesign any of this, so anyone who has played 4 Fantastic Fish will recognise the place immediately.
Mechanically, the game is more interesting than another fishing slot might suggest. Money Ways allows Fish carrying cash values to form winning combinations directly, so there is no fisherman standing around waiting to collect them. The Fishing Respins feature then locks those Fish onto open reels, while Sharks can clear completed reels, double their combined value and create space for another catch. A Giant Squid can also move Fish into more useful positions.
Dream Drop provides the genuinely big money through Rapid, Midi, Maxi, Major and Mega progressive jackpots, with the Fortune Wheel capable of triggering independently of the regular fishing features.
The standard game has maximum potential of approximately 2,298x the stake, which is noticeably modest compared with many modern slots. The obvious reason is that this version has shifted much of its headline potential towards Dream Drop.
The fish may have gone Gold, but the real treasure is sitting on the wheel above them.
Money Ways is 4ThePlayer's mechanic for allowing Fish Money Symbols to form Ways to Win combinations using their displayed cash values. Values become progressively larger across the reels from left to right, and qualifying Fish combinations can pay without requiring a separate Collector symbol.
I like this considerably more than the familiar fishing slot routine where you can have a screen full of valuable Fish and still win nothing useful because the fisherman has apparently gone for lunch. Here, the Fish themselves are capable of creating the prize.
It also makes the 4,096 Ways setup feel relevant to the theme rather than simply being another specification attached to the game. You are actively trying to connect valuable Fish across consecutive reels, with the larger prizes naturally waiting further into the grid.
Landing at least three Respin Scatters opens the Fishing Respins feature, with the triggering Scatters determining which reels are available to receive Fish. Fish Money Symbols landing on those open reels become locked, while opening another reel resets the Respin counter.
There is a good sense of development here because you are not necessarily beginning with the complete playing area available. Opening another reel gives you more room to catch Fish and more opportunities to build the feature before the Respins disappear.
The result feels more like gradually opening up a fishing ground than simply filling fifteen identical positions with Coins, which gives the familiar Respin structure a little more character.
Completely fill an open reel with locked Fish during Fishing Respins and the Shark Feature activates. The Shark collects the prizes from that reel, combines their values and multiplies the total by 2x. The resulting amount is held at the top while the other positions are cleared, allowing more Fish to land on the same reel.
This is probably my favourite mechanic in the game because filling a reel does not make the feature more restrictive. It does the opposite.
You have already banked and doubled what was there, but the Shark then gives you the space back and lets you start fishing on that reel again. A strong Respin sequence can therefore recycle the same area several times rather than gradually running out of useful positions.
Apparently the Shark is not eating the Fish. He is managing inventory.
The Giant Squid can rearrange Fish Money Symbols into more favourable positions during both the base game and Fishing Respins. During the bonus, it can move Fish from closed reels into open positions where they can lock and contribute towards the feature.
It is a particularly good fit with Money Ways because the position of an individual Fish can make a substantial difference to whether its cash value becomes part of a qualifying combination.
During Respins, the Squid becomes even more useful. Moving a Fish into an open reel can help fill that column, which in turn can bring the Shark into play and create another collection.
It is a relatively simple modifier, but it understands exactly what the rest of the game is trying to achieve.
Dream Drop is Relax Gaming's networked Progressive Jackpot system, providing access to five separate prizes: Rapid, Midi, Maxi, Major and Mega. The jackpot can trigger on any qualifying spin, with the Fortune Wheel determining which progressive prize is awarded.
This is obviously the headline addition to the Gold edition. The regular slot tops out at around 2,298x, whereas Dream Drop introduces prizes capable of climbing into seven figures.
I also like the fact that Dream Drop does not interfere with the fishing mechanics. Money Ways, the Shark and Giant Squid still provide a complete game underneath it, while the progressive sits above everything as the chance of landing something substantially larger.
4 Fantastic Fish Gold Dream Drop has a much better fishing mechanic than the usual "find Fish, pray for fisherman" formula.
Money Ways deserves most of the credit. Allowing Fish values to form their own Ways combinations makes them interesting whenever they appear, and the increasing values from left to right create some genuine anticipation when a promising chain begins developing across the reels. The Giant Squid adds another useful wrinkle because moving one Fish can turn an almost there combination into something considerably better.
Fishing Respins improve things further. Opening reels gives the bonus somewhere to develop, while completely filling one does not simply occupy more of the available space. The Shark banks the prizes, doubles them and clears most of the reel so you can start again.
The 94% RTP is where I have a problem. Dream Drop clearly accounts for part of that mathematical model, but players more interested in the regular fishing game are still left with a relatively lean return.
The gameplay itself is good enough to overcome some of that disappointment, but not all of it.
The feature package works because the Fish, Squid and Shark all interact with the same underlying idea rather than wandering off into separate mini games.
Money Ways makes Fish valuable during ordinary play. Fishing Respins lock them onto open reels. The Giant Squid can reposition them, while filling a reel brings in the Shark to collect and double everything before opening the space again.
That interaction is what lifts the bonus for me. The Shark in particular prevents one of the common problems with Hold and Respin games, where success gradually leaves you with fewer empty spaces and therefore less room for anything interesting to happen.
Dream Drop then provides an entirely different level of potential without having to carry the underlying game by itself.
I would have liked another layer of progression within Fishing Respins, perhaps strengthening the Shark multiplier after repeated reel completions, but what is already here is nicely put together.
4 Fantastic Fish Gold Dream Drop is cheerful, colourful and easy to read, although the Gold makeover does not completely hide the age of the original presentation.
The tropical underwater setting still has plenty of charm, with colourful Fish, fishing equipment and the returning fisherman giving the game a relaxed personality. The seagull wearing sunglasses remains wonderfully unnecessary, which is probably why I like him.
The Gold treatment adds more yellow and orange tones, while the Dream Drop Fortune Wheel above the reels gives the game a much more obvious jackpot presence. It all looks polished enough, but the underlying visual design remains very close to the original 4 Fantastic Fish rather than feeling like a completely new production.
The Shark and Giant Squid provide the better visual moments because their appearances actually correspond with something meaningful happening to the Fish.
It is pleasant rather than spectacular, and there is certainly no shortage of underwater fishing slots competing for attention, but 4ThePlayer's slightly cartoonish style gives this one enough personality to stay afloat.
Money Ways and the Shark are what stop 4 Fantastic Fish Gold Dream Drop from becoming another fishing slot whose only original thought was adding a bigger jackpot.
Money Ways is particularly refreshing because it removes the Collector dependency found in so many fishing games. The Fish do not need to sit around waiting for somebody with a rod to notice them. Their cash values can form winning Ways directly.
The Shark is another good idea. Filling a reel, doubling its combined value and then clearing most of it creates a satisfying cycle where completing part of the feature gives you another opportunity to complete it again.
The problem is that this Gold Dream Drop edition remains very close to the original 4 Fantastic Fish. The underlying setting and much of the feature structure have been carried across, with Dream Drop replacing the older jackpot setup and providing the main reason for this version to exist.
So I am giving the mechanics credit for having an identity, but considerably less credit for the Gold edition itself being a major reinvention.
Overall Rating
8.1/10
4 Fantastic Fish Gold Dream Drop may look like another trip to a very familiar fishing spot, but the mechanics underneath are better than the theme's increasingly crowded waters suggest.
Money Ways is the feature I like most because it allows Fish cash values to create their own Ways wins without requiring a Collector. That immediately removes one of the most frustrating aspects of this type of slot and gives valuable Fish a reason to matter whenever they appear.
Fishing Respins are equally well designed. Fish lock onto open reels, the Giant Squid can move them into more useful positions and filling an entire reel brings in the Shark to collect the values, double the total and clear enough space for another catch. There is a satisfying cycle to that feature because success does not gradually suffocate the grid. It creates room for another attempt.
Dream Drop provides the serious jackpot potential through Rapid, Midi, Maxi, Major and Mega, earning the game our +0.2 Jackpot Modifier. The trade off is a 94% RTP, while the standard non progressive game tops out at approximately 2,298x the stake.
Visually, the Gold edition does not do enough to separate itself from the original 4 Fantastic Fish, and the fishing theme has enough competition to populate several oceans by now. Fortunately, the Shark, Squid and Money Ways give the game more personality mechanically than another fisherman simply collecting numbered Fish.
The fisherman might be on the boat, but for once the Fish are perfectly capable of bringing home the money themselves.
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