Online casino games have been constantly evolving since their introduction in 1994, bringing new, innovative ways to play casino slots online. The first online casino was very primitive, offering few features and a very limited choice of games to play. Fast-forward to today’s huge slot industry, which features innovative game mechanics such as Megaways, which helps to elevate the iGaming experience for players.
Megaways slots were introduced in 2015 when developers Big Time Gaming released the Dragon Born Megaways slot. The Megaways mechanic can significantly alter the gameplay of an online slot, allowing for more paylines with a common game offering up to 117,649 ways for symbol combinations to land in play. The variable number of paylines Megaways offers makes each spin unique and unpredictable, making for a fun slot experience. The mechanic allows each reel to consist of a different number of symbols each spin, usually at a maximum of 7.
What are Megaways Slots and how do they work?
Megaways slots are a specific genre of slot game found on most online casino platforms. The Megaways slots come with different mechanics than the standard video slot, but can offer similar themes, with many developers releasing Megaways versions of popular titles. Megaways slots offer a large number of maximum paylines in comparison to traditional slots due to the potential for up to 7 symbols to land in each reel across a 6-row playgrid.
A classic Megaways format will be set on a 6-reel format with alternating rows depending on how many symbols are landed. Traditional slots are typically set up on a 5×3 layout boasting fixed paylines. Megaways slots can trigger prizes in unique ways compared to traditional slots. Traditional slots require players to land matching symbol combinations across a fixed payline. In contrast, Megaways slots require players to land over 3 matching symbols in adjacent reels starting from the left of the screen.
The Best Megaways Slots
Big Bass Bonanza Megaways
The Big Bass Bonanza Megaways slot is a fishing-themed slot and a part of the extensive Big Bass series. Reel Kingdom released the latest entry to the Big Bass series in 2021, following the iconic theme in all their releases, alongside some modern Megaways mechanics. The Megaways slot depicts its fishing theme beautifully in the visuals, including the background where the slot is set, as well as some thematic symbols that add to the angler aesthetic. The playgrid is set on a 6-reel grid that can generate up to 46,656 paylines in play. What elevates this Megaways slot is the bonus features included.
The Big Bass Bonanza Megaways slot offers an additional feature on the reels in the Tumble mechanic. Tumble features have become a mainstay in Megaways slots, with many modern releases featuring some sort of Tumble mechanic. The Tumble feature allows matching symbols to be awarded and then fall off the grid, making space for new symbols to replace them and potentially form combinations. This feature can repeat indefinitely, provided matching symbol combinations are landed. The feature is available in both base play and the Free Spins feature.
The Free Spins feature plays its part in all Big Bass releases and is no different in this Megaways title. The Free Spins bonus round is the primary feature in this slot and is unlocked by landing three or more scatter symbols, anywhere on the reels in the same spin. In this feature, there will be a new Fisherman Wild symbol that, if landed simultaneously with the Fish Value symbols, will collect all values attached to the symbol. Every four Fisherman Wilds that are landed during this bonus will award 10 free spins, as well as an increasing multiplier up to 10x. The retrigger feature will reach its limit after a potential third retrigger. If a Fisherman Wild symbol lands with no corresponding Fish Value symbols, a bazooka or dynamite animation can appear randomly, triggering Fish Value symbols to the reels.
Monopoly Megaways
Monopoly Megaways is an online Megaways slot released in 2019 by Big Time Gaming in cooperation with Hasbro’s iconic Monopoly board game. The Monopoly Megaways has many features, some game-specific visuals and symbols, placing players onto the widely recognisable Monopoly board to spin the reels. At the bottom of the reels is an array of segments, a mainstay in the Monopoly board game, that come alive during bonus rounds. The game features some fun game-specific bonus features, alongside a Tumble feature that makes a great mix for an exciting slot. The slot is based on a 6-reel mechanic and can generate up to 117,649 ways to land matching symbol combinations in play.
The Monopoly Megaways features many fun bonus features; however, the main feature is the Monopoly Megaways Lucky Free Spins. The slot can be unlocked if players land the 5th house on a property or land on a chance segment. In this feature, players will be awarded free spins, allowing them to trigger prizes by landing on specific segments around the board. Other bonus features in this game consist of the Wild feature, the Reactions feature, the Reel Adventure feature, and the Tumble feature.
Bonanza
The Bonanza slot is one of the original Megaways titles that helped propel the mechanic into the online slots mainstream. It was released in 2016 by Big Time Gaming and features many fascinating visuals, alongside some bonus mechanics that create a fun slot experience for players worldwide. The visuals are beautifully crafted, considering the date this slot was released so long ago. The visuals are made up of a backdrop of a rigid rocky background with a diverse array of grass and a small wooden cabin next to the grid, which adds to the peaceful aesthetic that Big Time Gaming have created. This slot is played on a 6-reel format and can generate up to 117,649 paylines.
The Free Spins bonus round is the main bonus feature of this slot, and it is unlocked if players land four scatter symbols anywhere on the reels in the same spin. In this bonus feature, an Unlimited Win Multiplier will start at 1x. It will increase by +1 after every tumble feature and will be awarded to the symbol combinations’ prizes after the tumble feature has ended.
