Slot Titles Revamped with Megaways™ Feature

If you’ve been spinning reels online at least for a few months, you’ve probably heard of the term ‘Megaways™’, the new amazing slot machine mechanic that changed the game. The MegawaysTM is a signature slot machine feature exclusively designed by Australia-based Big Time Gaming (BTG), one of the most innovative software developers in today’s iGaming industry.

Because the MegawaysTM is still pretty new, there have been a lot of questions about how it works and whether it actually poses any material benefit to slot machine players. Players who are intrigued by new, ground-breaking features jump onto revamped classics like Gonzo's Quest Megaways demo to get a feel of the MegawaysTM feature - without really knowing what the feature is or how it works. Such adventurous players are in it for the thrill and excitement, as long as it’s fun to play, they are in!

However, for some players it is different, rather than testing the waters and getting confused because they don’t understand what the new feature is all about, they keep off and stick to what they are used to. Well, whichever kind of player you are, let's take a closer look at what BTG’s MegawaysTM is all about, and after that, you’ll get examples of some of the coolest online slots you can play to relish this remarkable game mechanic.

When Was the First MegawaysTM  Slot Released?

The first time the revered MegawaysTM mechanic hit the online slot machine market was when BTG unveiled the Dragon Born slot in 2015, the first game to pioneer this new way of spinning reels. For some reason, however, this novel reel-spinning MegawaysTM mechanic was put on the map one year later, when BTG released the Bonanza slot in 2016.

The Bonanza online slot became an instant hit and from that day, the superb slot machine mechanic became mainstream, quickly winning popular acclaim.  To date, it has been one of the most popular proprietary features introduced to the world of online slot machine gaming.

Given that it is a proprietary add-on integrated into the standard slot machine design, other software providers have to partner with BTG if they want to introduce the feature to any of their games. Net Entertainment is one of the software providers that have leveraged this technology by partnering with BTG to revamp its old titles and give them a new spark by introducing the MegawaysTM mechanic in the game. Some of the most anticipated re-issues from Net Entertainment in conjunction with BTG’s proprietary mechanic include Twin Spin MegawaysTM, Gonzo’s Quest MegawaysTM, and Divine Fortune MegawaysTM.

What Are Megaways™ Slots?

MegawaysTM slots are designed using a unique game engine that acts as a random reel modifier to alters the number of symbols across the reels with every spin you take on the reels. This is to say, the slot’s reels are dynamic in that different numbers of symbols appear on the reels with every spin taken. The main function of the MegawaysTM mechanic is to create many more possibilities for creating winning combinations of symbols in each reel. The symbols are multiplied across the reels to create thousands of winning ways with any adjacent symbols from left to right.

How Does the Modifier Mechanic Work?

Typically, the majority of MegawaysTM games come with up to 117,649 ways to win, from an arrangement of 6 reels. Each reel contains a random number of symbols on every spin, normally between 2 and 7. Adjacent symbols will then be multiplied across each reel to obtain the maximum potential reward. The number of winning ways will then be shown in a box at the top of the screen.

You should, however, note that not all MegawaysTM games have the same number of winnings ways. Some online slots such as the White Rabbit MegawaysTM slot from BTG offer up to 248,832 winning ways thanks to this mechanic while the Holy Diver MegawaysTM slot from the same software developer comes with a whopping 586,971 winning ways.

To make it easier for players to know the active potential winning ways, a small box is always shown at the top of the gaming interface that shows the number of active winning ways.

Special MegawaysTM Features

On top of the impressive mechanic, developers further inject a range of immersive reward-packed features, often tied to the game’s thematic concept and storyline. Some of the most popular power-ups that you may come across as you enjoy hundreds of thousands of winning ways per spin include:

●      The wild and scatter symbols: Well, to be fair, the wild and scatter are pretty standard add-on features in video slots. The wild symbol’s function is to replace all the other symbols to form more winning combinations, except for the scatter. The scatter symbol, on the other hand, is usually responsible for triggering bonus rounds and free spins. The MegawaysTM mechanic usually makes these features more lucrative than they usually are in standard video slot machines.

●      Cascading Reels: This is one of the most popular features that is issued alongside the MegawaysTM. You’ll find it under various names, such as Avalanches, Reactions, and even Tumbling reels, but the meaning is the same. For the cascading reels, whenever a winning combination lands on the reels, the matched symbols explode or vanish off the grid and are replaced by new symbols that fall from above. Normally, this leads to consecutive wins from just a single spin which is something that gets more rewarding if you have hundreds of thousands of winning ways at your disposal.

●      Progressive win multiplier: This feature is usually tied to the cascading reels function. It is a multiplier that increases with the increase in the number of subsequent cascades, i.e. winning combinations that you form consecutively in a single spin. The higher the number of cascades that you activate, the higher the multiplier, which will usually increase by x1 on the base game. After you cascade wins stop, the multipliers reset to 1x on a new spin. For the free spins and any other bonus rounds, these cascade multipliers get much bigger.

●      Mystery symbols: This is another exceptional feature that is used to soup up MegawaysTM slots. Landing mystery symbols on the reels will trigger a change into a common in-play symbol. In most cases, they appear scattered around the grid, but sometimes, mystery symbols can appear as stacked symbols. Whichever way they appear, they unlock more rewards for you.

●      Bonus buy feature: With this feature, players can choose to buy bonus games for a multiple of the total stake. Normally, players have to collect symbols that will fill up a meter before they can access this feature.

The Best Megaways™ Slots

Some of the most exceptional MegawaysTM slots that you should play as soon as they are rolled out with the new winning ways mechanic include:

1.     Gonzo's Quest MegawaysTM

The Gonzo’s Quest MegawaysTM slot is a remastered version of the popular Gonzo’s Quest slot but with more thrilling features and advanced improvements, including the MegawaysTM mechanic. Featuring an exhilarating adventurous theme, this new hitter sets all the action in a 6 reeled arrangement with up to 117,649 ways to win.

You’ll find a host of highly rewarding in-game special features, such as the Avalanche Symbols, Sticky Wilds, Free Spins, and Progressive Multipliers. If you’ve played the original Gonzo’s Quest slot, then you will be blown away by this exceptional MegawaysTM reissue upon its release on the  23rd of July.

2.     Divine Fortune MegawaysTM

NetEnt can’t just have enough of the MegawaysTM mechanic as it has seen the potential this unique feature has. The company is scheduled to release a re-make of the popular Divine Fortune slot. The new MegawaysTM version will feature a 5-reel set with up to 117,649 ways to win.

It will come with many of the original game’s features, such as the beautiful but deadly Medusa, the Phoenix, the majestic Pegasus, and the uncanny Minotaur, with sharper graphics and visual effects that will bring the MegawaysTM mechanic to life. This title is scheduled for a 24th November release date later in the year.

3.     Twin Spin MegawaysTM

This is another highly anticipated remake from NetEnt, to be released on the 12th of November this year. It will feature a 6-reeled grid arrangement and up to 117,649 ways to win thanks to the introduction of the MegawaysTM mechanic in the game. On top of the refreshed number of winning ways, the game will come with the cutting-edge visuals that Net Entertainment is known for, plus its original easy-going simplicity that will keep you spinning the reels for hours non-stop without getting bored.

Which Megaways™ Slots Can You Play Today?

As impressive as the above games will be, they haven’t been released yet. If you’d like to enjoy this remarkable slot machine feature today, here are some of the revamped MegawaysTM slot machines you can play, in addition to than the ones that we’ve already mentioned:

●      Great Rhino Megaways™ by Pragmatic Play

●      Aztec Gold MegawaysTM by iSoftBet

●      Medusa Megaways™ by NextGen

●      Fishin Frenzy Megaways™ by Blueprint Gaming

●      Mystery Reels Megaways™ by Red Tiger Gaming/Net Entertainment

Parting Shot

While BTG original slots are impressive, if you’d like to have the truest taste of the MegawaysTM mechanic, you better go for a revamped online slot that also offers top-notch graphics for ultimate visual immersion as you reap the benefits of having 100K+ winning ways. You’ll enjoy the game you already love, and you’ll love it even more, thanks to the new remarkable twist!