Big Time Gaming has taken upon themselves to improve upon theirmilestone original game, or at least provide a certain segment of players with an alternative. Bonanza Megapays is more or less the original Megaways version, with4 progressive jackpotsadded above the top horizontal cart reel. Visually, this version is a bit more crisp, and the math model has naturally been changed a bit also.
The trademarked Megapays jackpot system plays out a bit differently than the multi-tiered Wheel of Fortune that’s so common in such games. However, it’s still a randomly triggered feature that can drop the big one at any given time. Of course, the theoretical returns in the regular game suffer a bit, but nothing more than you might expect from a high-powered jackpot title like this truly is.
As in the original game, you will benefit from dynamite wilds also here, and these can only appear in the horizontal cart reel on top of the regular reel set. The wild steps in for all regular pay symbols, helping you land winning combos.
TheReaction featureis in play too, meaning that all winning symbols are removed from the reels. A fresh batch of symbols then drop from above to fill the gap, and this goes on as long as you keep landing new winning combinations.
The bonus round is triggered by spellingG-O-L-Dwith the4 scatter symbols, and you will then be granted12 free spins. The free spins round benefits from aprogressive win multiplierthat starts at 1x, and increases with+1 per Reaction win. Theunlimited multiplierdoes not reset between spins, and landing3 or 4 scattersgives you5 or 10 extra free spins,respectively.
The big attraction in this follow-up title is, of course, theMegapays feature. There are4 progressive jackpotsup for grabs in this version of Bonanza, and theMegapays Jackpot featureis triggered at random times.
One symbol will then be randomly chosen to be theMegapays symbol, and the feature plays out on a 6×7 grid with a massive luxury hotel in the background. You get new respins on the special reel set as long as you keep landing the chosen Megapays symbol, and you need to collectat least 4 to win a jackpot.
The feature ends when no Megapays symbols land, and you can win the following 4 progressive jackpots:
The original Bonanza is an all-time favorite of this reviewer, and a legendary title that rocked everyone and their grandmother’s world when it was first released. Needless to say, we were super-eager to test the Megapays jackpot version, and we had a grand ole’ time with it. Check out how we fared in the edited highlights video below.
The safest way to improve upon a masterpiece like Bonanza Megaways is to add some solid progressive jackpots to the mix. Messing with the core gameplay and features could have easily gotten BTG in trouble, but they wisely avoided that trap. Play with the lowest stake of 20p per spin, and the largest jackpot’s starting level is a whopping 1,500,000x your stake. Not exactly pocket change for sure, but there is a drawback you should be aware of.
A full9.44 %of the96.40 %RTP is allocated to the Megapays feature, leaving you with only86.96 %returns for the regular gameplay. This is the price you pay for massive jackpots up to 3,000,000x your stake (as announced by Big Time), and budget jackpot chasers will probably appreciate that your total stake makes no difference on your winning chances.
Pros
Cons
Bonanza- was a milestone release for the whole industry back in 2016, and it’s still among the most popular slots out there. The cascading reels and unlimited progressive multiplier bonus round might sound like standard stuff now, but BTG’s Bonanza was the trailblazer that started that whole trend.
Mega Fortune Dreams- is NetEnt’s legendary progressive jackpot title, and it’s less volatile than the game at hand. The RTP is also higher here, making it a more forgiving jackpot chase. The Mega Jackpot seeds at €250,000, and the biggest win so far is €17,860,868 (average jackpot: €3,981,559).
Mega Moolah- is Microgaming’s wildly popular progressive jackpot slot, which also happens to hold the Guinness Record for highest online payout (€18,915,721). The average jackpot drops around €6M, with around 8 weeks between the big wins.