About Gems Bonanza
Pragmatic Play – a well-respected developer in the casino games world – delved into the branded slots market this summer with their Peaky Blinders game but they are back to what they do best here with Gems Bonanza, a classic grid high volatility slot where the volatility is cranked up to the maximum and the gameplay is peppered with a number of well-though-out interesting features that keep things interesting even when the big wins aren’t coming your way. The best stuff comes in the bonus round that can be triggered by filling the game meter to the side of the grid. If you’re a fan of this kind of slot and have already had your fill of Play n Go’s awesome Reactoonz 2 game then Gems Bonanza is a great next step for you. Just beware that Gems Bonanza has a mean-variance that means you will find it hard to unlock those big prizes and those without the stomach for high-risk gambling should steer well clear.
THEMES, SYMBOLS AND PAYTABLE
The backdrop to Gems Bonanza looks like it is a rocky desert at night-time somewhere in the Arabian lands with soothing music accompanying the scene.
But you will barely notice that as your attention will be on the dazzling grid set that takes center stage, decked out with 8 rows and 8 reels of highly prized and colourful precious stones. The stones range in value right up to 1,000x for 25 of the red gems in a cluster. Lookout as well for the wild symbol that can sub for all others to create a cluster. The objective here is to fill the game meter as well as score clusters of five or more identical symbols as this will set up the bonus progressive round which is where you can really score some big wins.
RTP, VARIANCE AND PAYOUTSÂ
Gems Bonanza is a very highly volatile slot game so keep this in mind when you come to choose your stake, and if you prefer low-risk casual slots play then this game won’t suit your tastes or budget. Stakes start from 20p and the top prize is 10,000x. It’s extremely unlikely that you will hit that, and most big wins will come in at the range of 500x to 2,000x. The RTP is a fairly standard 96.5% which puts it in the average range for Pragmatic Play slots.
GAMEPLAY AND BONUS FEATURESÂ
Gems Bonanza is a feature-packed game so there is a lot to understand here (unfortunately though, there’s no free spins feature) . Here’s how it plays out:
CASCADING WINS GRID FORMAT
Gems Bonanza uses the classic cascading reels wins or tumbling reels format of all other grid slots. So, when a cluster is formed then winning symbols are removed and replaced with new ones. If new clusters form then more wins are triggered. This continues until no more clusters form. In short, it means that from one spin you can win multiple times.
COLORED MAKERS AND SYMBOLS MODIFIERS
Gems Bonanza is packed with colourful new symbols. Behind each symbol is a coloured marker, and there are plenty of symbols involved. When a symbol with a marker is part of a cluster win then it triggers a modifier as follows:
- Blue marker – Nuclear feature, where all symbols are removed from the grid and replaced by a new set of symbols.
- Pink marker – Wild Gem feature, whereby all symbols turn into wild symbols when the tumble round is complete.
- Brown marker – Square feature or random symbol, where a super-sized 2×2 symbol block is added to a random position on the grid.
- Red marker – Colossal feature, where a super-sized 3×3, 4×4 or 5×5 symbol block is added.
- Green mark – Lucky Wilds feature where between five and 15 wilds are added to the grid.
After each of these modifiers is executed, a new payout will be made if winnings clusters are then formed. It’s worth noting a winning cluster pays out BIG time and is a great bonus feature. Further tumbles or cascades will then happen as per the standard gameplay.
GOLD FEVER PROGRESSIVE FEATURE
The key to the big wins in the game is the Gold Fever Progressive feature. The Gold Fever feature is triggered by collecting 114 identical winning symbols on the same spin and its subsequent winning tumbles. The game meter to the left of the entire grid will tell you how many of each symbol you have collected so far.
In the progressive tumble feature, ALL the modifiers play out one by one with a 2x multiplier in play as well. The meter is once again active and collecting identical symbols re-triggers the progressive at a higher level with enhanced multipliers. It works like this:
- Level 1 – 114 symbols – 2x multipliers
- Level 2 – 116 symbols – 4x multipliers
- Level 3 – 120 symbols – 6x multipliers
- Level 4 – 125 symbols – 8x multipliers
- Level 5 – 130 symbols – 10x multipliers
NOTE: you must collect the symbols on ONE SPIN and its consecutive tumbles in order to achieve the winning combinations. At the end of a spin the Gold Fever meter re-sets.
So, fans of high variance gameplay will recognise this kind of spin features set-up – the real fun, and the big wins will come in sequences (not random positions) where you keep levelling up and increasing your multipliers every time in a thrilling, short burst of high-octane grid play. The Gold Fever spin features classic high volatility gameplay from Pragmatic Play!
OUR VERDICT
The Gems Bonanza slot is a really impressive addition to the grid slot genre from Pragmatic Play. The look and feel are superb with a really engaging and slick presentation. And that is all backed up with some excellent gameplay. The modifiers themselves are varied and interesting, with a good mix of colossal symbols and wilds that can drive some nice wins in the base game. Like all good high variance games though, the Gems Bonanza slot takes things up a notch when you unlock the super-charged bonus round. Hitting the top level and a 10x multiplier is going to be such a rare, rare thing but even progressing to level 2 or 3 would still give you good payouts. We recommend the Gems Bonanza slot to anyone who loves high-risk play and our advice is to have fun, but treat it with caution at all slot sites UK. And please gamble responsibly!
