ALL ABOUT JOKER MEGAWAYS™ SLOT
UK-based Games Inc are the latest game studio to get on board the Megaways™ train thanks to a partnership with Relax Gaming who themselves are something of an up and coming outfit thanks to their expanding reels games, Temple Tumble and Machina Megaways™, and their excellent new cascading wins grid slot, TNT Tumble. For a small studio like Games Inc, getting on board Relax’s platform is a big deal as not only does it give them access to the Megaways™ license but it also means getting their titles out to a wider audience through all the operators working with Relax. So, expect to see more from these guys in the coming months.
For now, Games Inc have delivered something of a first – a stripped back, 3-reel, fruity-style classic slot that with expanding reels. Megaways™ purists may baulk at some of the standard features that are missing – no cascading wins, and only 512 paylines at full stretch. But wait, because this is still an interesting little slot that despite its simple format still runs on a punishingly high variance and offers a whopping top payout of 10,000x.
GAME SET-UP, SYMBOLS AND GRAPHICS
Classic slots are a marmite thing – some love them, some hate them. Play n Go’s recent Sticky Joker slot is a case in point – 3×3 gaming with few features that many slotters dismiss with relish, but some will love for its retro imagery and simple, fast-paced fun. In this instance, Joker Megaways™ carries itself well, with excellent graphics and a typically jolly Joker face beaming down from the screen. The reel set, as we have said, is only 3 wide, but with between two and eight rows per spin. That gives you between 8 and 512 paylines available at any one time.
The low value symbols are made up of fruits – cherries, lemons, plums, watermelons and grapes. There are just two high value symbols – the bells and the stars. Three stars in a row will get you a win of 5x. Watch out in the free spins round for the Joker scatter which is required to unleash the all-important free spins round. When it does, the Joker becomes wild for the duration of the bonus round, subbing in for any other symbol to create a win.
THE IMPORTANT STATS
Slots fanatics who are ready to dismiss Joker Megaways™ may want to look twice because this game still has big potential at 10,000x as well as a decent RTP of 96.56%. That means that whilst you can expect the familiar, frustrating base game rounds with low and infrequent payouts, if you can trigger that free spins round then this slot has the potential to reward you with big wins. So, bear all this in mind as you load Joker Megaways™ for the first and pick your stake accordingly.
GAMEPLAY AND FEATURES
Win Gamble
Short on features, the Win Gamble is the only one in the base game rounds. Any win can be gambled for the chance to double-up. To gamble, choose either the red of blue buttons. If you guess correctly then you’ll double your prize. If you guess incorrectly then you lose it. Simple! If you win, you can go again, up to 8 times, or to the value of 500x your original stake.
Free Spins
The Free Spins feature is triggered by landing three Joker Scatters simultaneously on reels 1, 2 and 3. Here, 10 spins are awarded. Now, not only is the Joker now a wild icon, but each time he lands he will also add 1x to a progressive multiplier that appears at the start of the round. And he does more … if the Joker lands again on reels 1, 2 and 3 simultaneously, so another 10 spins are added to your total.
OUR VERDICT
This is an excellent first outing in the Megaways™ arena for Games Inc and shows a game studio with great promise. Joker Megaways™ is a vibrant slot with slick graphics and animations, and despite its simple, classic feel, it is still a very engaging game. The action will be a bit slow in the base game but the bonus round really cranks things up with big potential thanks to the opportunity to re-trigger the spins, build up that progressive multiplier and benefit from the Joker Wilds.
