About This Slot
There are few slots as iconic or well-known as IGT’s Wheel of Fortune. It is inspired by a classic US TV gameshow and is a big hit on the floors of Vegas casinos as anyone who has ever stepped foot in one will testify too. Online it was a huge hit too back in the 2000s and the early days of online. Since then the bright lights and clanging sounds of Wheel of Fortune have been somewhat surpassed in the UK by newer slot variations, and most obviously, the Megaways™ experience. So, it’s no surprise that IGT has teamed up with the kings of the expanding reel format, Big Time Gaming, to give us this very modern take on an old skool slot.
Wheel of Fortune Megaways™ is due for released in UK slot sites in December 2020. It will be packed with iconic luxury lifestyle symbols, adorning the classic reels, and with the added features of expanding reels and stacks of wilds that can drive huge, huge wins if you get lucky. Some of the best features of Megaways™ are missing here – multipliers and cascading wins – but overall this has the potential to be a superb high variance slot and one of the better additions to this popular slot series.
RTP, Variance and Top Payout
Like almost all Megaways™ slots, Wheel of Fortune is a high variance game, with an uneven win distribution which means you may experience some very frustrating times chasing down those wins. It’s not for those looking for an easy slots session with regular payouts. So bear this in mind if you choose to play and set your stake accordingly. The RTP is a relatively generous 96.46%, and the top payout really is at 80,150x!
Spins start at 20p per play.
Symbols and Paytable
As you would expect, Wheel of Fortune Megaways™ is a slot with a glitzy game show feel and lots of luxury items on show. The low-value icons are represented by the playing cards, 9 through to Ace. The premiums meanwhile come in the form of golden diamond rings, golden jets, golden cars, and golden speedboats, paying out from 0.9x to 25x bet for the maximum combination.
Lookout as well for the Golden Wild which will substitute for all symbols but the logo scatters to form win lines. Importantly, the Wild will also have the ability to expand in Wild Megastacks to increase your chances of wins. And finally, you’ll need the logo scatter to set up the free spins round where you can land up to 18 plays.
Gameplay and Features
Megaways™ aficionados may be a little put off that we are not staring down the barrel of a free spins round packed with progressive multipliers. However, instead, we do get some alternative goodies that look just as intriguing. Here’s how it works:
Wild Megastacks Feature
Every time you land a Wild on the reels it can trigger the Wild Megastacks feature. Here, your wild can expand to cover an entire reel – that’s up to 7 cells when a reel is fully expanded. And furthermore, up to 3 reels can have Wild Megastacks in one spin. This can significantly enhance the win potential of a spin.
Free Spins Feature
Like all good Megaways™ slots, Wheel of Fortune does have a good free spins round. The Free Spins feature is triggered every time three or more scatters land on the reels. Three, four, five, or six logo scatters will get you 12, 14, 16, or 18 free spins.
Now, before the free spins round starts you must spin the Wheel of Fortune which determines how many Megaways™ the round starts with – i.e. how far each reel expands. It is possible to have all six reels displaying 7 symbols each.
Expansion Symbol Feature
During the free spins, a new Megaways™ mechanic enters the gameplay. This is driven by a new symbol, called the Expansion Symbol. Every time it lands, it is replaced with two new icons, further increasing the number of rows that can appear on each reel. In this way it is possible to increase the height of any reel to 10 symbols. If this happens, you are awarded another 12 free spins, and if all of your six reels reach 10 rows high then you are playing with 1,000,000 Megaways™!!
Our Verdict
Bringing together an old slot classic like Wheel of Fortune and the modern format of Megaways™ requires skill and a deft touch. Thankfully, IGT and Big Time Gaming have combined here to produce something that brings out the best of both sides of this equation. The iconic visuals and sounds of Wheel of Fortune are compelling, and the expanding reels have been augmented with two excellent features – the stacked wilds are simple enough, but it’s the Expansion Symbols that can really drive the thrills in this game. To get anywhere close to that top payout you will likely need the full 10 rows of symbols and a lucky combination of wild stacks and premiums. Just remember, this is an unforgiving game so set your stake low and play responsibly.
