Blazing Wilds Megaways – (PRAGMATIC PLAY) SLOT REVIEW

Blazing Wilds Megaways: Slot Overview

For those who might be weary of the typical joker-filled, upbeat, and vibrant classic slot games, Pragmatic Play’s Blazing Wilds Megaways might not offer a substantial departure in theme. It’s a game that embraces many of these familiar elements. The game’s design and audio do not break new ground in terms of originality, but it does introduce a somewhat unique feature: an expanding upwards wild, which also brings a multiplier matching the number of wilds on the reel. This multiplier doubles during the free spins round, adding an extra layer of excitement.

The game’s aesthetic sticks closely to the classic slot style. While it’s not overrun with joker or harlequin characters, it does feature one prominently – a character who is wide-hipped and thin-waisted, holding a heart card, reminiscent of Zeus’s presence in Gates of Olympus. However, unlike Zeus, this character remains grounded with both feet on the floor. The “jazzy” aspect is conveyed through the use of flashing lights and a groovy, bass-heavy disco soundtrack. This creates an atmosphere that’s somewhat plasticky, yet potentially appealing to players who enjoy a more traditional, flamboyant slot game experience.

Blazing Wilds Megaways, a dynamic slot game from Pragmatic Play, features a 6-reel Megaways setup with each reel capable of displaying 2 to 7 symbols. This variability offers players up to 117,649 ways to win. Contrary to some expectations, the top four position reel doesn’t act as a tracker for regular pay symbols, wilds, or scatters. Instead, it serves a specific function, showcasing multiplier values generated by the wild feature, which will be discussed shortly.

The game operates on a highly volatile mathematical model, offering various RTP (Return to Player) settings, with the default value set at 96.06%. Players can place bets ranging from 20 cents to $/€240 in each round.

As is common with Megaways slots, the tumble feature plays a significant role. Winning symbols are removed post-win, and the resulting spaces are filled by symbols tumbling down from above. This process continues until no new winning combinations are formed. The game consists of 10 pay symbols, including the standard 10-A card ranks, followed by higher-value symbols like a ring, money, a gold-filled box, sevens, and diamonds. A six-of-a-kind (6 OAK) win with royal symbols pays out 0.5 to 1 times the bet, whereas high-value symbol combinations pay between 1.25 to 5 times the bet.

Wilds, appearing on reels 2 to 5, substitute for all pay symbols. Importantly, they activate the Expanding Wild feature upon landing, adding another exciting element to the gameplay.

Blazing Wilds Megaways: Slot Features

Blazing Wilds Megaways, a thrilling slot game from Pragmatic Play, is named for its standout feature: the expanding wilds. This feature is complemented by free spins and a bonus buy option, enhancing the game’s excitement.

Expanding Wild:

  • This feature activates whenever a wild symbol lands on the reels.
  • Additional wilds are added above the initial wild until they reach the top of the reel.
  • After expansion, a multiplier appears above the reel, equal to the number of wilds on that reel.
  • Wins involving the expanded wilds are multiplied by this value.
  • If multiple multipliers are present simultaneously, they multiply each other.
  • After each tumble, if the wilds that contributed to a win are part of the winning combination, the multipliers are removed.

Free Spins:

  • In the base game, landing 4, 5, or 6 scatters awards 15, 20, or 25 free spins, respectively.
  • During free spins, multipliers created by expanding wilds are doubled.
  • Free spins cannot be retriggered within the feature.

Buy Free Spins:

  • Players have the option to purchase the free spins round for 100 times their bet.
  • This purchase randomly activates the feature with 4, 5, or 6 scatters on the triggering spin.
  • When players opt to buy free spins, the RTP slightly decreases to 95.93%.

These features, particularly the innovative expanding wilds and the free spins with enhanced multipliers, offer players an engaging and potentially lucrative gaming experience in Blazing Wilds Megaways.

Blazing Wilds Megaways: Slot Verdict

Blazing Wilds Megaways exemplifies Pragmatic Play’s signature style, infusing a familiar slot format with a relatively fresh concept in its base game, which gains an additional boost during free spins. The standout feature here is the Expanding Wild, a unique twist in the Megaways genre. Unlike the typical downward expansion of wilds in many slot games, Blazing Wilds Megaways sees wilds expanding upwards, reminiscent of a bird spreading its wings for the first time. This upward expansion is a novelty for a Megaways game, though not entirely unprecedented in the slot world, as seen in Hacksaw Gaming’s Beast Below with its Expanding Sirens feature. Both games employ multipliers with their expanding wilds, but Beast Below offers a potentially higher individual wild multiplier, reaching up to x200.

However, Blazing Wilds Megaways stands out with its larger number of ways to win, the inclusion of the tumble feature, and non-additive multipliers. This combination creates highly dynamic gameplay, potentially leading to intense and exciting moments. The game sparks debate among players regarding its approach to multipliers during free spins, contrasting with the more traditional method of increasing multipliers after each winning cascade. Blazing Wilds Megaways offers a different, possibly more thrilling, multiplier experience, though it requires patience to fully appreciate and compare, given the relatively infrequent free spins (with a frequency of 1 in 369).

Overall, Blazing Wilds Megaways showcases Pragmatic Play’s typical flair and polish, featuring an intriguing gameplay mechanic that’s worth exploring, especially for players drawn to the jazzy joker theme set on a Megaways grid. Additionally, the game’s potential maximum win of 10,000x the bet adds an appealing goal for players to aim for.