Anubis Wild Megaways

Anubis Wild Megaways Slot: Overview

Making the most of their Megaways license, developer Inspired Gaming is poised to release their second slot to use the popular device. Their first, Desperados Wild, was pretty standard fare at first – until it got to the bonus round where those stacked, multiplier wilds could cause all sorts of mayhem. It’s nice to see that some of that magic has returned with the follow-up, but they have brought with them some rather strange changes. First a Western, now an Egyptian slot, it appears that theme choice to go with Megaways might not be too inspired. Still, it’s the gameplay that counts so let’s not be too hasty with the judgements and give it a whirl.

Prepare to not have your socks blown off when Anubis Wild Megaways loads. The graphic standard is good; there is nothing wrong with it as such. But it leans towards the unoriginal with staple symbols from the genre on the reels and a background comprised of a torch-lit temple. It’s no biggie though; the visuals are clear and create something of a mood. Players hit the coin arrows to pick the appropriate stake which can be anything from 20 p/c to $/€20 per spin.

Selecting manual or auto spin sets the Megaways machine in motion with 6 main reels and an extra 4x1 horizontal reel along the top. The main reels can hold 2-7 symbols each, which change with each spin, and can provide up to 117,649 ways to win - in other words, a standard Megaways setup. Players receive a payout when combinations of 2 or 3 of a kind land consecutively on any row. When that happens, the cascade feature removes the winning combination and drops new symbols into the gaps. New combos get a chance to form, and cascades continue as long as new winners keep landing.

Players make use of 10 regular pay symbols split into 6 low and 4 high pay lots. The low pays are standard 9-A royals placed against a papyrus like background, while the high pays are an Eye of Horus, Pharaoh’s Mask, a Cleopatra lookalike, and a scarab. All need at least three for an payout, except the scarab who only needs two of a kind. He is also the most valuable of the lot at 50 times the stake for six of a kind.

Two special symbols complete the picture – wilds and mystery symbols. Wilds appear only on the top horizontal reel during the base game whilst they only appear on reels 2-5 during free spins. As per usual, wilds can substitute for any symbol except the bonus. When the Mystery Symbols land, all in view change to reveal the same matching regular pay symbol which helps increase the chance of scoring big wins.

Behind the scenes, the stats coming out of the medium volatile math model goes from 95.9% RTP in standard mode, to between 95.81%-95.95% RTP with the Bonus Top Up feature is engaged. More on that further below so keep on reading.

Anubis Wild Megaways Slot: Features

Desperadoes Wild let players choose from two possible bonus games whereas Anubis Wild Megaways has just the one. Fortunately, it’s a copy of the one that made Desperadoes shine - the Jail House Spins. The bonus game doesn’t get a special name this time around, it’s simply referred to as Free Spins and is triggered when 3 or more bonus symbols land anywhere in view. No, not a typo, Anubis Wild only needs 3 scatters (as opposed to 4 in most other Megaways creations) and any extra scatter in view awards 2 additional spins up to a maximum of 82.

Before free spins begin, players are presented with Bonus Top Up screen. Here, players can choose to gamble the free spins they have been awarded or collect. With successful gambles, more spins are added to the tally. If not, spins are forfeit, and players receive a mystery prize which comes as a multiplier of the total bet amount. Usually around x4 during testing, so you really don’t want to lose that one.

The free spins round is quite different from the usual Megaways bonus game. For starters, the bonus reel is removed, and there is no unlimited win multiplier on hand. There isn’t even a cascade feature any more. Instead, it’s all about the wilds. When wilds land now, they drop to the bottom of the reel and remain locked in place for the duration. The wild also locks the Megaways on that reel so rows don’t change around from spin to spin. Should more wilds land on the reel, they merge, stack, and receive a multiplier equal to the number of wilds that have merged. If a reel gets covered with a merged wild, free spins are added equal to the number of wilds that merged.

The final feature is a technical addition that you would hope not to use. It’s called the Spin Chance and activates when there is credit in an account, but it is less than the current spin cost. Players can choose to use the Spin Chance and if they do, a needle spins around a wheel awarding another spin if it lands on a green segment, or forfeiting the credit if it lands on red.

Anubis Wild Megaways Slot: Verdict

Anubis Wild is a solid enough Egyptian themed Megaways slot, but it does feel like a step back from Desperadoes Wild. Things have changed, added and been taken away. But overall, it’s a somewhat inferior game. It's hard to understand why Inspired made some of the changes they did with Anubis Wild because none of them really enhance the experience. One is the more limited bonus round. What we get is good - the sticky/multiplying wilds can be just as thrilling when they do their thing in an Egyptian environment. Yet, some players might prefer a more conventional win multiplier over the more volatile wild option, but, it’s gone. And it is hard to think of a convincing reason why. Oh well, Anubis Wild only requires 3 scatters to trigger the round, so that’s a positive point, though a drop in RTP sort of erases that pro.

Inspired’s debut Megaways slot Desperadoes Wild had a wow factor due to its excellently novel Jail House Spins feature. It’s nice to see that return, but like anything, it loses a bit of impact on its second viewing. Anubis Wild is a competent use of Megaways, but it’s not a standout, and its changes have made it a somewhat lesser slot than its older sibling.