Apex Strike Megaways

Apex Strike Megaways: Slot Overview

Apex Strike Megaways is an online slot from developer Iron Dog Studio that dumps players into the wilderness where they must fend for themselves against wild animals of varying descriptions. It's pretty amazing when you think of the power of the bear, or the pack viciousness of wolves, that humans were able to come out as the dominant species. In one-on-ones against these beasts without weapons, many humans would have a hard time not getting chewed up and spit out, but somehow, we developed the smarts and the cooperation skills to beat them all back to become this planet's real apex predator.

In Apex Strike Megaways, it would appear we are off to the North American wilderness, to one of those dry, hot, arid scenes of dust, desert plants, and towering rock formations. It is a very popular spot for casino game makers to plant a slot in; you don't need us to tell you. About the only thing noteworthy about Apex Strike Megaways' appearance is the classic background scenery paired with old-school-looking symbols gave the game a faint Wolf Gold kind of vibe. That and the lion symbol stuck out.

Next is picking a bet where the options vary from 20 c to $/€50 per spin. An ante bet is available, too. When the ante bet is engaged, the stake increases by 25%, thereby doubling the chance of triggering the Hold and Win feature. Whether the ante bet is on or off, the default RTP remains the same at 96.13%. Powered by a medium-high volatile math model, Apex Strike Megaways is played on a gaming area made up of 6 main reels holding 2 to 7 symbols each and a 4-symbol reel at the top. Ways to win depend on the number of symbols landing on the main reels, with a maximum number available of 200,704.

When a winning way pays out, the symbols involved in it are destroyed, and symbols remaining on the reels tumble in to replace them. If the new symbols form a winning way, they also pay out before triggering the tumbling process again. Tumbles continue until no more winning ways can be made. Apex Strike Megaways' paytable shows 9 to A card ranks as the low pays, alongside an eagle, wolf, lion (he's a long way from home), and a bear as the high pay symbols. Landing a 6-of-a-kind royal win pays 0.5 to 1.25 times the bet or 2.5 to 25 times the bet for a 6-matching premium symbol result. Substituting for all regular pay symbols is the wild symbol, which only ever lands on the top horizontal reel.

Apex Strike Megaways: Slot Features

Apex Strike Megaways does much of its striking via tumbles, a Megaways Hold and Win round, plus a feature buy.

Megaways Hold and Win

If a combination of 6 Special Strike Nugget symbols and/or Special Sun symbols hits, players win the Hold and Win feature. At the start of the feature, all triggering symbols stick to the positions they landed in, remaining there till the round ends. A total of 3 respins start the feature off, and landing new Special Strike Nugget symbols or Special Sun symbols makes them stick while also resetting the respin count to 3. Special Sun symbols display cash values, whereas the Special Strike Nugget symbols may be the Mini, Minor, Major, or Mega worth 10x, 50x, 250x, or 2000x the bet, respectively.

Buy Feature

Players have the opportunity to buy the Megaways Hold and Spin feature from the base game if they would prefer to go straight to it. The cost is 50 times the bet and has an RTP of 96.35%.

Apex Strike Megaways: Slot Verdict

Iron Dog Studio hadn't exactly been on an impressive release run around the time of review, and Apex Strike Megaways did nothing to break the trend. Its old-school look might appeal to some, especially since it's got an old-school main feature bolted on as well, fair enough. And while there are a few hold 'n win features to be found in Megaways slots, Gold Digger Megaways, Big Bass Hold & Spinner Megaways, Floating Dragon Megaways Hold & Spin, to name three, it's not a feature that's super commonly found tied to Big Time Gaming's popular game engine. Perhaps Iron Dog Studio spotted a gap in the market it thought it could fill with Apex Strike Megaways?

If so, it wouldn't have been terrible if they'd filled it with something more pulse-racing than this. As a comparison, take a look at iSoftBet, which dropped a mechanically similar sort of thing in the form of Aztec Gold Megaways, showcasing dazzling artwork and a multiplier-boosted hold 'n win round, and that came out around four years before Apex Strike Megaways. Having options is no bad thing, of course, and Apex Strike Megaways might match with those of a certain gambling appetite, and the pull of doing a slot that fits amongst an established group of slots drenched in the retro/North American nature/nostalgia angle might have been strong.

It is a safe, low-risk, comfortable angle to go for, though, as confirmed by the huge number of slots already in this thematic grouping - though they don't also usually include a lion. The same assessment goes for the pedestrian hold 'n win feature, which has zero innovative sparks. The result is a game where nothing really stood out, very little stuck, and despite a sizable 10,000x the bet win cap, didn't feel particularly apex.