Bonanza Megapays

Bonanza Megapays: Slot Overview

Eagle eyed readers will probably know Bonanza Megaways is the highest scoring slot to date at Bigwinboard. With so much good going on already, what more could Big Time Gaming do to improve upon the original? It's like Da Vinci standing before the Mona Lisa wondering what she needs - a bigger smile, more chest, a peace sign? The Australian studio solves the puzzle by ramming on a progressive jackpot under the trademarked name of Bonanza Megapays?.

The studio has big plans for this new system and sees it rolling out across the big casinos. If all goes to plan, chasers can look forward to solid wins dropping every couple of days on it. You might be thinking, okay Bonanza with a jackpot, is there anything else I need to know? Probably not if you're familiar with the Big Time Gaming cracker, but there are changes here and there, though admittedly they are minor. Let's don hard hats to take a look.

At first glance, it's obvious not much has changed in the looks department. The graphics are slightly more hi-def perhaps, the rocks more detailed, the grass clearer, the flowers more vibrant. The only real difference is that where the waterfall used to pour out of the logo, there is now a big MEGAPAYS notice, so you know what version you're playing. Oh, and 4 jackpots located along the top of the screen, advertising what prizes are up for grabs. Other than that, its Bonanza as you know it, complete with the epic banjo twang when the reels are in motion.

The new Megapays version offers a wider range of bets than before, starting at 20 p/c, rising to $/€30 per spin – a portion of each going into the pot. Bet choice is important, since the higher the wager, the better the chance of triggering the Jackpot feature. However, and this is important, the jackpot amounts remain the same and any of the prizes can be won no matter the bet size. Continuing the democratic spirit, Bonanza Megapays can be played on any device from mobile, tablet, to desktop. As well as the bigger bet option, another area that has changed is RTP, moving from 96% to 96.40% in order to make room for the jackpots. The following contributions are added to the jackpot from each bet: Mini (0.15%), Midi (0.13%), Major (0.12%), and Mega (0.11%). All in all, the 4 Megapays jackpots have a total RTP of 9.44%.

If any slot put Megaways on the map it was undoubtedly Bonanza. Few would have predicted what an effect the system would wind up having in the years to come. The jackpot version uses the same setup, which means 6 dynamic reels of 2-7 symbols each, topped by 4 extra positions above reels 2-5 that displays symbols in carts. On each spin, the total number of symbols on screen changes, creating up to 117,649 ways to win. You never know quite how each spin will pan out, a mechanic which works hand in hand with the Reaction feature.

The paytable remains untouched in this edition. That means 9-A royals as the low pays, three minerals and a diamond as the highs. Combinations up to 6 of a kind are possible, paying out 2 to 7.5 times the stake for the three rock symbols. The diamond is the one you want as it is the only symbol to pay out on two of a kind, while 6 in line is worth by far the most at 50x the bet. Finally, the sizzling sticks of dynamite symbol is wild, appearing only in the carts. The wild replaces any other pay symbols to help pull in a winning combination.

Bonanza Megapays: Slot Features

This section is like reading a Megaways 101 features list. It might sound rote now, but it was a refreshing blast of originality at the time. As well as Reactions, players get Free Spins, progressive multipliers, and the new progressive jackpot. The Reaction feature, of course, is at the heart of the action, occurring after every win, removing the successful symbols to let new one drop down into the gaps. Consecutive hits like this keep occurring as long as wins continue to land.

As before, spell G, O, L, D using the 4 scatter symbols to trigger 12 free spins. Here, a progressive win multiplier comes into play starting at x1, rising by +1 after every Reaction. The round may be extended when 3 or 4 scatters appear on the bonus reel to award 5, or 10 free spins respectively.

Now for the new bit – Megapays. All 4 jackpots are progressive, which means that every time a bet is made, a portion of the bet is added to each jackpot. Randomly triggered on any spin, moving the game away from the mine area to one outside a luxury hotel. Now, BTG has done things a bit different here as the jackpot round is not played out using a wheel as you may be used to. Instead, 1 symbol is randomly chosen to be the Megapays symbol before moving over to a 6x7 grid. Once underway, every time the Megapays symbol appears, it is collected at the bottom of the reels and awards another spin. If no new Megapays symbols appear, the feature is over. If you have manged to collect 4 or more Megapays Symbols, you’ll win prizes like so;

Bonanza Megapays: Slot Verdict

If you've played the original you'll have a fundamental understanding of the core gameplay. However, the addition of the Megapays jackpot system turns one of the greatest slots ever created into one of the best jackpot slots the iGaming world has ever seen. Whether you are new to Bonanza or a veteran miner, the jackpots provide additional motivation to give Bonanza a crack to aim for the mega jackpot and the possibility to trigger wins of 3,000,000x times the stake.

Several years may have passed, but Bonanza seems as relevant as ever. It's one of those landmarks that changed the way many players viewed slots. Developers too, as we've seen with the countless imitators since then. You often hear the phrase 'This is just Bonanza with X' to describe a game. Now we quite literally have 'Bonanza with a progressive jackpot'. Well, if you're going to play Bonanza, it might as well be the Megapays version from now on. Having said that, players need to be aware of the fact that, since the jackpot game has a chunk of the RTP allocated to it, Bonanza Megapays won't play exactly the same as the standard version during 'normal' play. Still, the RTP is ok by the standards of any progressive jackpot slot.

Chasing a jackpot has rarely been as satisfying as it is playing Bonanza Megapays. Since the original is regarded by many as one of the best "grinding games", known to provide plenty of value and playtime, Bonanza with a jackpot system is nothing but a match made in heaven.