Merry Christmas Megaways

Merry Christmas Megaways: Slot Overview

You know, after a while, we end up reviewing so many Christmas themed slots at a certain time of the year it's easy to lose track. After all the tinsel, presents, roaring fires, snowfalls, Santas, elves, deer, decorations, Ebenezer Scrooges, pine trees, candles have been cleared away, what's left is tantamount to piles of torn wrapping paper strewn about the living room floor. But hey, it can be fun at the time, and today's festive slot comes courtesy of Inspired Gaming. Merry Christmas Megaways is a slot full of seasonal cheer, backed up by a Megaways starter pack of features such as mystery symbols, tumbles, and free spins with a progressive win multiplier.

The humble hearth is the setting for Merry Christmas Megaways. Sitting in the middle of a room is a 6-reel + horizontal bonus reel set up, set in a blazing fireplace beside a Christmas tree, comfy armchair, mantlepiece, candles, stockings, the works. The music is a bit eerie; well, it is when the reels aren't moving, and sounds like an old sentimental movie, maybe even a black and white one. However, when the reels were spinning, the music brought to mind a more modern Christmas film, where the little guy or gal defeats corporate greed despite offering ridiculously low prices, by sticking to wholesome values.

In Merry Christmas Megaways, each spin lands 2-7 symbols on the main reels, while 4 always appear on the top reel. Variable symbols mean variable ways to win, maxing out at 117,649 when the game grid is full. There are two ways to play Merry Christmas Megaways – in regular mode or with the Fortune Bet switched on. When it's off, stakes range from 20 p/c to $/€10, increasing by 50% when it is on. The benefit of using the Fortune Bet is a triple chance of landing the bonus. Statistically, Merry Christmas Megaways is a highly volatile game, producing a return value of 95.5%.

Players enjoy a win when matching symbols line up from the left side of the grid in adjacent reels. Santa, the highest value symbol, pays out when two or more land, whereas the others need at least three to do so. After Santa comes sleighs, gifts, and bells, then a selection of 9-A covered tree decorations. A line of six low pays is worth 0.8 to 1.75 the bet, while a non-royal six of a kind winning combination gets you 2 to 50 times your stake. Finally, appearing only on the extra top reel is the wild symbol, capable of replacing any other symbol in the game except the bonus tile.

Merry Christmas Megaways: Slot Features

The Fortune Bet might be slightly irregular for a Megaways game, yet the remaining features are all pretty standard. It starts with cascades, before moving to mystery symbols, then free spins, where the progressive multiplier comes to life to help improve payouts.

Cascades

Every winning combination is part of a cascade sequence. Wins area popped off the grid, then are replaced by new symbols falling down from above on the main reels or from the right on the extra reel. As long as new wins form, cascades continue to trigger.

Mystery Symbols

Mystery symbols can randomly be delivered to the reels on any spin. When they land, mystery symbols all transform to reveal the same paying symbol type.

Free Spins

In the base game, having 4 or more scatter symbols in view awards the bonus round - landing exactly 4 awards 12 free spins, while additional scatters are worth +2 free spins each. During free spins, each winning cascade increases the unlimited win multiplier by 1. Moreover, the bonus is extended by +5 or +10 free spins when 3 or 4 scatters land in view, up to a maximum of 80.

Spin Chance

If the balance falls below the current spin cost, players are offered a Spin Chance. If accepted, a pointer spins on a wheel, and if it lands on green, 1 more spin is granted. If it lands on red, the remaining balance is forfeit.

Merry Christmas Megaways: Slot Verdict

So, toss another cloned release on the bonfire of the Christmas slots. There are few surprises to be found in Merry Christmas Megaways if you pick it to play on the special day, or any other day for that matter. This is a traditional-looking Christmas gaming that sticks closely to the traditional Megaways blueprint. It means Merry Christmas Megaways might not stumble, but it doesn't offer much secondary appeal either once the wrapper comes off. Megaways players know what they are getting, end of story.

It should be made clear that the free spins, cascades, increasing win multiplier combination functions well and leads to some nice snowball moments. Mystery symbols do their thing, and the Fortune Bet is there for players who like to up the ante up. Other than that, there's not much else to report on. Merry Christmas Megaways functions fine and operates to a win cap of $250,000, which technically equates to a figure of 25,000x the max bet. Overall, the game is okay but comes off as the stocking filler equivalent of a mid-price bath gel with a nice smell that you know deep down will probably never be used.

By now, you might be thinking Merry Christmas Megaways is basically Bonanza in a pair of stripy elf tights and a pointy hat with a bell hanging off the end. In fact, it's possible to narrow down the feelings of déjà vu even further since Merry Christmas Megaways is a clone of another Inspired game called Gimme Gold! Megaways. That one didn't seem to get players frothing in excited anticipation, and it's hard to see Merry Christmas Megaways faring much better. Factor in the 95.5% RTP as well, and there are definitely less Grinchy Christmas slots on the market. Still, for a familiar feeling Megaways Christmas slot, it might make do. Players acquainted with this sort of game will know what they are signing up for, after all.