Panda Money Megaways

Panda Money Megaways: Slot Overview

For whatever reason, panda bears had seen a surge in popularity amongst casino makers around the time of writing, starring in games such as Boss Bear from Push Gaming, Fat Panda from Pragmatic Play, Pandastic Adventure from Play'n GO, and Eye of the Panda from Hacksaw Gaming. Quite a diverse range of both slots and studios there. Getting in on the black, white, and cuddly action now is Australian developer Big Time Gaming with its contribution, Panda Money Megaways. BTG has used Panda Money as an opportunity to not only join the panda movement but as a vehicle for its Prize Builder feature, which stacks winning symbols by holding them on screen while other positions respin in an attempt to improve the win.

The first impression of Panda Money was of a sort of panda-d Bonanza. The gaming grid is embedded in a rock wall next to a waterfall, lily pads float in a pool of water below, and forests of bamboo are on hand to feed the local panda population. One of the big fuzzy creatures sits next to the gaming grid, its eyes closed, making zzz's as it sleeps. Trigger free spins, though, and the big guy or gal arises from their slumber to collect bamboo symbols when they hit, increasing the win multiplier as a result. The game has a very BTG feel, which is not a criticism, due to the familiar symbols, reel spin movement, and tightly wound maths.

Panda Money is a highly volatile online slot, producing a default RTP of 96.1% in standard play or 96.15% when using the bonus buy options. Stakes vary from 20 c to $/€12 per spin, and hitting the big green play button sets the gaming grid in motion, spinning its 6 reels and the 4 position Extra reel horizontally on top. Being a Megaways slot, each reel (including the Extra Reel) can have up to 5 symbols on it, providing up to 15,625 ways to win.

Nine through Ace card ranks take the place of Panda Money's low pay symbols, awarding 0.2 to 0.25 times the bet when 6 matching winning royals are in view. The high-pay picture symbols are a ring, a butterfly, a fish, and a flower, paying 0.3 to 1 times the bet for a 6 OAK result. Helping connect winning combinations is the Yin & Yang wild symbol, by substituting any regular pay symbol. Wilds appear on the Extra Reel only, but they may fall onto the reels below during the Prize Builder feature.

Panda Money Megaways: Slot Features

Panda Money is built around its Prize Builder feature, which holds winning symbols when they hit, building the win if more winning symbols respin in. The Prize Builder is available in the base game and in free spins, where a win multiplier is also added.

Prize Builder

When a winning combination occurs, all winning symbols drop to the bottom, and all non-winning positions respin. Winning symbols on the Extra Reel fall into the reels below if there is room to do so and can increase the number of symbols on the reels. However, if the reel below has 4 symbols in it, then a winning symbol in the Extra Reel stays where it is. If the win is improved by landing new winning symbols after the non-winning positions have respun, the Prize Builder repeats the process. It continues to do so until the win is no longer improved or there is no room left, then the total win is paid. Scatters are always held during a Prize Builder sequence as well.

Free Spins

In the base game, hitting 3 scatters awards 8 free spins, plus 2 additional spins are granted for each scatter in view beyond 3. The free spins round has an unlimited win multiplier that begins at x1. Whenever symbols are removed during the Prize Builder, Bamboo symbols may appear, which are collected by the Panda. For every 5 Bamboo symbols collected this way, the win multiplier increases by +1. Hitting 3 scatters during the round awards +3 extra free spins, plus 2 free spins for each scatter beyond 3.

Win Exchange & Bonus Buy

When winning 100x the bet or more, players have the option of exchanging 100x their stake for 8 free spins. Alternatively, when winning between 25x and 100x the bet, players can exchange the win for the chance to gamble for 8 free spins on a green and red segmented wheel. Or, for 100x the bet straight out, you can buy 8 free spins.

Panda Money Megaways: Slot Verdict

Slots that hold winning symbols, then respin the other positions until the win is no longer improved, are fairly numerous, or at least, they aren't as rare as they once were. If the mechanic excites, other similar-ish examples which might appeal include Hula Balua, Grand Melee, or Frogs & Bugs, to name just three. In other words, players aren't exactly short of options if they're looking for a slot that holds winning symbols and respins other positions in an attempt to stack the win. Big Time Gaming has ensured Panda Money Megaways has a share of tempting lures to encourage prospective gamblers to pick it over its competitors.

One area Panda Money pounds much of the competition is in the stats department. The most arresting number of them all is the advertised winning potential of 67,330x the bet (pipped by Nolimit City's slot Serial at 74,800x as a fyi) for the size kings and queens out there. Having said that, BTG max wins do not appear to materialize anywhere near as frequently as they do on NLC slots.

Panda Money Megaways is also a simpler slot, though, sacrificing advanced complexity for high-speed gaming, and the spins practically flew by when reviewing Panda Money. Dead spins appear to be something you might have to put up with in slots like these since their focus is on adding to wins when they do occur. In addition, Panda Money's symbol values are quite low, so perhaps BTG has done this to even out the dead spin to winning spin ratio. As well as having staggering potential, it is also possible to plaster the screen with winning symbols yet walk away with a surprisingly meagre payout.

It meant the session did get a bit cyclical, as if stuck on a water wheel rotating through dead spins punctuated by Prize Builder sequences that didn't end up building much. So it might go. But, you can also see how Panda Money could easily, under the right conditions, explode in the other direction as well, being a sturdily constructed gambling device possessing the sort of figures and features BTG has a knack for knocking together.