Ted Megaways

Ted Megaways: Overview

Those masters of the branded slot, Blueprint Gaming, bring back everyone’s favourite irreverent stuffed toy. Based on a friendly, if foul-mouthed bear, the movie tells the tail of John Bennett, a Boston native whose childhood dream brings his teddy bear friend Ted to life. Blueprint originally released a Ted slot version in 2017 which was a real feature overflow, offering six modifiers plus five bonus games to accompany the wisecracks. In the Megaways version,? features have been decreased while other game areas have been boasted. The original turned out to be a hit for the studio, how will the Megaways version fair?

Accompanied by a loungey jazz soundtrack that sounds like the theme to Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the game is set in a green-hued living room, while Ted sits to the left, drinking beer and popping one-liners. If anything, it’s a little plainer than the first one, though the reels have been expanded. Thanks to the Megaways engine, players now get 6 main reels with 2-7 symbols on each, as well as a 4 position horizontal reel running along the top. The number of win ways on each spin varies from 324 to 117,649 depending on how stacked the reels are.

Not a whole lot is off-limits when it comes to Ted. The marijuana references might have been toned down, but Ted still needs to have endless talks ’with his weed guy.’ Yeah, it’s that sort of game. If it sounds a little too low brow, best to stop reading now. However, if you’re cool with farts and burps et al., then Ted’s humour is like a breath of fresh air in an industry often a little too serious than it possibly needs to be.

Players join in the antics by setting bets from 10 p/c to €10 per spin on whatever device they prefer. For veteran players, the math model will come across as rather familiar and has likely been recycled from other Blueprint slots. This means rather high volatility coupled with a fairly high hit rate but low bonus frequency. RTP is borderline ok, balancing on the edge of average at 96.03%.

When it comes to the symbols, these remain practically the same as those in the original. From low to high, there are 9-A royals, beer bottles, ducks, and Tami-Lynn. The most valuable symbol is the Ted logo, which pays on two of a kind, up to 50 times the stake for 6 of a kind. Ted himself is the wild, appearing only on the horizontal bonus reel to substitute for anything but scatters or Mystery Symbols.

Ted Megaways: Features

Ted Megaways doesn’t get as offensive as Ted the movie, but it’s still full of quips from the furry wee guy. He also likes to get in on the action from time to time, but don’t expect as many features this time around. As well as Cascades, players get Mystery Ted, the Thunder Wheel which awards free spins, and a feature buy.

First up is the standard Cascade feature which is activated after every win. This system clears winning symbols from the grid, letting fresh ones fall into the empty spaces. Consecutive payouts become possible on one spin since Cascades continue to run as long as new winners continue to appear.

The Mystery Ted feature may activate at random on any spin. When it does, Ted’s blasts the reels with his zap gun, adding up to 100 Mystery Symbols to the next spin. Each Mystery Symbol transforms into the same matching symbol to reveal a winning combinations. This could be anything except the scatter.

At least 4 scatters in view triggers the Thunder Buddies Bonus. Players can either collect 12 free spins to start the feature, or take a punt on the Thunder Wheel to win more free spins and a higher minimum number of Megaways. Keep in mind, spinning the wheel can just as easily end up winning less than 12 spins too.

In both cases, free spins use a progressive win multiplier that starts at x1, increasing by +1 on every cascade. Also, a new Ted symbol enters the game. Every 3 collected Ted symbols adds 2 free spins whilst increasing the minimum number of Megaways, up to 117,649. The feature is similar to Blueprint’s Return of Kong Megaways or iSoftBet’s Morgana Megaways, but with a less elaborate collection mechanic.

Non-UK players may also have the option of buying the feature via the Mystery Bonus Buy. For the entry fee of 150 times the stake, players get a spin on the Thunder Wheel to win spins and a starting minimum number of Megaways as noted above.

Ted Megaways: Verdict

Some players may feel disappointment when they realise how much has been removed from the first slot to make the Megaways version. Visually/thematically, things have remained more or less the same; it’s just the culling of features might be a let-down for some fans. However, the excellent build quality combined with the solid gameplay more than make up for the shortcomings. Few do Megaways or branded slots quite like Blueprint, so the amalgamation of the two elements makes for one entertaining slot.

As well as less features, there is less input from Ted. His repertoire of jibes is limited, and they do get a bit repetitive after a while. Without all the bells and whistles the first had, the base game can be a bit of a grind too, though cascades help.

When Ted Megaways gets going during free spins, however, the game launches it up several gears. Increasing minimum Megaways works superbly alongside cascades and the unlimited win multiplier to produce some epic results. Even the tokenistic Mystery Symbols play their part to great effect at times.

In many ways the two slots are similar, in others, they are very different. The original offers more extras and is a bit more ‘Ted’ than this one. The bear had more of an input, more mouthing off, more animations. This Megaways version is leaner, more streamlined, with massive potential to boot. At the end of the day, both are ‘fur-kin sweet’ options built to satisfy different gaming moods.