It has always been quite a big deal when Australian online slots maker Big Time Gaming (BTG) unveils a new product, particularly since it rolled out its Megaways engine.
For those not quite familiar with the concept, this is a random reel modifier that changes the number of symbols dropping on every single reel during a new spin and thus creates tens and hundreds of thousands of ways to win. Its popularity soared extremely quickly and after a couple of years of keeping it for itself, BTG started licensing it to fellow game developers in 2018.
The Megaways series now includes over one hundred games and is expanding rapidly. It is widely celebrated as one of the biggest innovations the online casino world has encountered in many years.
But instead of resting on their laurels and letting the checks from licensing agreements flow their way, the studio’s talented team of developers have kept themselves busy devising new concepts that aim to elevate slots experience.
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Introduced in 2020, Megaclusters was the latest potentially disruptive product crafted by the Aussie studio. As its name suggests, the mechanic is based on cluster slots, but takes these to new, previously unexplored, heights.
This engine aspires to revolutionize the cluster pays games segment the way Megaways did with multi-payline slots. And since it is a relatively new product, only time will tell whether it will succeed in this objective.
If you feel a bit confused at this point, don’t worry, we’ve put together this quick guide explaining every bit and piece of this engine and how it works.
What Is Megaclusters?
To get to grips with what this mechanic involves, you need to be familiar with cluster pays slots. Like traditional slots, these other games have different symbols landing in rows and columns and forming winning combinations.
But unlike traditional slot games where you need to get at least two or three matching symbols on active lines in order to form a winning combo, these only require matching symbols (usually at least five of them) to connect vertically or horizontally to form winning clusters.
Action in these games takes place on so-called grid settings. Cluster pays grid titles have over the years become a popular alternative to classic reel slots. Winning clusters can appear anywhere on the screen. They don’t have to drop in consecutive columns and they don’t have to begin on the leftmost column (unlike Megaways slots where wins pay left to right across adjacent reels starting with the first reel on the left).
Since matching icons are not required to be part of a particular line, wins usually occur more frequently with grid games. However…
… they have relatively low payouts.
And here’s where Big Time’s Megaclusters come in pretty handy. As mentioned above, the studio has taken elements from its Megaways system and has adapted them to fit the grid layout.
With this mechanic, when a winning cluster forms anywhere on the screen, each symbol that is part of it explodes to make room for new and smaller symbols. The new icons can potentially create their own winning clusters and thus cause a chain reaction. Wins continue to be paid until no more clusters with matching symbols hop onto the grid. Then players are on to their next spin.
Now, as we’ve explained it, it doesn’t look too confusing, does it? Yet, the simplicity behind this engine makes it even more appealing. And of course, the countless win possibilities that it offers could really turn it into one very successful product.
When Megaways was made available to be licensed, many studios upgraded established games with the mechanic to breathe new life in them. This proved a successful strategy, as slots equipped with this tool have been topping all kinds of charts around the world since it was first rolled out in early 2016.
There’s a huge chance that same thing will happen as Megaclusters is gaining traction in the sector.
It is important to note that games utilizing this mechanic are extremely volatile. In addition, while winning clusters appear more often than in regular cluster pays, the rewards they bring are not massively big. The trick is to hit win after win within a spin. While individual payouts may be on the small side, five or more winning clusters in a single spin may be quite lucrative. They may also trigger additional special features, depending on the game you play, but more about that later.
What Features Can Megaclusters Be Paired with?
Since the engine has so far been used in a limited number of games, it is yet to be seen what other features developers will combine it with in future. So far there are several that go perfectly well with this innovative concept and here’s a little bit more about each.
Slot aficionados always fancy a free spins bonus game and with Megaclusters titles this feature can be triggered by a set number of consecutive winning clusters.
Wild Multipliers is another feature we’ve seen paired with BTG’s mechanic. When Wild Multipliers are part of a winning cluster, they multiply the win by the value attached to them.
Progressive multipliers are also common with Megaclusters slots and are usually available during Free Spins. These add a prize multiplier that rises with each consecutive win.
And finally, players will notice that the number of columns and rows on the grid grows when winning clusters land as when matching symbols explode, they create room for tiles that are smaller in size.
As already pointed out, there are not many Megaclusters games yet, so an important part of the excitement around this engine is seeing what features game makers will match it with in future. Bearing in mind how clever they have been with the Megaways mechanic, we can only prepare for a host of just as nifty moves when BTG’s newer product gains wider popularity.
Megaclusters Slots
At time of writing, Megaclusters is still a relatively new product and there are just three games that feature the engine. Two of these were crafted by Big Time Gaming itself, while Relax Gaming, a software provider it has a long-term partnership with, was the first it has given the green light to use the mechanic in proprietary content.
Here’s a quick look and the three games and what else beyond BTG’s engine they come with.
Star Clusters Megaclusters
The Australian studio premiered the mechanic with its Star Clusters slot, which came out in June 2020. With its vibrant color scheme and cosmic soundtrack, the game evokes real space odyssey vibes.
It comes in 4×4 grid that expands to eight columns and eight rows during the Free Spins round. The paytable offers a selection of gemstones of different colors, including turquoise, yellow, orange, green, dark blue, red, and purple. The latter is the most lucrative as it pays the stake’s worth for winning clusters of five symbols and 50 times the stake for winning clusters of more than 20 symbols.
The game is purely a cluster pays slot with the Megaclsuters twist, of course. This means that you won’t have to keep track of paylines or winways. Instead, you’ll be paid for clusters of at least five matching symbols touching horizontally or vertically.
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Helping players form clusters are two Wilds…
… a regular one depicted as a star and a special Gold Wild depicted as a gold star. The former substitutes for all symbols, but the Gold Wild, while the latter substitutes for all symbols on the reels. Up to two Gold Wilds can appear within a spin.
When wins happen, the game’s Reactions feature is triggered and each symbol participating in the cluster disappears from the grid to make room for four smaller symbols. When wins happen with these smaller icons, they explode out of view and new symbols of the same size roll onto the screen to fill the vacated positions. Reactions continue until there are no more wins on the board.
It should also be noted that when part of a winning cluster, Gold Wilds apply a multiplier to the prize. The multiplier starts at x1 and rises by 1 whenever a Gold Wild forms a cluster. It resets again on a new spin, unless the Free Spins feature is activated.
The bonus game is triggered when more than five consecutive reactions occur during base mode. Players are awarded 2 free spins for five reactions and an additional spin for each consecutive reaction beyond the fifth. Any Gold Wild multiplier secured during base game is carried over to Free Spins.
The bonus mode starts with an 8×8 grid that can potentially expand to 256 tiles, if each of the 64 initial symbols are replaced by four smaller ones. When the Gold Wild multiplier hits x10, players are awarded two more bonus spins for potentially limitless retriggers.
Players can stake between 0.20 and 20 in a currency of their choice per spin in this game and can win up to 23,000 times their bet. Star Clusters Megaclusters is a truly volatile game, but not as volatile as other titles in BTG’s slots library. The game’s RTP sits at 96.54%.
Cyberslot Megaclusters
The engine made its second outing in its inventor’s Cyberslot title. The game was rolled out in November 2020. As its name suggests, there’s some futurism happening in it.
Pleasant graphics and catchy soundtracks are among the hallmarks of the studio’s products and this slot does not disappoint in that department. And while Star Clusters showcased what Megaclusters could do and where developers could go with it when implementing it in their own games, this second title was paired with several new features to further bolster the engine’s potential.
Cyberslot’s color palette is very similar to the one featured in the original Megaclusters game. However, the grid here is slightly different. Action kicks off on a 3×3 area with eight large symbols and nine small ones.
Looking at the paytable…
… a selection of crystals of different hues serve as the symbols. There are seven of them, with turquoise and yellow ones representing the lowest paying icons, orange and green standing in the middle, and green, blue, red and neon pink being the premiums. The latter pays 25 times the stake for winning clusters of at least 15 symbols.
Players need at least five symbols for a winning cluster. The have to be connected vertically or horizontally.
The game is also equipped with three Wild symbols. The bluish purple Regular Wild substitutes for all pay symbols. The Golden Roaming Wild substitutes for all symbols on the grid. It is ever-present and carries a multiplier that starts at x1 and grows by 1 anytime it is part of a winning cluster. The Rainbow Roaming Wild appears on the first Free Spins retrigger.
Each symbol that is part of a winning cluster disappears to make room for 9 smaller-sized symbols during base game or four smaller symbols during Free Spins. When small tiles form a cluster, they are replaced with new ones of the same size. A winning cluster triggers a reaction that continues until no more matches occur.
As mentioned above, the Golden Roaming Wild is ever-present and offers a multiplier. It slides to any of the positions in both base mode and Free Spins after a win. When it moves, it is replaced by nine small symbols in base game and by four ones in Free Spins.
To activate Free Spins, players need 12 reactions during base game. They are awarded 6 free spins. During the bonus game, the grid expands to a 9×9 layout. If a Golden Roaming Wild multiplier is active, its value is carried over at the start of the feature. If the multiplier reaches x10, two more free spins are awarded to players.
The Rainbow Roaming Wild appears on the first retrigger during the bonus mode. It acts under the same rules as its fellow Roaming symbol.
Here’s where things can get really exciting…
… since both Wild multipliers continue to increment by one. They also multiply wins together for one thrilling round.
Players can wager between 0.20 and 20 in a preferred currency playing this game. Max win is capped at 23,960 times the bet. Its volatility is on the high side, which is just fine with the Megaclusters mechanic and the potential it offers. As it is with all games by this studio, the RTP is set (and not flexible) and at 96.36%, it is rather fair.
Kluster Krystals Megaclusters
Bearing in mind the success Megaways has reaped for its creator, it was not a surprise that Megaclusters attracted the attention of third-party game developers right away. It was in November 2020 that BTG announced an extension of its long-term partnership with iGaming content maker and aggregator Relax Gaming that granted the latter IP rights to the new mechanic. The pair first teamed up in 2018.
The deal enabled Relax’s Silver Bullet partners and in-house game makers to incorporate the engine in future releases.
Kluster Krystals Megaclusters …
… with its tongue-twister of a name was the first product of this expanded alliance. The game was released in early 2021 as a charming but tricky addition to the grid slots category.
Unlike its above-discussed predecessors, this game is set in prehistoric times. Symbols are placed between two stone columns perched on a dais and against the backdrop of the ethereal glow of the Northern Lights.
The grid features five rows and five columns. Players need at least eight symbols touching horizontally or vertically to form a winning cluster. Each of the 25 positions on the screen can contain single, double, triple, or quadruple symbols, which pretty much means that
… two quads in neighboring spots…
are absolutely enough for a winning cluster. The symbols on the paytable are all represented by crystals of different colors. There are as many as five of them. They come in green, blue, purple, pink, and red hues. Red crystals are the most lucrative ones, paying 50 times the bet for clusters comprising 20 symbols.
There are no Wilds in this game. A special Bonus symbol triggers the Free Spins feature, but we’re going to explain how this happen in a short while.
The Avalanche feature is the first one we want to say a few words about. It is triggered when a winning cluster of symbols is formed. The clusters are removed from the grid to make room for new icons. This repeats until no new clusters occur. There could be countless reactions during a single spin.
During an avalanche, non-winning symbols located next to winning ones are upgraded, that is to say if they are singles, they become doubles, and so on. This increases the chances for repeating wins.
Another symbol that gets upgraded when it neighbors winning icons is the Multiplier. It drops on the reels with values of x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, or x10. It can be upgraded three times during an avalanche.
To compensate for the lack of a Wild, the game has three special features that are activated after a sequence of six avalanches.
The first one – Krystal Vanish – removes one group of symbols from the grid. Krystal Boost upgrades all symbols by one level. And last but not least, Krystal Kut removes all singles from the board.
The Free Spins game is triggered by the Bonus symbol. When it is located next to a winning cluster, it is upgraded, that is to say it gets a new segment. When all four segments of the Bonus symbol are in place, players are awarded seven free spins. If a Bonus symbol is filled during the bonus game, players get four additional spins.
Between 0.10 and 100 can be wagered per spin. Players can win up to 9,921 times their bet. The game’s RTP sits comfortably at 96.49%. Its potential is on the higher end of the spectrum, but so is its volatility.
Final Thoughts
The advanced math models powering cluster pays slots, the massive win potential they offer, the wide variety of themes available, and the fun of potentially endless chains of consecutive wins make these games entertaining to practically every type of player there is.
They have long had a strong following of devoted players and titles like Reactoonz (Play’n GO) and Jammin’ Jars (Push Gaming) have really helped the segment grow further.
With the introduction of Megaclusters, BTG has once again demonstrated its prowess in slots making and that resting on previous success is not its thing. The studio took an established concept and added a unique twist to it to deliver a brand new environment and experience for slots fans to explore.
Whether this new mechanic will mirror the success of Megaways is still too early to tell.
But it has so far shown pretty clearly that it has the potential and energy to introduce a fundamental shift for cluster pays games just as Megaways did for classic payline slots. And with other studios already eyeing it up and mulling how they can incorporate it in proprietary products and what other features it can be integrated with, players will certainly soon have a lot to look forward to.
