There are not many games that have been able to revolutionize the online casino slot game industry, however one such title that did manage to do that was Big Time Gaming’s (BTG) Bonanza and their technology it brought with it.
The Australian game developers decided to break the mold that many of their competitors had continued to stick by – with the classic standard 5-reel, 3 row, 20 fixed payline model – and introduced players with the Megaways game engine. This revolutionary new system was one that could create up to 117,649 paylines on every spin, as symbols did not need to be matched up into a certain payline as traditional slots had usually required.
Many players jumped onto the innovative game and it remains as one of the most popular slot games in the UK today. BTG’s development in 2016 also created a reaction amongst their competitors, as a number of the industry leading developers had no choice but to take notice and look to release new titles with similar systems.
What is Bonanza and how is it played?
The Bonanza game has a diamond mine theme, with accompanying music and train mine carts that carry gold bars and special symbols. It has a very catchy feel to it, but what has always made it stand out is the clever gameplay.
There are 15 different symbols in total, with one wild, four scatters and ten normal. The six symbols are 9, 10, J, Q, K and A. As mentioned above, the diamond theme means a cut diamond symbol is unsurprisingly included and this works out to be the highest paying. There are also several other diamonds, with red, blue, and green however these are all uncut.
The Wild symbol is represented by the aforementioned mining trolleys, which are full of dynamite sticks, that can be seen in the game and have the ability to substitute any symbol but the scatters – which in this case are represented with the letters G, O, L and D. Pick up all four and 12 free spins are awarded, however the rewards are endless as any additional scatter symbols in the spin rewards players with another 5 more spins.
The Megaways Slot system explained
Megaways mixed a system of Random Expanding Reels with Cascading Wins, Free Spins and Multipliers, therefore giving players something to remain engaged with, rather than just the aesthetic features that games can try and rely upon at times.
For those unsure on what the certain features are, here is an explanation of them and how they were used in Bonanza.
After each spin, the reels will show anywhere from 3 to 7 symbols each. The Expanding Reels will then work to look to combine the combinations and provide players with the potential to win huge rewards. In Bonanza’s case, if all six reels were showing seven symbols, there would then be 117,649 different ways to win (7x7x7x7x7x7x7).
What is more, the smallest potential win is still worth a rather large 243. Each spin is random, and the number of symbols is never known prior to the spin, leaving the following result completely unknown.
After adding this to the game, BTG decided to go a step further and mixed this with a Cascading Win feature. This feature works as a way of providing winners with the potential to win multiple times from just one spin, as symbols continuously get replaced until there are no wins.
That was not all, though, as the Australian game developers decided to add Free Spins as well, which would be automatically triggered, whilst multipliers would also be introduced into the game as well by 1x each time. With no limit to how high the multiplier can go; it is applied to all winnings that come during the round of free spins.
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Huge number of wins available
Therefore, it might be easy to see why so many players were so quick to jump on the game and do not appear to have let up over the past four years. There are several wins available, and some of them can provide potential huge rewards; something players will clearly love the prospect of playing for.
With the huge paylines available, an attractive 96% Return to Player rate (RTP) will have also added to the reason as to why so many players have continued to play Bonanza as much as they do now as they did when it was originally released. The game has also managed to keep up with the times, as it is fully compatible with mobile play – something that has become increasingly more important to players with each year that passes as smartphones appear to have become an extended part of the human body.
Conclusion
Bonanza and the Megaways series of slots have been such a big hit for BTG, the developers have continued to look to capitalize on the rewards they bring as they have brought a number of different titles to players using the same features. Titles include White Rabbit, Extra Chili and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
With so many other game developers, including market leaders, having jumped on the innovative Megaways slots that BTG introduced to the world, and its continued popularity amongst the current players, it is rather clear to see that the Bonanza game and the Australian developers have changed and revolutionized the industry in a monumental way.
The Bonanza title, itself, has also managed to stay ahead of the game with several players, which is testament to how good so many users find it. It would have been easy for bettors to look to try their hands at one of the more recent releases that included the Megaways slots system as they look for something a little more different but with the same ability to win big. If it was to be overtaken by a new phenomenon in the future, you can rest assured that RTG’s Megaways slot system will be a permanent fixture in the history of online casino slots.
