Ancient Island Megaways

Pragmatic Play continues to effectively utilize its Megaways license and introduces Ancient Island Megaways, a slot that takes players on a journey to a long-lost Aztec haven. This isn't your typical Megaways adventure though, the gameplay laid down here is quite unique and interesting, setting it apart from the usual fare. Let’s dive in and take a closer look.

Being a game with the Megaways system at the core, Ancient Island plays out across the usual 6-reel grid, where each one is dynamic and can hold from 2 to 7 symbols, determined at the beginning of each spin. This setup also implies the number of win ways constantly alters, ranging from a minimum of 64 up to a maximum of 117,649. At the top, sitting above the four middle reels is a special horizontal reel. This one is exclusive to random modifiers - no other symbols can land there. We’ll get back to it shortly in the features section of our Ancient Island Megaways slot review.

Now, the figures. Pragmatic, as usual, supplies the game in three different RTP versions, namely 96.55%, 95.55%, and 94.55%. Don’t forget to check the rules when looking for a casino to play at. The volatility is evaluated as high, 5 out of 5, though wins still should pop up pretty frequently, at a rate of 21.98%. That means wins theoretically occur every 4.55 spins. Getting to the bonus would take some grinding, however, with an average trigger rate of 408.9 spins. Finally, the max win is a solid 10,000x the stake, and that is achievable on an average of 1,686,910 spins.

Another element common to most Megaways games, the cascading/avalanche/tumble whatever you call it mechanic, is also found here. Whenever you score a win, all winning symbols get removed from the reels. The remaining symbols then fall to the bottom, and new ones are added and tumble down from above to fill the gaps. The process goes on as long as you keep forming winning combinations.

Getting one requires landing at least 3 instances of the same symbol on adjacent reels starting from the leftmost. The Ancient Island Megaways paytable is made up of two categories, which are card ranks and Aztec-styled animals and masks. The former lot is worth from 0.5x to 0.8x your bet for six-of-a-kind, and the latter category pays from 1x to 5x the bet. There are also Wild symbols involved, available on reels 2-5, substituting for any of the regulars to help you achieve winning combos. And they also play into the features, covered below.

Ancient Island Megaways Features

The horizontal reel with the different modifiers I mentioned above is exactly where Wild symbols contribute. At random, you might get a juicy boost to your current spin. And, of course, there’s a round of free spins. One by one, the features breakdown:

Wild And Top Modifiers

Whenever a Wild symbol appears in view, it expands to cover the reel entirely. More than that, it activates the modifier, if there’s one, from the top reel above it. The possible modifiers are:

• Cash Prize - awards a fixed xBet payout, which can be either 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 8x, 10x, 20x, 50x, or 100x the bet.

• Multiplier - applies a multiplier to all winning combinations achieved on that spin. Possible values are x2, x3, x4, x5, x8, x10, x15, x20, x25, x50. Multipliers can stack.

• Max Ways - expands the grid to maximum capacity, adding new positions and symbols at the bottom of each reel.

• Replace Non Winning Symbols - before wins are evaluated, replaces all symbols that would not form winning combinations with other random symbols.

• Extra Wild Reel - converts a random reel (except 1st and 6th) to an expanded wild reel. If a modifier is available on top, it is activated.

Free Spins

The Ancient Island Megaways free spins feature is triggered by landing 4, 5, or 6 Scatter symbols simultaneously during a base spin, which awards 12, 14, or 16 spins respectively. In the free games, all positions on the horizontal reel contain modifiers. In other words, no blank spaces like in the base game.

Additionally, new modifiers come into play - Extra Spins. As the name implies, they award more free spins when activated, which can be either +2, +3, +5, or +10.

Buy Feature

As an alternative, players can use the Ancient Island Megaways bonus buy to activate free spins immediately. For a fixed price of 100x the bet, you get a spin with at least 4 guaranteed Scatter symbols. The RTP remains untouched.

Theme & Graphics

Pragmatic Play has done an excellent job in terms of design with the Ancient Island Megaways slot machine. The game features sharp, detailed graphics that showcase vibrant Aztec totems, lush jungle surroundings, and a stunning backdrop of tropical beaches. Fluid animations and tribal soundtrack complement the artwork, ensuring captivating and immersive atmosphere. Kudos to the design team.

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