Buffalo Power: Megaways™

Is it just us, or do things often happen in twos (or more) in the iGaming sphere? Time has barely passed since reviewing a Megaways upgraded buffalo slot from Skywind Group titled Big Buffalo Megaways, and now we cross paths with Buffalo Power Megaways from developer Playson. Coincidence? Probably yes, since both make use of one of the more numerous themes to colour online slots. For some reason, developers love this part of the world, returning to it again and again. Today’s game under the microscope is an upgrade of Buffalo Power, a slot that gave players the chance to collect coins from a hold & win feature and five fixed jackpots in the North American outdoors. Buffalo Power Megaways does essentially the same thing, with the added draw of Megaways, on license from Big Time Gaming.

If one landscape has had its share of romanticising is the American West. Ever since settlers poured across it to stake their claim, this part of the world has fired imaginations – from the dubious Manifest Destiny to countless online slots. This one uses a 6-reel Megaways game grid, surrounded by towering canyons as the sun rises, or sets, over a parched, arid landscape. Playson has created a pleasing atmosphere, making it easy to imagine the screeching sound of eagles circling overhead or the rhythmic beating of distant Native American drums just from screenshots.

Hit the play button, and 2 to 6 symbols land on each reel producing up to 46,656 ways to win. Stakes vary from 20 p/c to £/€100 per spin, and the game is playable on any device. A highly volatile math model means Buffalo Power Megaways is as happy to laze amongst the herd as set off on a stampede, while the game produces a default theoretical RTP value of 95.8%.

Megaways’ presence is a relatively light one, as along with the reduced number of symbols and ways, Playson has opted not to use a reaction feature. This means winning combinations hit from left to right, and it’s off to the next spin. Combos are pulled together using 9-A symbols as the lower value tiles, and owls, eagles, cougars, then bears as the premiums worth up to 20x the bet for six of a kind. Landing six of the wild buffalo symbols in a row is worth 50x the bet, or it may be used to replace any other pay symbol. A short and sweet base game, now time for some features.

Buffalo Power Megaways: Slot Features

Buffalo Power Megaways keeps the showpiece hold & win feature of the original, as well as provide a triggered batch of free spins to produce max wins and thrills. Landing 3 or more scatter symbols on the reels gains access to the free spins bonus round. When 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters are in view, the exact reward is 12, 17, 22 or 27 free spins – which can be retriggered when the feature is active. During free spins, the buffalo wild gains a multiplier of x2, which is applied to the value of any wins it ends up a part of.

The other special symbols are the burning sun bonus symbols and the power symbol. Landing 6 or more of these symbols activates the Buffalo Power Megaways Bonus Game. Any triggering symbol is locked in position, as every other tile fades out of view – 3 spins are awarded, resetting to their original number whenever new symbols land and lock. Bonus symbols bestow cash prizes of 1 to 10 times the stake.

Bonus symbols are how players can collect one of the 5 jackpots. When these symbols drop, they award fixed prizes worth 2x, 5x, 150x, 500x, up to 2,000x the bet. When spins run out, the value of all symbols on the grid is awarded to the player. If, by a lucky stroke of fate, the grid is full, the winning total is doubled.

Buffalo Power Megaways: Slot Verdict

This is Playson’s second Megaways powered game, and both so far have been remakes of existing slots. Business is business and all that, but it’s hardly inspirational from a player’s point of view. Maybe if the original Buffalo Power was an outpouring of unbridled creativity, the upgrade might have gotten the blood flowing harder. But, this is run of the mill gaming focused on a hold & win round – a feature Playson continually reuses. Some studios boldly break new ground; others are content, shuffling deck chairs.

Unless you adored the original, Buffalo Power Megaways is a game that feels destined to blow into obscurity like an unloved tumbleweed. It just doesn’t possess anything to grab the attention of jaded Megaways players who have seen this all before. If someone did stumble onto it, the game does offer okay gaming, but nothing memorable. There is just too much similar stuff out there. After a while, these hold & wins, American wilderness, buffalo games meld into one, unless a slot has something extraordinary to latch onto.

Unfortunately, Buffalo Power Megaways does not, but it does do the ordinary to an adequate standard. Players up for a less hectic Megaways driven base game with a couple of common bonus rounds might find satisfaction. Potential is no issue either, where building on the top jackpot, the game has an upper win limit of 10,000x the bet, so rewards are there for the taking.

Still, it’s hard to shake off the feeling Buffalo Power Megaways is one of those sorts of grenade slots designed for operators who don’t offer games from cutting edge studios. It may sound harsh, but simply chucking Megaways on old slots while not doing anything else to jazz them up won’t win much recognition. That’s two for two from Playson, but they’ve paid for the license, so it will be nice if they can be a bit more inventive with it next time.