Big Time Gaming, the innovative Australian company, has again developed a new game mechanic. This time, however, they’re sticking with their dynamic reels engine. They’ve also eliminated the usual cascading reels mechanic. The base game seems fairly basic, with a Wild Portal feature that can make the game feel a bit empty.
The 2×2 MegaWild boosts its multiplier by absorbing a randomly chosen royal symbol type. This process continues indefinitely as long as the next selected portal symbol is present. The game has a straightforward design with a futuristic gemstone grid set inside what looks like a UFO dance floor.
The game’s presentation might be a bit too sterile, but it allows the Wild Portal feature to shine when the 2×2 symbol appears on every bonus round spin. The premium gemstone symbols pay between 0.6 and 10x your stake for 6 of a kind wins. The core mechanic of this game is the Wild Portal feature.
The MegaWild Portal symbol, which is 2×2 in size, can appear on reels 2 to 5 only. It replaces regular pay symbols and also opens a portal that reveals a random royal symbol type. All instances of the chosen Portal symbol are then removed from the grid, and each removed symbol increases the Portal Wild Multiplier by +1. The removed symbols trigger a cascade, and new and/or existing symbols drop down to fill the gaps.
To trigger the Bonus Round, you need 3+ scatters anywhere in view. This awards 8 free spins (with +2 extra spins for each triggering scatter above the minimum of 3). You get a guaranteed Wild Portal symbol per free spin, and it’s even carried over (with the current multiplier intact) if it was present when the bonus round was triggered.
The game also features a Win Exchange feature, available in the UK. This allows you to exchange any win of 75x or more for 8 free spins.
We enjoyed testing Wild Portals Megaways. Its simple and polished presentation reminded us of Star Clusters Megaclusters, but this BTG release is more focused when it comes to the core mechanic. The math model is even more solid than in brutal releases like The Final Countdown and Wild Flower, with the base game able to lead to solid 26,900x payouts.
The game is visually similar to Star Clusters Megaclusters, which is a gemstone-infused BTG release. Winning symbols split into smaller symbols, and these are then removed to cascade in new symbols. Wild Flower is another heavy hitter from Big Time Gaming, which combines the best parts of 3 former smash hit releases. The Final Countdown pays homage to the iconic hit song from Europe by the same title and offers payouts up to 36,000x.
Overall, Wild Portals Megaways is an exciting and innovative game that can offer high payouts, but might not be for everyone due to its high-risk nature.
