Bonanza Megaways review
Big Time Gaming released Bonanza Megaways on 7 December 2016. Its gold mine, gems, carts and banjo became a showcase for variable ways to win. DualReaction refills winning layouts from two directions; the four GOLD letters trigger free spins with a multiplier preserved throughout the round.
Six reels and dynamite in the carts
A horizontal cart reel runs above central reels 2–5. Each position adds a symbol to the corresponding reel. Ways equal the product of final heights, including that upper strip: 3×4×5×4×3×2 = 1,440, while seven positions each give 7⁶ = 117,649. This counts potential positional combinations rather than paid matches. Megaways explainer explains the variable grid.
A win needs matching symbols on adjacent reels from the leftmost one, in any row. Card ranks 9 to A pay little, and the gems carry most of the value. BTG’s game page doesn’t list per-gem payouts, so check the paytable inside the game.
The Wild is a stick of dynamite. It appears only on the top reel and substitutes for any regular symbol except the scatter. Because the carts sit over the four middle reels, one dynamite can rescue a chain that would otherwise stop at reel two or three. That’s why your eyes drift to the top strip on every spin.
DualReaction keeps one stake for the chain
Every win triggers a reaction. Symbols from the payout vanish, new ones fall from above, and on the cart reel symbols slide in from right to left. BTG named this two-way cascade system DualReaction. Reactions keep going while new wins form, so one stake can pay several times over. In the main game that simply extends the spin; in free spins, each reaction also pushes the multiplier up.
Regular reactions do not create a growing multiplier: the new combination adds its own payout. A non-winning refill ends the chain. This differs from the bonus, where each paid reaction changes the boost on later payouts. Ways alone reveal neither continuation chances nor bonus frequency; individual gem coefficients and symbol weights are absent from the description.
GOLD and a round-long multiplier
All four G, O, L and D plates award twelve free spins. Each additional trigger scatter adds five: five symbols give seventeen, six give twenty-two. During the bonus scatters appear only in the carts: three add five spins and four add ten. Dynamite cannot replace them.
The multiplier starts at 1x, adds one after a reaction and does not reset between free spins; no multiplier ceiling is stated. An illustration: a 1x combination at 1x, then a 0.5x combination at 2x, total 2x; a subsequent spin’s 2x combination at the retained 3x pays 6x. A blank spin preserves the accumulated value. These amounts are illustrative, and results also depend on each new combination’s underlying value.
Buying and numerical parameters
Buying twelve free spins costs 90x where the operator enables it. No separate buy RTP is given. Price does not establish the cost of waiting for a natural trigger, and the bought start has no additional triggering-spin scatters. bonus buy guide discusses direct entry.
BTG lists 96.00% RTP and Evolution 96.11%; check the active figure in-game. Stakes are 0.2–20, volatility high and 7.4 on Evolution’s scale, with a 37.94% hit rate. Bonus frequency is undisclosed. The game card lists a 10,000x maximum, while Evolution has a different figure not quoted in the review; cap scope and operation are unspecified. An uncapped multiplier does not establish an uncapped payout.
Extra Chilli and returning to the mine
April 2018’s Extra Chilli Megaways uses Feature Drop and a spins gamble: a 40x buy opens eight spins. RTP is 96.15–96.63%, hit rate 37.52% and volatility 6.9 on Evolution’s scale. December 2023’s Bonanza Falls lists 96.52% RTP, 39.7% hit rate and 9.9 on that scale. Megadozer reveals Wilds up to 5x, symbol repeats up to 10x or additional free spins. White Rabbit Megaways belongs to BTG’s early 2017 games; the catalogue is Big Time Gaming.
Other studios licensed Megaways: Buffalo King, Madame Destiny and The Dog House at Pragmatic Play; Gonzo’s Quest and Piggy Riches at Red Tiger; Temple Tumble at Relax and Fishin’ Frenzy at Blueprint. Variable ways connect them, while bonus rules and payout distributions differ. Similar hit rates among relatives do not mean identical combination values or risk.
