Hypernova Megaways

Hypernova Megaways (ReelPlay): Overview

Formerly known as Chance Interactive, ReelPlay is an Australian developer based in Sydney that was established in 2014. Up until now, at least, ReelPlay has not managed to make very much noise and the portfolio is still quite limited, although two of their titles, Buster Hammer and Buster Hammer Carnival, have gained some recognition in the casino community. As luck would have it, a Megaways license was acquired by aggregator Relax Gaming in 2018 which has enabled its partnering studios to make full use of the celebrated game engine - ReelPlay being one of them. As we've seen in the past, the Megaways game engine has served most studios quite well, both large and small, with every release still generating a lot of hype.

Hypernova Megaways is the title of ReelPlay's first attempt at creating a Megaways slot. At first glance, it may have you thinking it's yet another Bonanza clone, which in some ways it is, but there are enough differences to completely set it apart. Fundamentally, the setup will be familiar to everyone that has not lived under a rock during the past two-three years. It utilizes 6 reels along with up to 117,649 ways to win and makes use of cascading reels. A tribute to the wonders of the universe, you can play it from 0.40 to €/$60 per spin across all devices.

Visually, Hypernova Megaways takes you on an intergalactic journey far beyond the boundaries of Earth. With a beautiful, almost eye-watering, soundtrack that could have been composed by Hans Zimmer himself, the reels are set inside a supernova and illuminated by neon lights. Spinning on the reels you'll see golden lower-value 9, 10, J, Q, K and A royals along with a trio of gems. The most rewarding symbol is the diamond, giving you 10 times your stake for six across a full payline.

Hypernova Megaways (ReelPlay): Features

Using the popular game engine originally designed by Big Time Gaming, symbols on the reels vary from 2 to 7 on each spin which means the game can produce up to 117,649 ways to win at its maximum configuration. There's also an extra horizontal reel above the main reels to help you produce winning combination - it's the only area where wild symbols may appear.

Hypernova Megaways comes with a Cascading Reels feature - when you land a winning combination it causes a chain reaction where you'll see the winning symbols being removed and replaced by new ones. Essentially, it gives you the chance to win repeatedly from a single spin.

In terms of main features, ReelPlay has chosen to go down a different route compared to most other Megaways creations, leaving out traditional free spins for a jackpot game instead. In the base game, look out for the supernova scatter symbols with cash values attached to them. If 6 or more of these land in view, the Jackpot Respin feature comes into play with 3 respins awarded. Once underway, all supernova scatter symbols are held in position while all remaining positions spin. When any new scatter appear, they are held as well, and respins are reset to 3. Respins are completed when you either run out of respins or when all visible positions on the reels are filled with scatter symbols. When the feature has been completed, each scatter symbol awards the cash value attached to it which can be anything between 1 and 100x, or one of the following jackpot prizes:

• Platinum jackpot awards 2000 times your stake.
• Gold jackpot awards 250 times your stake.
• Silver jackpot awards 50 times your stake.
• Bronze jackpot awards 10 times your stake.

Hypernova Megaways (ReelPlay): Verdict

It's not fun to say, but we have to be completely honest - Hypernova Megaways is one of the weakest Megaways slots we've played so far. Whilst ReelPlay shows a lot of potential, mainly in the visual department, the central gameplay is far too generic and too similar to most other Megaways offerings to maintain our interest for very long. By opting for a respin feature instead of free spins, ReelPlay makes a heroic attempt at trying to come up with something unique. Sadly, it was doomed to fail. In our opinion, a better approach would have been to allow the respin feature to serve as a separate bonus game alongside a free spins feature, but each to his own.

On the positive side, the game offers some decent potential of up to 8,640x. It's just that the road to get there is about as exciting as staring out into empty space. Having been spoiled with so many great Megaways titles, this just doesn't cut it. With that said, Hypernova Megaways is still a huge leap forward for ReelPlay and will undoubtedly help bring awareness to the small Australian provider.

Interested in more Megaways titles from the same provider? Have a look at Atlantis Megaways, a 117,649 ways to win game with possible wins of over 8,000 times the stake.