Into The Wilds Megaways

Into the Wilds Megaways: Slot Overview

Padova based designer Worldmatch is another in a long line of online slot developers to have joined the Megaways movement. The company has been making casino games since the year 2000, so they are somewhat late to the party. They haven't exactly rushed to the front of the queue for a license from Big Time Gaming, and if their first effort, Into the Wilds Megaways, is anything to go by, the studio seems to be pretty ambivalent about the mechanic. This lack of interest is marked in two ways. First, they haven't really squeezed much out of the engine or made use of many of its characteristic accompanying features. Secondly, Into the Wilds Megaways is a redo of an older game called Into the Wilds, and almost nothing is new.

One kick in the teeth for desktop users is that Into the Wilds Megaways appears entirely geared towards mobile users. If you're on a desktop, the active game area is squeezed into a sliver of the screen the way many of PG Soft's releases do. Fine if you're gaming in the palm of your hand, straight up annoying in just about every other circumstance. The graphic quality is similar to the original slot, albeit squeezed into a smaller panel, and portrays a South/Central American scene with a hint of Aztec culture and jungly wildlife.

The next kick in the teeth is reserved for players on a budget because the lowest stake you can set is 80 p/c per spin, rising to $/€160 for the higher rollers. Played on 5-reel Megaways powered game board, symbols vary from 2 to 6 on each reel, producing up to 7,776 ways to win. The game's stats don't do it many favours either, as RTP comes in at 94.4%, while volatility has been branded with a low-medium rating.

Players must hit at least three low pay or two high pay symbols from the left side of the panel to win a cash money reward. Ten to Ace tiles make up the low pays, worth 2.5x the bet for five of a kind, followed by five gemstone symbols as the highs, paying 3.75 to 7.5 times the stake for six of a kind. Dropping in to help link winning ways together is the owl wild which is able to replace any symbol except the scatter.

Into the Wilds Megaways: Slot Features

Features in Into the Wilds Megaways are sparse, with only a round of free spins to take a look at. These are triggered when 3, 4, or 5 scatters land to award a payout of 2x, 10x, or 20x the bet and 8, 12, or 16 free spins, respectively. What changes in free spins is a new x2 wild symbol appears on the reels. When these wilds are used in a winning line, they double the payout value. Key to note is the wild multipliers are not cumulative. Finally, it is possible to retrigger free spins.

Into the Wilds Megaways: Slot Verdict

Going into an Aztec themed slot can be a challenge at times because there are just so many of them around already - from classics like Gonzo's Quest to its modern Megaways re-release. However, Into the Wilds Megaways presented something we weren't fully prepared for, unfortunately, not in a good way. For starters, there's playing it safe, and there's being so timid in practically every area of design as to create a follow-up game which verges on being pointless. Megaways redoes usually push a game to its limits, jam a load more symbols on the reels, and jack winning ways out of the atmosphere. While there is some enhancement here over the first Into the Wilds game, Worldmatch has kept the overhaul lite, choosing not to go wild and crazy with all the newfound power in their hands. Hey, that's their prerogative, but it still felt like a lost opportunity.

Have you ever had a friend who did something so strange you couldn't actually make fun of them for it but simply shook your head in wonder? This is how reviewing Into the Wilds Megaways felt. At everything turn, there seemed to be something else hacking the game down a notch or two until all that was left by the end was a baffled state of bewilderment. Like, who signed off on this? It's one of those slots which feels like it was made by someone who's never played a game before, of any kind.

Amazingly, every part of Into the Wilds Megaways appeared designed to annoy players rather than entertain them. From the irritating bet levels, the squished visuals, the weak use of Megaways, the recycled features without adding anything new, the no fanfare bonus round triggers, to a lack of max win figure. Like the rope less skipping rope, it all feels a bit pointless.