Monster Munch Stacks Slot
Monster Munch Stacks is quite a departure for Backseat Gaming, moving away from the fixed paylines and expanding wild reel mechanics that have featured heavily in many of the studio's previous releases. Instead, the action takes place on a huge 6x9 grid using Cluster Pays, with winning groups disappearing to make room for new symbols. The cartoon monster laboratory theme isn't especially memorable, but it is the combination of sticky multiplier Wilds, Magnets and Coin symbols that gives the game something different to work with.
Wilds remain fixed in position during cascades rather than dropping down with the rest of the symbols. They begin with a x1 multiplier and increase by +1 whenever they contribute to a win. Several Wilds involved in the same cluster can be particularly useful since their multipliers are multiplied together rather than added. Wild Multiplier symbols can also increase every active Wild by x1, x2, x3 or x5 before transforming into a Coin symbol.
Magnets provide another way of creating larger clusters by selecting a paying symbol and pulling every instance towards the Magnet's position. They can also target Coins when at least four are present, while Coin values range from 1x to 1,000x and require clusters of at least five to pay.
The two bonus rounds remove the regular paying symbols and shift the attention towards Wilds and Coins. Snack Rush starts with between 3 and 5 sticky Wilds, with each providing 2 spins, while additional Wilds, Coins, Magnets, Wild Multipliers and extra spins can appear throughout the feature. Monster Feast follows much the same format but includes a guaranteed Wild Multiplier at the beginning. The bonuses can be purchased for 100x and 400x the bet respectively, while Bonus Boost costs 2x and triples the chance of triggering a feature naturally.
The game runs at a respectable 96.01% RTP and has a 10,000x max win, although neither figure does much to distinguish it from the increasingly crowded field of high-volatility Cluster Pays releases. The 400x Monster Feast buy also looks particularly expensive against a 10,000x ceiling, requiring a substantial investment for a feature that ultimately isn't dramatically different from the cheaper Snack Rush.
Monster Munch Stacks deserves some credit for being a genuine change of direction for Backseat Gaming, but being different from the studio's usual output doesn't automatically make it particularly exciting. The sticky multiplier Wilds are the strongest part of the game, and multiplying several of them together can create some interesting situations, while the Magnets add another useful ingredient.
Beyond that, though, much of the experience falls back on familiar Cluster Pays territory, and the enormous 6x9 grid can feel more impressive in size than it does in actual gameplay. The bonus rounds don't transform the game enough either, particularly when Monster Feast carries a hefty 400x price tag. It's an interesting experiment from Backseat Gaming and certainly less predictable than another expanding-wild release, but the end result is more decent than outstanding.
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