Stargate Megaways

Stargate Megaways: Slot Overview

Jaffa, Kree! Players, here's an online slot from software provider SG Digital that'll get all manner of sci-fi fans freakin'. It's called Stargate Megaways and is a branded slot based on the original movie starring Kurt Russel as Colonel Jack O'Neil; the crew-cutted take no crap army man tasked with exploring the alien world of Abydos. To get there, teams have to step through an ancient device called a Stargate after entering certain symbol patterns. The film grossed around $200 million and was followed by more movies, as well as the hugely popular TV series Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe.

To say the Stargate franchise was a hit then is an understatement, and we could wax lyrical about lore, characters, and plot arcs all day long. To let you get on with life, though, we'll do our best to concentrate on the slot. Fans are sure to feel right at home, from the Abydos planet load screen to the base game located at SGC Command, one thousand meters below Cheyenne Mountain. Fundamentally, Stargate Megaways is built like your typical Megaways slot, utilizing a 6-reel main grid, plus a 4-position horizontal reel, which sits in the middle of the Stargate, or Chappa'ai in the Goa'uld dialect. The inclusion of the movie's sweeping soundtrack is a real swooner, so if you liked the film or its many spin-offs, Stargate Megaways makes a warm first impression.

If you like what's happening upfront, the good news is the back-end stuff is positive, too. The RTP is generated in a number of ways, depending on how you dial up the gate. In its most basic form, playing naturally, 96% is the return figure, or it hovers between 96.13% and 96.78% when activating the Buy Pass. This highly volatile game is playable on any device and accepts stakes of 20 p/c to $/€10 per spin.

Each game round delivers a different result, meaning 2-7 symbols can appear on the two outer reels, 2-6 symbols on the inner four reels, and 4 more symbols up top. This set up produces anywhere from 324 to 117,649 ways to win. Appearing on the grid are ten pay symbols - five are 9-A card ranks as the lows, then for the highs are a pyramid, a sarcophagus, Daniel Jackson, Jack O'Neil, and Ra. Hitting six of a kind combinations are worth 0.5-0.8x the bet for the lows and 1.5 to 10x the bet for the highs. Eye of Ra necklace symbols are wild. They have no value of their own but can replace any of the regular pay symbols to complete way wins.

Stargate Megaways: Slot Features

Cascades are a common Megaways feature and are used in Stargate Megaways to progress the game from base to bonus levels. When a winning way hits, the cascade feature removes the applicable symbols, and new tiles drop down from above. If this creates a new win, the cascade function is triggered again.

Trail

Running along the left side of the Stargate is a nine segmented trail. Each winning cascade moves the trail position along by +1. When reaching segment 5, a random modifier is awarded, and when reaching level 7 or above, a bonus is awarded. The trail is only active in the base game and resets at the start of each paid spin.

Trail 5 Modifiers

When reaching the fifth segment of the trail, after any wins have been paid, one of these modifiers is randomly activated:

• Random Wilds – up to six wild symbols are added to reels 2 to 5.
• Expanding Reels – forces reels to produce 117,649 ways to win.
• Wild Reel – reel 2, 3, 4, or 5 is transformed into a wild reel.
• Mystery Symbols – up to ten random symbols in view are transformed into the same symbol type.
• Regenerate – removes all symbols from the board and replaces them with a brand new batch.

Bonus Game

Reaching levels 7, 8, or 9 on the trail triggers the bonus game, awarding 5, 6, or 7 free spins, respectively. Next, players open 7 closed doors, to reveal either nothing or modifiers that carry over to the bonus round:

• Additional spins - an extra 1 to 25 free spins are awarded.
• Win multiplier – this is applied to wins during free spins.
• Ways increase – each subsequent spin guarantees more ways than the previous, up to the maximum of 117,649.
• Reincarnate – if the Eye of Ra symbol lands on reel 6, the free spins count is reset.
• Cash Prizes – cash prize of 5 to 100 times the stake.
• Wild Gates – extra wild symbols on the top reel.
• Expanding Wilds – wilds expand to cover whole reels when they land. Only applies to reels 2 to 5.

Buy Pass

If this feature is available, players can buy access to different segments on the trail. The options are segments 5, 7, 8, or 9 for the cost of 31.5x, 45.5x, 72.5x, or 123.5x your total stake.

Stargate Megaways: Slot Verdict

Like most branded merchandise, if you're a fan, the final product is much easier to fall for. In the case of Stargate Megaways, the rich use of on and off-world visuals, characters, not to mention the stirring soundtrack, make a great first impression. Transitioning through the Stargate when bonus rounds trigger is fun, and it's easy to get lost in the fantasy for a bit while soaking in SG Digital's rendition of the movie. For the most part, they've done a great job that Stargaters should enjoy.

Little gremlins did arise around the edges, though, and while they didn't ruin the enjoyment, overall satisfaction might have been enhanced had they been dealt with differently. This includes possibly squeezing even more out of the theme during big win count ups or adding extra pizzazz when attaining a segment 5 modifier. It wouldn't have hurt if SG had axed the cash prize bonus pick altogether and either delivered that money on the reels or replaced it with something else entirely.

However, the positives outshone the negatives like a Goa'uld hand device, and there are lashings of Stargatey moments to enjoy. Using consecutive cascades to trigger bonuses is nothing new, having shown up in games as diverse as Reel King Megaways. Here it makes sense, as it looks good snaking around the Stargate. Reaching segments 7, 8, or 9 wasn't easy, but also wasn't the huge task it initially appeared either. On the way, occasional modifiers and cascade sequences keep the game moving, and punching in the right symbols can lead to solid monetary results, capped at €250,000, or 25,000 times the max bet.

It's amazing to think that Stargate the movie came out in 1994, nearly 30 years before this online slot was released. It's obvious something about the Stargate franchise touched many hearts. What was it? The romance of exploration, the reassurance we aren't alone in a cold dark universe, the chance to visit a new planet each week with SG1, even though a lot of them looked like Canada where the series was partly filmed? Whatever the x-factor might be, SG Digital has done a great job of reproducing much of the magic on the reels in their branded slot. There might be a few flaws, but fans shouldn't have trouble seeing past any shortcomings to ride the entertainment vehicle beneath.