Slots have undergone an incredible transformation in recent years, mainly because online casinos have introduced a new way of playing that puts dozens of games at the fingertips of players. If you decide to look through the latest slots, what are the key features to keep an eye out for?
The Megaways Engine Boosts the Number of Ways of Winning
Traditionally, slot games would be on a fixed set of reels that had paylines marked across them. To get a win, you had to get a combination of matching symbols across one or more of these lines. You can still find slots that use this approach, but an increasing number of titles are now being released using the Megaways engine.
Created by Big Time Gaming, the first slots using this engine were brought out in 2015. It involves an ever-changing set of reels that produce a different number of ways of winning on each spin. This is done by merging, adding, or removing spaces on the reels each time.
Due to their popularity, the online casino to play at Paddy Power has a section solely for Megaways titles. This part of their site includes games such as Eye of Horus, Fishin Frenzy, and Gonzos Quest. Many developers now update their older slots by adding in Megaways and making them look fresh again.
Progressive Jackpots Give the Biggest Prizes
A progressive jackpot is a major prize on a slot that builds up each time someone plays it until it is finally won by a player. A slot can either have a single progressive jackpot or else feature several, with titles such as major and minor letting us see how big each one is.
The way of scooping this jackpot differs from one game to the next, but since it the usually the slots biggest prize this typically means getting the best possible outcome on a spin. It could be that a combination of five special symbols is needed, or that you need to play through a special bonus round to claim this amount.
Another interesting approach is where a single jackpot is linked across several games. This is seen on the Jackpot King range of slots from Blueprint Gaming. Their jackpot can be won on games such as Irish Riches, Amazon Warrior, and Diamond Mine. No matter which of those games you are playing, you can enter the same bonus round to try and win the main prize.
A Free Spins Round is the Highlight of Many Slots
One of the features that are commonly seen on slots is the free spins round. This bonus is triggered by landing a certain number of special symbols that are known as scatters. This leads to a fixed number of free spins being awarded, with this also often coming with an enhanced paytable or extra features.
The free spins round is usually the highlight of the game, as It gives you the chance to build up a large win from a single bet and we all love to get something for free. Not every slot has this type of round, but expect to see it available in the majority of games.
With all of these features making slots more varied than ever before, it should be easy to find a game that suits your taste. It is just a question of taking a moment to consider which of the features most interest you.