Is it just us, or does it seem like iGaming events often involve at least two participants? Buffalo Power Megaways is a sequel to our recent evaluation of Skywind Group’s Buffalo Big Megaways, another Megaways-enhanced buffalo slot. Coincidence? Most likely, given both games employ a popular choice among slot machine themes. For some reason, programmers keep coming back to this region of the planet. This week’s game is an improved version of Buffalo Power, a slot set in the North American wilderness that offered players the chance to earn coins via a hold & win feature and five fixed jackpots. Under licensing from Big Time Gaming, Buffalo Power Megaways accomplishes the same goal.
The American West is one of the most romanticized regions of the world. From the questionable Manifest Destiny to innumerable online slot machines, this region of the world has captured the imagination ever since settlers flooded over it to make their claim. Here, the sun rises (or sets) over a barren, arid terrain that serves as the backdrop for a 6-reel Megaways gaming grid. Playson has crafted a relaxing setting, one in which the screams of soaring eagles and the distant pounding of Native American drums are easily conjured up from static pictures alone.
As many as 46,656 possible winning combinations are generated when you hit the play button and the reels stop spinning. You may play it on whatever device you choose, and the betting ranges from 20 pence to £/€100 every spin. Buffalo Power Megaways has a default theoretical RTP value of 95.8%, but its extremely volatile mathematical model means it is just as likely to relax with the herd as it is to start a stampede.
Playson has chosen not to implement a response element, which, coupled with the restricted amount of symbols and ways, makes Megaways’ impact minimal. It’s a spin and a re-spin if a winning combination appears from left to right. The lower-value 9s and As are used to form combinations, while the higher-value owls, eagles, cougars, and bears may yield payouts of up to 20 times the initial wager for a full house. If you get six wild buffalo symbols in a row, you’ll win 50 times your wager, and the wild buffalo may also substitute for any other pay symbol. Now that we’ve covered the basic gameplay, let’s add some bells and whistles.
Features of the Buffalo Power Megaways Slot Machine
The highlight hold & win feature from the original Buffalo Power slot machine remains in Buffalo Power Megaways, along with a triggered round of free spins for maximum winnings and excitement. If you get three or more scatter symbols anywhere on the reels, you’ll trigger the free spins bonus. With 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters in play, you’ll receive 12, 17, 22, or 27 free spins, respectively; these can be retriggered while the bonus is active. Whenever the buffalo wild contributes to a win during free spins, the win’s value is multiplied by 2.
Bonus symbols depicting a blazing sun and a symbol of power round out the set of unusual icons. The Buffalo Power Megaways Bonus Game is triggered by landing six or more of these symbols. The triggering symbol remains in place as the surrounding tiles gradually disappear; you get three free spins, the number of which resets to three anytime more locking symbols appear. Cash payouts for bonus symbols range from 1x to 10x the wager.
Players can win one of five jackpots by spinning up bonus symbols. These symbols have a set payout of 2, 5, 150, 500, or 2,000 times the wager when they appear. All of the money from the grid’s symbols is given to the player after the game ends. If the grid fills up by some stroke of luck, the winnings are multiplied by two.
Review of the Slot Machine Buffalo Power Megaways
Playson’s first two Megaways-powered games were both reimaginings of established slot machines, and this is the company’s second. True, business must be done, but from a player’s perspective, it provides little motivation. The update may have been more effective if the original Buffalo Power had been an unrestrained creative outpouring. This is standard fare for Playson, which frequently recycles the “hold and win” round. While some studios take risks, others sit back and do nothing.
Buffalo Power Megaways is the kind of game that, unless you absolutely enjoyed the original, is doomed to fade away into obscurity. Nothing about it will appeal to Megaways veterans who have seen it all before. The game is passable if you happen upon it, but it won’t leave a lasting impression. There is already an oversaturation of identical products. These hold & wins, American wilderness, buffalo games all start to blend together after a time unless a slot has an exceptional hook to grip onto.
Buffalo Power Megaways does not, but it does a fine job with the mundane. Those looking for a Megaways-driven, but less frenetic, base game with a handful of standard bonus rounds may be pleased. Potential is not an issue however, as players may increase the highest payout to a maximum of 10,000x their wager.
You can’t help but think that Buffalo Power Megaways is one of those grenade slots made for operators that don’t provide games from innovative firms. Adding Megaways to tired slot machines without making any other changes will not get you praise, as harsh as it may sound. Playson has now scored twice, however it would be good if the next time they used the licensed material they would come up with something a little more original.