When NetEnt acquired the highly respected game developer Red Tiger in a multi-million dollar deal, the collaboration yielded some of the most exciting casino games to date. One of the absolute crown jewels of this partnership was released in July 2020. Taking a widely played classic and injecting it with modern dynamic reel technology, this new iteration allows players to once again join the iconic explorer in his search for hidden treasures. With an engaging Mayan theme and incredibly detailed graphics, the game offers a visually stunning and mechanically rich experience that caters to thrill-seekers. If you are looking for a comprehensive Gonzo’s Quest Megaways high volatility adventure slot review, understanding the mathematical model and features of this game is essential before placing real money wagers.
The format of the game represents a massive upgrade from traditional slots. Moving away from standard fixed paylines, the grid now features six reels. On every single spin, each of these six reels can randomly display between two and seven symbols. Because of this dynamic system, the number of ways to win fluctuates wildly between 72 and a maximum of 117,649 on any given spin. The betting limits are designed to be quite rigid, accommodating wagers from €0.20 to €4.00 per spin. The slot’s volatility is classified as high, meaning that while small wins are possible, players may experience long dry spells as they hunt for the game’s maximum win potential of 20,972x their stake. The RTP is set at a default of 95.77%, which is just slightly below the standard industry benchmark of 96%.
The core gameplay revolves heavily around consecutive wins through the cascading reels system. To understand the payout potential, players need to familiarize themselves with the symbol hierarchy:
- Low-Paying Symbols: Represented by intricately carved animal icons colored grey, red, yellow, and green. Payouts for these range from 0.1x to 0.8x depending on the symbol and combination length.
- Medium-Paying Symbols: These take the form of colorful tribal masks in purple, red, green, and blue. Landing six blue masks yields a 4x return on the stake.
- High-Paying Symbol: The absolute highest value symbol is the black and red tribal mask, which rewards a massive 15x your bet for a six-of-a-kind combination.
- Special Symbols: The game features Regular Scatters to trigger bonuses and Unbreakable Wilds that substitute for paying symbols.
Every time a winning combination hits, the Avalanche feature activates. The winning symbols crumble to dust, and new symbols drop from the top of the screen to fill the gaps, causing a chain reaction. Furthermore, every consecutive Avalanche increases the global multiplier. In the base game, your first win is at a 1x multiplier, the second Avalanche boosts it to 2x, the third to 3x, and any subsequent Avalanches apply a 5x multiplier to the payouts. To help sustain these chain reactions, Unbreakable Wilds stay on the grid after participating in a win, rather than exploding. Additionally, a randomly triggered Earthquake feature can shake the screen, destroying all low-paying animal icons and ensuring that only the high-value tribal masks drop into the empty spaces.
The ultimate goal for any player is to trigger the Free Fall bonus round, achieved by landing three Scatters (or two Scatters and one Wild) on consecutive reels. You are initially awarded nine Free Spins, with three extra spins given for every additional Scatter. During the Free Fall round, the Avalanche multipliers receive a massive boost—they are tripled. This means consecutive wins will trigger multipliers of 3x, 6x, 9x, and an incredible 15x. Given the high variance, trying out the available demo mode using virtual credits is highly recommended before spending real money. Built on HTML5, the slot performs flawlessly on all mobile devices, allowing you to enjoy the adventure on any smartphone or tablet directly through your web browser without downloading any apps.