Theme & Design

The Stargate slot design features the key plot driver in the film, the Stargate device itself, which enabled travel across the universe through ‘wormholes’. This, plus the epic soundtrack gives the game a very dramatic and exciting feel. With each spin the reels come to a halt with a dramatic thud. The traditional Megaways extra 4×1 reel above the main set spins in a circular shape, right to left, and the Trail displayed on the left, a key component of Stargate, also follows a circular trajectory. In short this is a great-looking game with plenty of atmosphere and promise brought on by the high-end visual and audio production.

RTP and Variance

Stargate Megaways has two possible RTP settings – 96.13% or 94.09%. We recommend that you play at the highest setting to give yourself the optimum chance of a winning return. We verified the RTP at five slot sites and this is what we found:

• Casumo (independent) – 94.09% RTP
• BacanaPlay (Skill on Net) – 94.09% RTP
• Barz Casino (White Hat Gaming) – 94.09% RTP
• Play Grand (White Hat Gaming) – 94.09% RTP
• Spin and Win (Rank Interactive) – 94.09% RTP

None of the sites we tested the game on ran it at the optimum RTP. That is quite unusual. The difference between 96.13% and 94.09% is not huge and you wouldn’t notice the difference as you played. However, it is always better to play at the optimum setting and its disappointing not to find a site that allows this.

The is a high variance slot so don’t expect regular payouts. The distribution will be uneven and unpredictable but bursts of high value wins are possible when you progress further up the Trail which is integral to the gameplay.

Maximum Win

The top win in Stargate Megaways is 25,000x. That is really good, but still short of the wins possible in our list of slots with a max payout greater than 100,000x. The best payouts will come when the modifiers start kicking in as explained in the features section of this review.

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Symbols and Paytable

The reel set in Stargate Megaways is a traditional Megaways one. That is 6 reels, each displaying between 2 and 7 rows. When all 6 reels show 7 rows of symbols then the total paylines are 117, 649 (7x7x7x7x7x7).

Wins are triggered by landing 6 or more identical symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, regardless of their position on that reel. The values in the paytable are not huge, particularly in the low paying set of symbols. This is further proof that the game is all about enhancing your wins with the modifiers that come into play as you hit consecutive win cascades.

The low value symbols are the cards, Ace through to 9, paying between 0.5x and 0.8x your bet for six of the same type. Premium symbols, shown as a temple, the Stargate device and three characters from the movie, are worth more, ranging from 1.5x to 10x for six.

The Wild symbol can also help complete lines as it substitutes in for any other except the Eye of Ra which is important in the bonus round.

Features and Gameplay

I found Stargate Megaways to be a really interesting slot to play thanks to its progressive features that are triggered by landing successive Cascading Wins. This is key to getting the biggest wins – the more you can land in a row, the better your chances as more features unlock. If you like that kind of game, you will love Stargate Megaways.

Cascading Wins and The Trail

Everything starts with the Cascading Wins. After each win, winning symbols are removed from the reels and new ones drop in to replace them. This might cause another Cascade, when the process repeats. This continues until no more wins are formed.

The fun part is the Trail. This is displayed to the left of the reels, divided into nine segments. You start at segment 1 and move one higher with each Cascade. When you reach the 5^th segment, a modifier is activated. And if you get to the 7^th position, the bonus round is activated.

The trail will set back to zero once the Cascade sequence comes to an end.

These are the modifiers you can trigger:

• Random Wilds: Adds up to six wild symbols on reels 2 to 5.
• Expanding Reels: Increases the reels to the maximum number of rows possible, creating 117,649 ways to payout. Automatically fills the extended positions with new symbols.
• Wild reel:Reels 2, 3, 4, or 5 transforms into full wild reels.
• Mystery symbols: 10 random characters are turned into the same type of symbol.
• Regenerate: Removes all symbols from the board and replaces them with a new batch.

It’s not easy to get to level 5, but if you do, the hope is that these modifiers help keep the Cascade going. And if you get to level 7 and above, then things kick on further. 

Free Spins With Extra Modifiers

Free spins are awarded by reaching segment 7, 8 or 9 on the Trail. That gets you 5, 6 or 7 spins. And before you start the spins, a special Pick Me Bonus round takes place. You pick 7 doors from 15 in total to reveal modifiers to use in the free spins round. Where 2 symbols behind the doors match, you are awarded that modifier.

That’s exciting stuff. Made better by the fact that you can claim MORE than ONE modifier from the Pick Me round.

These are the modifiers available to you:

• Up to 25 extra free spins with ADDITIONAL SPINS.
• A WINMULTIPLICATOR is applied to your winnings from the round.
• With SHAPES INCREASE, each spin guarantees more ways than the previous one, with up to 117,649 ways to win.
• If the Eye of Ra symbol lands on reel 6, the initial number of free spins is restarted at REINCARNATE.
• Should you hit CASH PRIZES, an instant value of 5x to 100x your bet is revealed.
• In WILD GATES, extra wild symbols are added to the top reel.
• And finally, you can also get EXPANDING WILDSwhere wild symbols appear on reels 2, 3, 4 or 5 and expand to fill the reel.

Those are some seriously intersing modifers. A good win multiplicator plus expanding wilds would be a great combination to drive up your wins for example.

The Final Verdict

Fans of sci-fi slots and the original Stargate movie will love this game because it makes very good use of the plot line in its production. With excellent visuals, lots of slick animations and a great soundtrack, it’s a game to sit back and enjoy. There is also a lot of exciting potential in the game when you look at the configuration of the bonus round with its high number of free spins and potentially very rewarding modifiers. The top win of 25,000x and the higher RTP setting of 96.13% are both very competitive too.

However, this all comes with the same caveat that we give with all high volatility slots – it will be very tough to unlock and any epic win sequences will likely be the reward for those with a lot of patience to sit out the times where nothing seems to go your way. So we recommend you choose your stake accordingly to avoid quick burn out. Good luck!