Wheel of Wonders

Wheel of Wonders Slot Review

Slot Provider: Push Gaming

RTP: 96.5% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 47,233x

Our Score: 8.8

Play at Casumo Casino
QUICK LINKS: Game Information | Where To Play | Full Review | Testing Notes | Compare Slots | Tips For Players | About The Developer

WHY YOU CAN TRUST THIS REVIEW: The information and opinions on this page are the result of an comprehensive process of information gathering and live game testing by the gambling experts who work at allslotsites.com. Find out more here.

About Wheel of Wonders

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 29th September 2020

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

Wheel of Wonders is a complex, 6-reel slot from Push Gaming, notable for its super-high variance and progressive gameplay in which new rows open up on the grid, triggering bonus wheel spins and modifiers. The game was released in November 2021.

Wheel of Wonders starts with 729 Win Ways but by opening new rows you can play with up to 46,645. The ultimate goal is to open all 3 new rows and unlock the Wheel of Wonders which awards win multipliers of up to 20x to be applied in the following 5 free spins.

The maximum win is 47,333x and spins start at 10p per play.

Wheel of Wonders Game Information

  • RTP: 96.5%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 47,233x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 6
  • Rows: 3
  • Paylines: 729 to 46,656
  • Minimum Stake: £0.10
  • Theme: Ancient History
  • Features: Cascading Symbols, Multipliers, Free Spins and Reel Modifiers

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Wheel of Wonders

IMPORTANT: To give you an accurate assessment of the games we review our writers play 200 spins. Whilst this is a useful tool to help us review games and to give an example of what might happen when you play, keep in mind that 200 spins is only a very small sample and cannot be used to accurately predict what might happen over another 200 spins. The outcome of all slots play is always random.

Boom Or Bust? Our Session By The Numbers

I played 200 spins on Wheel of Wonders for free at Casumo Casino to test the game and this is what happened.

  • Stake Size: £1
  • Start balance: £500
  • End balance: £412.90
  • Biggest Win: 22.1x
  • Wheel of Wonders: 0
  • Session Time: 20 minutes 25 seconds

It felt like Wheel of Wonders never really got going during this session. That’s not to say there weren’t any wins, but the slow pace of the gameplay and the numerous times it stopped short of opening up a complete new row of symbols made the 200 spins feel quite arduous. This is down to the very high variance levels that sometimes lead to the kind of run I had early on when 20 or more spins ended with literally nothing to show!

One row of symbols opens up in Wheel of Wonders
The first row is unlocked in testing, triggering a Wheel spin

Over the 200 spins I did at least unlock one row and trigger the first Wheel 5 times, and the second Wheel twice. From those spins I unlocked two Embellish modifiers that upgraded symbols and a few win multiplier. However, my biggest payout was just 22.1x, and to wait all that time for a win which was underwhelming was frustrating.

Of course, this is not uncommon for slots like these and Push Gaming games require a lot of patience (and bankroll) to get the best from them. It just wasn’t my day.

 

What We Liked

  • Original Mesopotamia theme
  • Cascading Reels and Increasing Rows
  • Up to 46,656 ways to win
  • 47,233x stake jackpot
  • Ancient Wheel Feature with Modifiers

What We Didn't like

  • Long lean spells

Wheel of Wonders Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 10
  • RTP and Variance 9
  • Maximum Win 9
  • Symbols and Paytable 8
  • Features and Gameplay 9

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"A sophisticated and compelling slot game with the potential to build towards a thrilling and rewarding climax as paylines open and multipliers activate!"

Overall Score: 8.8

Theme & Design

Our Score 10

A Stunning Visual Production With Lots of Interesting and Clever Detail

The setting for the game is an unusual one – we are in the ancient, middle-Eastern land of Mesopotamia – surrounded by desert and sand dunes, with what looks like an old city in the background, though it’s been blurred out, presumably so we don’t get distracted by the complex action taking place on the grid. The reels themselves are housed in some kind of weird stone structure, a monument to someone or something perhaps.

Wheel of Wonders by Push Gaming
Wheel of Wonders – You’ll notice something new each time you play it

I have to say, the standard of production here is very high. Push Gaming slots always have a distinctive style to them and Wheel of Wonders is no exception. High quality illustrations, smooth animations and attention to detail are evident throughout. And if you stick around you’ll start to notice new things about the game on every spin. That is a joy and gets Wheel of Wonders top marks in this section.

RTP and Variance

Our Score 9

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

The RTP of Wheel of Wonders is 96.5% which is good, a little above average. For Push Gaming fans, if you are looking for a higher return you could try alternatives like Wild Swarm (97.03% RTP), Wizard Shop (97% RTP), The Shadow Order (96.98% RTP) or Razor Shark (96.7% RTP). All these games are available at the slot sites on this page.

Meanwhile, the variance on Wheel of Wonders is cranked up to the max. This is the studio that brought us games like Land of Zenith and Bison Battle so expect the unexpected. This game can be tight as hell before unleashing a flurry of wins out of nowhere.

Maximum Win

Our Score 9

What Is Maximum Win?

Maximum win refers to the maximum amount a player can win from one spin. It is expressed as a multiple of the stake. For example, where the maximum win is 100,000x, from a £1 stake, the maximum win would be £100,000.  

That volatile game engine is matched by a top payout of 47,233x, making this one of Push Gaming’s highest-paying slots. Since its launch it has been out-gunned by Razor Returns (100,000x) and a few more games with a 50,000x top win, but it still represents an impressive potential.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 8

Wheel of Wonders is a sophisticated slot with an interesting reel configuration that I will come onto. But first, keep in mind that this is a Win Ways game. That means wins are triggered by landing identical symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, regardless of the row they land on.

Wheel of Wonders Paytable
The paytable with 40x for six premiums

When the game begins you have 6 reels and 3 rows to play on. That gives you 729 Win Ways to start (3x3x3x3x3x3). But consecutive wins open up new positions on 3 extra rows above the main ones, so the number of Win Ways starts to grow. With 3 extra rows to fill with more symbols, at full stretch you will have 46,656 Win Ways in play (6x6x6x6x6x6).

The paytable has 3 categories of symbol – low, medium and high value. Low payers are the FOUR hieroglyph-type symbols, worth from 0.1x for 3 up to 2x for six on a line. Medium value symbols include the wheel, claw and vase. These areworth from 0.5x for 3 up to 8x for six on a line. And the high value symbols are the three beasts heads, valued at from 1x for 3 up to 40x for six on a line.

Finally, there is also a Saragon Wild which can sub for ANY other symbol to complete a payline.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 9

Before we get into the details of how this game works, I should say it’s a complex slot with a lot of moving parts. For that reason I recommend playing in demo mode a few time first to get a feel for it before spending your own cash.

Here is how Wheel of Wonders works.

Wins Trigger Cascades and Unlock New Positions On The Top 3 Rows

The core component here is Cascades, or Avalanches. These occur after any winning spin. Winning symbols are removed and new ones drop in to replace them.

Wheel of Wonders Cascade and New Row
New positions open on the rows above with each Cascade

At the same time, for EVERY symbol type that occurred in your win, ONE extra position is added in the 3 rows that sit above the main reel set that you started with and paylines are re-calculated.

The Cascade may trigger another win, more positions to open up, and more paylines to come into play. This progressive feature continues until the win sequence ends. At this point a payout is made and the reel set goes back to 3 rows high. 

Unlock a ROW and Get an Ancient Wheel Spin

The fun part is this. The longer the sequence of wins goes on, the more additional features come into play.

So, if your win sequence unlocks an ENTIRE ROW … then you get a spin on an Ancient Wheel. Your spin doesn’t take place until the current sequence of avalanches ends.

A Bet Multiplier in Wheel of Wonders
A Bet Multiplier from a wheel spin in testing

With 3 extra rows of symbols to unlock there are THREE Ancient Wheels, each with different configurations. The prizes are instant cash prizes, win multipliers, or modifiers (explained below).

Each segment of each wheel will give you one of these prizes:

Wheel 1 (one row unlocked): Get a random cash prize of 1,000x to 5,000x, or a random win multiplier of 2x to 10x or one of these modifiers: Embellish, Transmute, Restore

Wheel 2 (two rows unlocked): Get a random cash prize of 1,000x to 5,000x, or a random win multiplier of 2x to 10x or one of these modifiers: Embellish, Transmute, Restore, OR Renovate

Wheel 3 (three rows unlocked): Get a random cash prize of 1,000x to 5,000x, or a random win multiplier of 2x to 10x or one of these modifiers: Embellish, Transmute, Restore, Renovate, OR Transmute.

The Embellish Modifier in Wheel of Wonders
The Embellish modifier triggered from a wheel spin in testing

Instant prizes and win multipliers are simple. But how do those modifiers work? Like this:

Embellish – the most common symbol in play changes to a more valuable symbol and wins are calculated again.

Transmute – on reels 2 to 6 between 2 and 7 symbols are converted into Wilds and wins are re-calculated.

Restore – up to 7 more positions are added to the locked rows above the existing ones and new symbols cascade down to create more potential wins

Renovate – low payers are randomly upgraded to move valuable symbols and wins are calculated again.

Total Multiplier – the multiplier displayed on the wheel is applied to your total win from the spin that triggered the wheel.

Bet Multiplier – here you get a win equal to your bet x the multiplier value displayed on the wheel.

That’s a lot to take in. But, it’s not all that happens!

IF you can unlock ALL six rows you will unlock the headline act – the Wheel of Wonders.  It is simple – you spin the wheel to be awarded a win multiplier of between 8x and 20x that will be applied to ALL wins from 5 free spins that follow. During those free spins ALL reels display SIX rows and 46,656 paylines are in play.

And, as if that wasn’t enough. You can actually re-trigger those free spins by winning 5 or more times during the free spins round. 5 wins gets you 2 more spins, 9 gets you 3 more spins and 15 gets you 5 more spins.

The Final Verdict

Whilst the individual parts of Wheel of Wonders are hugely impressive – superb design, excellent RTP and max payout, and lots of sophisticated features – I didn’t warm to the game. It was a tough one to get into and didn’t quite fly out of the blocks in the same way that other Push Gaming slots do (Mad Cars or Dinopolis, for example). With such tough volatility it would help to have something to liven up the slower moments. But there wasn’t! I would put this game into the same class as slots like Big Bamboo and Fire Hopper from the same provider. When they go your way they can be some of the best slots you’ll play, but on an off day, the zen-like atmosphere and grindingly slow gameplay just puts you off.

Useful Tips When Playing Wheel of Wonders

Remember, online slots are games of chance, there is NO strategy that can improve your odds of winning. However, reading our review and following these tips will help you get the most out of your time playing this slot game.

1. Set Your Stake Low

As with most Push Gaming slots, they have really cranked up the volatility here. It pays to be sensible and start at a low stake. You may need to absorb many dead spins before you even unlock one row. Beware!

2. Play In Demo Mode

Never before has it been more pertinent to say, ‘Play this game in demo mode before you spend cash!’ I found this to be one of the hardest Push slots to follow. Spending 10 minutes playing in demo will help you to learn the features.

3. The Win Multiplier Modifiers Is Powerful

When it comes to wheel spins, I recommend looking out for the Win Multiplier modifier. This can trigger a big payout if you went into the round with a high value win to start. It’s one of the best outcomes on the Wheels.

4. Play At One Of Our Recommended Slot Sites

We choose the sites listed on this page because they offer a great gaming experience, good value bonuses and safe, secure and fair gaming under license from the UK Gambling Commission.

Who Made Wheel of Wonders?

  • Name: Push Gaming
  • Established: 2010
  • UK License: 54984
  • Total Games: 30 +
  • Known For: High variance grid slots, smart artwork, high max win slots
  • Popular Slots: Big Bamboo, Mad Cars, Razor Returns, Fat Rabbit
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