Sounds probably cliché to some but we might just be in for a new online gaming euphoria similar to what we have witnessed in December 2015 when Bonanza Megaways set the casino lobbies on fire. The good folks at Big Time Gaming are about to release their next creation that is neither Megaways nor has it any other usual spinning reels format. Hence, the very legitimate question of whether they will be able to repeat the frenzy that started with the release of Bonanza Megaways and has so far not shown any signs of slowing down.

With about a dozen studios having signed a licensing agreement for the Megaways trademark, we have seen the casino lobbies filling up with an increasing number of such games in all shapes and sizes. Surely enough reason for BTG to start thinking of their next potential blockbuster mechanic. The result is called Megaclusters with the first game Star Clusters being readied for release in June 2020. A few selected leaks have gotten the player community already all riled up with many waiting anxiously to give the new game a spin or two.

What is Megaclusters?

Veteran players most probably have tried their luck on so-called grid slots, a genre that to date was pretty much dominated by two providers, Play’n GO and Push Gaming, with each releasing some truly exhilarating games that rank at the top of the player favourites.

For newbies, here’s a short introduction. Grid slots do not have the standard spinning reels but instead, symbols drop from the top onto a defined grid, e.g. 5×5 or 6×6 and winning combos are usually awarded for clusters of 4, 5 or more symbols that land connected horizontally, vertically or both. Wins are paid and the combos will shatter to let new symbols drop into place and potentially create more winners. Alternatively, there are games where the aim is to clear the grid, hence, any remaining symbols drop towards the bottom and new winning combos will be removed and so on.

There are dozens if not hundreds of such games that can be found in the casino lobbies, some such as Jammin’ Jars from Push Gaming or Gemix from Play’n GO establishing themselves at the top of the playing charts while others have slowly disappeared into the endless abyss of wannabe hit slots.

Screenshots courtesy of Big Time Gaming

Of course, Big Time Gaming would not develop your standard grid slot with cluster pays. As to be expected, they created a whole new mechanic around it that has the potential to become the next big thing in online gaming, virtually repeating their Megaways success story.

Their debut Star Clusters Megaclusters comes with a 4×4 grid as default and winning combos are achieved by having minimum five matching symbols or in combination with wilds land horizontally or vertically connected in a cluster. And here comes the first twist. After an initial win is paid, all winning symbols split into four smaller symbols, potentially creating more winners. Should that happen, then it will set off a chain reaction with new symbols avalanching onto the grid after each winning cluster is removed. The maximum you can achieve in the base game are 64 symbols, 16 standard symbols each dividing into four. Multiplier wilds can also come into play, providing the potential to hit wins in excess of 1,000 times your bet in the base game.

The Megaclusters Mayhem

However, that is just the starter as the mayhem will commence the soon you enter the bonus feature. Having five consecutive avalanches with winning clusters within a spin sequence will trigger the free spins round. Accrued multipliers are carried over and the game grid increases from the 4×4 default to a giant 8×8 format, giving the potential for up to 256-symbol clusters.

Screenshots courtesy of Big Time Gaming

The wild multiplier will be boosted by x1 for every winning cluster with a gold star wild. It will retrigger +2 free spins every time they reach a multiple of x10, no limits. Up to a massive 23,000 times your bet are possible in a single free spins feature.

Overall, a truly astounding feat in slot design and engineering that takes grid slots to a whole new level. You can always read the full review for Star Clusters Megaclusters here at GMBLRS while you wait for the 17th June 2020 for the exclusive pre-release at casinos from the Flutter Group including Paddy Power, SkyVegas, Pokerstars and Betfair. It will go global on 24th June 2020.