Slot games are still king at the casino with captivating themes, stunning graphics, innovative features, and enticing multipliers. With thousands of games in the PlayOJO lobby and providers competing for your attention, we’ve seen a big trend in the industry towards creating unique features or special mechanics that are then rolled out across a whole series of games from the same provider, creating a popular franchise that ensures every new game in the series attracts some play from the get-go.
You’ve probably heard of features like Power Reels, Hold and Win, and the much-loved Megaways, but do you know how these mechanics actually work? I’m going to give you a simple guide to each of the most popular UK slot features and point you in the direction of slots with these features, so you can experience them for yourself. Let’s start with arguably the most famous, popular and game-changing new feature from the last 10 years.
Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
Megaways is the most well-known slot innovation which has spread across multiple providers, with many top-tier suppliers leasing the technology from Big Time Gaming. The Megaways engine was born in 2011 with the aim of giving players more chances to win big.
These slot machines have extra reels and more symbols on the reels, allowing for more ways to win, with many Megaways titles offering up to 117,649 pay ways, a decent notch up from the standard 20. This technology is present across many amazing slot games, with Megaways often having its own category, which includes top titles like The Dog House Megaways and Piggy Riches Megaways.
Power Reels (Red Tiger)
Red Tiger has not sat back and watched other providers beat them to the innovation punch. This slot supplier has developed Power Reels, which is as exciting as it sounds. These slot machines have an extra reel that allows you to land more rewarding symbols, boosting the top prize payout.
These games are stacked with bonus treats and certainly will appeal to those looking to land larger rewards. Some of the top Power Reel titles include the likes of Zeus Lightning Power Reels and Reptizillions Power Reels.
DoubleMax (Yggdrasil)
Yggdrasil Gaming has long been a standout slot provider with amazing games that ooze quality and appeal. The Swedish studio introduced the innovative DoubleMax feature to its slot to bring even more entertainment to the game.
The technology works by doubling your win multiplier with every successful cascade, giving you a chance to land some huge rewards.
These games can have multipliers up to 10,000x your stake. One of the top DoubleMax games includes the prehistoric-themed 10000 BC DoubleMax slot, where mammoth wins are not out of the question.
Cash Collect (Playtech)
Industry powerhouse Playtech has developed the Cash Collect feature which has quickly become a super popular franchise. The Cash Collect symbol is the key to unlock other cash symbols and bonus symbols on the reels, and the great thing about Cash Collect is how often the symbol appears.
Although the feature is straightforward, it has quickly become a fan favourite, driving plenty of fun-seekers to Playtech’s games. One fan favourite is their Sahara Riches slot, played on five reels with 30 paylines. Despite its fairly modest 500x max win, it is a seriously good game.
Gold Blitz (Games Global)
Gold Blitz was a 2022 slot from Fortune Factory, a Games Global studio, and it featured the provider’s own take on the cash collect feature. Lightning symbols act as the collect trigger, netting you any cash symbols or jackpot symbols in view. There’s also a Gold Blitz bonus feature, where a win is guaranteed on every spin.
The slot proved so popular that the Gold Blitz feature has been used in over 10 Games Global slots such as Blazing Bison Gold Blitz. They also cranked up the action with Gold Blitz Extreme, a version where jackpots are progressive instead of fixed, as uncollected cash symbols contribute to jackpots. If that sounds like your cup of tea, give Thunderstruck Gold Blitz Extreme a whirl.
Cash Eruption (IGT)
Industry powerhouse IGT was arguably first to the party with cash collect slots when it released the Cash Eruption slot in 2020. The game’s main bonus – a respins feature with special reels where you accumulate cash and jackpot symbols – has been transplanted to several games since with huge success, with Hoggin Cash Cash Eruption perhaps the best place to start.
Hold and Win (Playson)
It may sound a little unfair to call Playson’s Hold and Win mechanic a copycat of Cash Eruption, but they do work in effectively the same way. Trigger the bonus, get 3 respins and reset the counter when you land a burning ball. Once you’ve filled the spaces on the reels or run out of lives, the game counts up all the prizes and hey presto – you’re quids in.
There are roughly 80 games from the Playson portfolio at PlayOJO, all of them what I would call classic slots – major vintage energy. They are obviously fans of their Hold and Win mechanic as they use it in over 40 of their slots including popular titles Thunder Coins Hold and Win, and Supercharged Clovers Hold and Win.
A final word from me
Given how many new releases use one of these features, these are clearly some of most exciting and popular slot mechanics right now, and there are others I haven’t covered, such as Land & Win.
If you don’t know where to start, check out the Megaways titles which offer the largest array of slot choices. PlayOJO is home to around 300 Megaways games, including Temple Tumble Megaways, Megahops Megaways and Lucky Nuggets Megaways.
If you’re looking for something less familiar, I’d recommend DoubleMax games from Yggdrasil like Pharaoh’s Gaze DoubleMax and The Runemakers DoubleMax.
As always, play safely, whether it’s how long or how much you spend on your gaming. There’s lots of responsible gaming advice and tools to help you stay safe when spinning the reels. Have fun!
