New Games

A Look Inside An Esports Tournament

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Esports has become one of the fastest-growing markets of the past decade. Data analytics firm Newzoo describes esports as the “biggest thing in the tech market since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007.”

The term ‘esports’ simply refers to electronic sports. It is used to describe competitive gaming at a professional level, with the best esports athletes often regarded as the best globally in their respective fields. Esports simply converts video game playing into a playing sport, with viewership running into hundreds of thousands. In some cases, it involves individuals. Most times, however, it involves teams. Young people are the major participants in esports since they can earn while playing their favorite video games.

Like traditional sports, esports makes money via branding, advertisements, and sales from merch. The global eSports industry raked in over $950 million in 2020. The esports market is projected to grow rapidly in a few years and it is estimated that the revenue will increase to $1.6 billion by 2023.

How Does Esports Work?

Esports tourname n ts are organized, professionals compete, they win, and that’s the end. However, there are several rules and regulations that players must abide by, but the rules are not complex.

It starts with the formation and funding of an esports team, this is particularly important because self-sponsored teams may not be allowed to participate in tournaments and competitions.

Like any other sport, the goal of esports players is to be the best among the best. Esports athletes are contracted to play, just like a footballer or basketball, and the teams practice and play games just like traditional sports. Depending on the game, several tournaments and events are hosted yearly with six-figure winnings up for grabs, and even up to a million sometimes.

How Is Esports Organized?

Unlike traditional sports where there is usually one professional league for each sport, esports has multiple leagues for each game. Additionally, there are specific consoles for specific esports leagues. For instance, the Call of Duty World League involves playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 specifically on the PlayStation 4 console.

Other leagues like the European Gaming League (EGL), Cybergamer, and Ultimate Battle are specific to a particular region. Ultimate Battle is played locally in India, and the EGL is played in Europe, including the UK, while Cybergamer is specific to the Oceania Region including New Zealand and Australia.

Despite this, esports is international in every sense of the word, so it’s only normal that international leagues are established. An excellent example of this kind of league is the Electronic Sports League which was established in 2000 and is headquartered in Cologne, Germany. It is the biggest esports organization globally.

There are two ways to access esports games. Players can attend the live event where they have to purchase a ticket. Another viable alternative is to stream the event. This is usually done via Twitch.tv, Youtube Gaming, or Mixer. The Esports Calendar is a comprehensive resource for finding the esports events taking place.

Some of the most popular esports tournaments include:

The International Dota2 Championships
Evolution Championship Series
Halo World Championships
Major League Gaming
League of Legends World Championships
Intel Extreme Masters
Capcom Pro Tour
Call of Duty Championship

Esports Formats

There are several esports tournaments for all kinds of games. However, there are 4 major categories that every esports game falls under. They include:

First-person Shooter

This involves using weapons and strategy to achieve tactical goals which can range from defense to shooting as many people as possible. It can be played as an individual arena-style contest as seen in games like Overwatch and Halo, or it can be in the form of a team-based fight as represented in Call of Duty and Counterstrike.

Fighting games

Combat games have always been a popular feature in couch-based competitions and arcade battles. These games involve mixed martial art and players deploy a combo of timing, positioning, fundamentals, and special skills to defeat opponents. This is represented in games like Street Fighter and SuperSmash.

Real-time Strategy

This involves a combination of strategic planning and swift decision making. Players have to manage resources, develop structures, mount defenses, and launch attacks. This is represented in games like Warcraft III, StarCraft: Brood War, and StarCraft II.

Multiplayer online battle arena

Gotten from a combination of the strategic planning and tactical attack of Real-time Strategy and the individual skills in First-Person Shooter, MOBAs shifts the RTS action to smaller divisions of even stronger units- generally referred to as Heroes, each handled by one player, then the struggle is converted into an opportunity for team play. “Dota (Defense of the Ancients)”, “Dota 2” and “League of Legends”.

Esports Betting

There are several ways of betting on esports. Esports betting is fast becoming a popular betting feature in many sportsbooks.

Real-money Betting

Similar to traditional wagers on sports like football, bets are placed on specific odds. If the predictions are correct, your winnings will be paid out. Bets can be placed on several outcomes such as the winners of individual matches and tournament winners.

Some of the most popular types of real-money eSports bets include:

Draw: Here, you are betting on whether the outcome of the match will result in a draw.
Group of Winner: Wagers are placed on the group that includes the final winner.
Handicap bet: Here, a sportsbook sets a margin, otherwise known as a line. This gives an unfavorable team a ‘handicap advantage’. So you have to bet on the winner of the game, whether it’s the team with the handicap advantage or the other team.
Tournament winner: Wagers are placed on the overall winner of the tournament.
Over/Under: You place bets on the number predicted by the sportsbook for a specific statistic in the game. Wagers are placed on whether the actual number is higher or lower than the bookmaker’s odds.

Fantasy Betting

Fantasy betting is another way of betting on esports. It works just like daily fantasy sports for traditional sports, but this features esports athletes instead.

Sources

Gerbis, Nicholas. “How Professional Gaming Works.” How Stuff Works. Aug 6, 2016. (Dec. 3,2020)
https://money.howstuffworks.com/professional-gaming.htm
De la Navarre, Tristan “Esports Tournaments & Leagues Guide” Line Ups. June 5, 2020. (Dec 4, 2020)
https://www.lineups.com/esports/esports-tournaments-leagues-guide/
De la Navarre, Tristan “eSports Teams & Players: How eSports Teams Work” Line Ups. July 15, 2020. (Dec 4, 2020) https://www.lineups.com/esports/esports-teams-players/
“eSports market revenue worldwide from 2018 to 2023.” Statistica. Oct. 13, 2020 (Dec4, 2020) https://www.statista.com/statistics/490522/global-esports-market-revenue/
“HOW TO BET ON ESPORTS: UNDERSTANDING ODDS AND MARKETS” https://esportbet.com/how-to-bet/
“An Expert’s Guide to Esports Betting in 2020” https://www.gamblingsites.com/esports-betting/

Your Weekly Best New Slots | Week 52 / December 21 – 27, 2020

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Fascinating New Slots To Try This Week

We scoured the entire slot industry to find some fascinating new slots for you to try this week. Despite the holiday rush, software providers managed to release some of the best new slots this week which are quite interesting.

First to catch our attention is a Halloween-themed slot with Unlimited free spins. It also has a Super Stake option that lets you double your bet in exchange for some game enhancer.

Another slot with a similar somewhat-of-a-bonus-buy feature is Aztec Gold: Extra Gold Megaways. That’s not the only one this slot has to offer though. It’s a Megaways slot, to begin with, and it’s packed with features that you’ll definitely enjoy.

Last on our list is a slot that uses ReelPlay’s famous Infinity Reels. Aside from the famed mechanism, Crystal Wolf Infinity Reels boast of win multipliers and a bonus game.

We have our own favorite among these three fascinating new slots this week. However, we won’t tell you what it is so as not to influence your own judgment. As always, we’ll walk you through these slots and let you decide which one fits your taste.

3 New Slots To Check Out

Our selection of fascinating new slots this week came from developers Stakelogic, iSoftBet, and Boomerang Studios. Let’s explore each of these slot’s features and find out which one you like best.

Voodoo Reels

When there’s an almost global holiday like Christmas, game developers normally release slots with themes that fit the season. So, it’s fascinating when we see new slots going rebellious with an off-season theme, and this week Stakelogic did that. This developer not only serves an unsuited-for-the-season slot but also one that’s a perfect fit for Halloween.

Voodoo Reels is a spooky yet enjoyable slot with a 5×3 game area and 10 paylines. Gnarled, eerie-looking tree trunks frame the grid with creepy shrunken heads hanging on one protruding branch. More of these trees lurk in the gloomy swamp-like background that looks rather disturbing. The ghostly soundtrack fits perfectly, completing the scary but fun atmosphere.

On the lower portion of the paytable are wooding with the 10 to A card symbols carvings. High-paying symbols consist of skulls, crosses, candles, and a man with a top hat. At least three matching combinations on a payline awards a win with the exception of the man with a hat. He and the voodoo doll wild symbol pay with only two of a kind in view. The wild symbol as usual substitutes for all other symbols except for the scatters to form winning combinations.

Voodoo Reels Slot Features

Stakelogic throws in some fantastic features in Voodoo Reels to help improve your winnings. One of those is the pick and click feature. To trigger this, you need to collect six yarn symbols that appear at random during the base game. Once the feature is triggered, three voodoo dolls will appear, and picking any one doll gives either of these rewards:

Wild Mixer Feature awards 3 free spins and 2 to 6 wilds positioned at random per spin.
Sticky Voodoo Feature awards 3 free spins and sticky symbols picked at random before each spin.

Another feature to expect is the free spins feature. If 3, 4, or 5 voodoo doll scatter symbols land, you’ll receive 6, 8, or 10 free spins, respectively. The free spins also come with 0.2x, 2x, or 20x win multiplier, respectively. Once you’re done playing the regular bonus round, the Unlimited Free Spins feature follows. During this feature, reels 2 to 4 play host to huge symbols 3×3 in size. The feature ends after you collected 3 voodoo symbols.

Voodoo Reels also has a Super Stake option. You have the choice to double your bet in exchange for certain benefits on the game. When Super Stake is active, the pick and click feature gets triggered at random. This theoretically improves the game’s result than playing with the base bet price.

Number of Paylines: 10	RTP: 96.49%
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 200
Max Payout: N/A	Software Provider: Stakelogic

Aztec Gold: Extra Gold Megaways

Developer iSoftbet’s Aztec Gold Megaways makes a comeback this week carrying new betting options in Aztec Gold: Extra Gold Megaways. The game sports a warm inviting color, and the sparkling golden hue seems to promise big returns. Adding to the attraction is its upbeat mystifying soundtrack.

The game has 6 reels with 2 to 7 rows, typical of a Megaways engine. When all reels display a maximum of 7 rows, win ways reach up to 117,649. On the lower side of the paytable is the 9 to A card royals sporting a gemstone each. The higher side has eagles, jaguars, snakes, and an Aztec man.

Aside from the highest-paying symbol which only needs two, all the others require three matching symbols to score a win. Special symbols enhancing the gameplay are the wild and the Sun Disc scatter. The wild can land only on reels 2 to 5 and substitutes for any other symbols save for the scatter.

Aztec Gold: Extra Gold Megaways Slot Features

Most of the features of the original return with the cascade feature on the lead, this being a Megaways slot. As all slot enthusiasts know, this clears the game area of winning symbols to make way for new ones. The feature ends when no new winning combinations land on the reel.

Also making a comeback is the Max Megaways feature which forces the grid to its full capacity during the base game. Another favorite from the original is the Sun Disc Boost which may throw additional scatters before each spin starts. This increases the chance of triggering the free spin feature.

The last feature to return is the Aztec Gold Respins. At least 5 Sun Disc scatters landing at the cascade’s end during the default mode triggers this feature. Among the elements that come with this feature are multipliers and three jackpot symbols. You can win the Mini, Major, or Mega jackpot for 30x, 100x, or 1,000x the stake, respectively.

New Elements Added

The newer version doesn’t come with only the old features to offer. There are some new ones to look forward to as well like the Mystery Symbols. When this feature is active, several step pyramid symbols may appear on the reel and transform into identical symbols.

There’s also the Extra Gold Button which increases your bet by 25% for Cash Respins should 4 scatters land instead of 5.

The third and final addition is the Aztec Bet, which has 2 forms:

100x your stake triggering the usual Cash Respins.
150x your stake triggering Max Megaways Cash Respins.

With the best old elements mixed with few amazing additions, this game is indeed one of the fascinating new slots out there this week.

Number of Paylines: 64 to 117,649 ways	RTP: 96%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 20
Max Payout: 20,000x	Software Provider: iSoftBet

Crystal Wolf Infinity Reels

Boomerang Studios made use of ReelPlay’s fascinating Infinity Reels for the new addition to its library of slots this week. Crystal Wolf Infinity Reels begins with a 3×3 grid awarding wins for 3 matching symbols from left to right. When you hit a win, you’ll get an additional reel on the right and another one if the spin results in a win again. This sequence will stop when no new matching symbols land, and the grid goes back to the initial 3×3 size.

The game has an eerie-looking background somewhat reminiscent of The Nightmare Before Christmas. The transparent game area houses the crystal-like symbols including card suits, which comprise the lower end of the paytable. Premiums include wolves, eagles, owls, deer, and trees. There’s no wild to expect, but there are special symbols and other features to help with the win rate.

Aside from the Infinity Reels mechanism, the base game also boasts of a win multiplier of x1. This increases by +1 when a paw symbol appears and gets back to the initial x1 on fresh spins.

When a spin sequence ends with three moon scatters in view, you’ll get 3 free spins. This marks the start of the bonus game. You’ll play at an empty grid with 15 tiles. When a moon lands on a spin, you’ll receive an extra spin, and the moon locks into position. The bonus game ends when you run out of free spins or the tiles get filled. When the round ends, the locked moons will show a prize from 1x to 50x your stake, which will then be tallied up.

Number of Paylines: N/A	RTP: 95.63%
Min Bet: 0.25	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: N/A	Software Provider: Boomerang Studios

Conclusion

That wraps up our selection of the best new slots this week. With features like Unlimited Free Spins, Megaways engine, and Infinity Reels, we hope you find one element that you like best.

With one week left this year, we’re curious if there’s at least one in next week’s slot that will end the year with a bang. If you’re wondering as well, then don’t forget to check our site for news of the upcoming slots week in and week out.

Your Weekly Best New Slots | Week 51 / December 14 – 20, 2020

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Brilliant New Slots To Try Out This Week

Three brilliant developers agreed on using the enigmatic appeal of ancient Egypt in their new slots this week. While the theme is the same, these slots will give you a different gaming experience. The result: You get to try playing a slot with a familiar theme and enjoy a wide array of features at the same time.

If by any chance ancient Egypt is not your thing, we come in prepared. We have two more slots that you can try out instead. Either you choose to mingle with silverbacks or take a tour in a mystical forest.

No matter what you choose, you’ll still get a chance for decent or big wins. However, we’ll let you decide what slot you like and help you in the selection process. Read on as we present to you the things to expect in these brilliant new slots this week.

5 New Slots To Check Out

Behind the best new slots this week are Just For The Win, SG Digital, Nolimit City, Red Tiger, and Play’n GO. Let’s discover the brilliant features of these game developers’ new slots this week.

Silverback Multiplier Mountain

Explore the African jungle and meet a dominant silverback in Just For The Win’s new slot release this week. Silverback Multiplier Mountain’s 6×4 game area sits at the heart of a vibrant-colored jungle. The sight of a mountain is not far behind, carrying the game’s multiplier.

Hitting a win requires three matching symbols from the first reel onwards. Because the gorilla is the main hero here, he pays at only two of a kind. Furthermore, a golden gorilla coin is this slot’s wild symbol that can substitute for other symbols except for the scatter.

Your ticket to the free spin round is the mountain symbol because it serves as this slot’s scatter. If 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters land in view, you’ll receive 10, 15, 20, or 30 free spins. The round starts with a win multiplier of x1 and increases by +1 every time you hit a win.

In addition to that, you can also receive additional free spin every time the scatter lands. What’s even more amazing is that there is no limit to the extra free spins you can win. This means that the bonus round can go on as long as there are scatters landing in view.

This slot has a bonus buy option where you’re guaranteed 10 free spins for a price of 90x the bet. Buying your way in the bonus round also increases the game’s RTP to 96.33%.

Number of Paylines: 4,096	RTP: 96.33%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 10
Max Payout: 25,000x	Software Provider: Just For The Win

Book of Ultimate Infinity

SG Digital chose an Egyptian theme for their first shot at using the Infinity Reels. Book of Ultimate Infinity’s game area sports the look of Ancient Egypt with temples and the Nile in the background.

The game begins with 3 reels and 4 rows. However, the reel increases when at least 3 matching symbols land from the leftmost reel onwards. The initial additional reel carries a x2 win multiplier that goes up by 1 for every successive reel. This is this slot’s version of the Infinity Reels mechanism, although reels can go only up to as high as 50.

If your spin results in at least five of a kind from the leftmost reel onwards, you score a win. The wild performs its usual duty of substituting for other symbols except for the scatter and the expanding symbols.

Aside from the Infinity Reel, the free spin feature increases your chances of winning big. The gold book scatters activate this bonus round, giving you 10 free spins. An expanding symbol is chosen at random at the beginning of the bonus round. When a book or the special symbol lands at the rightmost reel, an additional reel gets added. Like other “book of” slots, when the expanding symbols land on at least two reels, they expand and cover all positions.

Number of Paylines: N/A	RTP: 96.50%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 50
Max Payout: 250,000 Cap	Software Provider: SG Digital

Tomb of Akhenaten

Deserving of a spot in our selection of brilliant new slots this week is Nolimit City’s follow-up to Tomb of Nefertiti. This time around, it’s the famous queen’s partner Akhenaten gracing the game. Tomb of Akhenaten is a slot with a 5×3 game area flanked by two gigantic leaning pillars. Adding drama to the game is its background music that changes tempo to match the game’s highs and lows.

Every time you hit a win, you trigger the Sticky Win Spins feature. Win ways go up to 1,024 on the initial respin, as it also comes with an extra row added to the grid. If the spin leads to another win, then another row gets added, further increasing the win ways to 3,125.

There are two kinds of wilds to help you bag wins. One is the regular wild and the other is the Pyramid wild. Pyramid wilds can appear on the third respin turning all symbols above them into wild. A regular wild symbol on top of a Pyramid will turn into a double wild. Once the third respin is over, everything goes back to normal.

At least 3 scatters give 8 free spins activating the free spin feature, the Akhenaten Spins. Any excess scatters award 2 free spins each. Akhenaten Spins feature carries a win multiplier that starts at x1, going up by 1 after each Sticky Win Spin. If a scatter lands during the round, you’ll get an additional 1 free spin

If you can’t wait for the scatters to play the bonus round, you can buy your way in, and you have these two options:

65x the bet for 8 free spins
105x the bet for 12 free spins.

Number of Paylines: 243 up to 3125	RTP: 96.09%
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 26,261x	Software Provider: Nolimit City

Sylvan Spirits

Red Tiger takes you to a mystical forest on its latest slot, Sylvan Spirits. The 5×3 grid sits in a forest clearing, surrounded by floating rocks and a mystical-looking pool. Adding to the magical atmosphere are the enchanting music and trees with branches thick with leaves in the background.

To get a hit at one of its 1,024 win ways, you need at least 3 matching symbols from the leftmost reel onwards. The Mega Mystic Wild that’s 2×2 in size and can land anywhere guarantees a win when it appears. Any combination that is formed by the wild gets a multiplier and stored on top of the reels. If the similar symbol forms a win again, the stored multiplier comes into play increasing your winnings. Win multipliers can go up to x99 max.

At least 3 scatters in view activates the free spins feature. During the bonus round, you don’t need the Mega Mystic Wild to increase the multiplier of winning combinations. Multipliers of all winning symbols increase regardless if it’s a regular win or a wild win. To further spice things up, the bonus round also has a cascade feature. This removes all winning symbols from the grid and replaces them with new ones. For as long as there are winning combinations forming, the cascade will not stop.

Number of Paylines: 1,024	RTP: 95.77%
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 10
Max Payout: 7,656x	Software Provider: Red Tiger

Golden Osiris

Play’n GO serves the third of three Egyptian-themed slots in our selection of brilliant new slots this week. Golden Osiris has a 7×7 grid that displays crisp graphics and high-quality Egypt-related background images.

Its cluster-pay mechanism awards a win for a minimum vertically or horizontally-connected cluster of 5. Wins trigger the cascade feature removing all winning clusters from the grid and replacing them with new symbols. The cascade will continue until no new winning clusters form.

Interestingly, the wilds don’t land like usual here. Up to six of them hide behind regular symbols. The wild remains in hiding until the symbol in front of it pops to reveal it. Wilds may carry multipliers of up to x10.

Another thing to look forward to is the Pyramid Charger feature which is active all throughout the game. To charge it fully, you’ll need at least 25 winning symbols. Once full and winning payments have been made, it picks one symbol at random. After this, all instances of the chosen symbol expands and turns its adjacent symbol to an identical one. The Pyramid Charger can be retriggered, applying a x3 symbol expansion multiplier on its initial retrigger.

Making the game more exciting is the free spins feature. Three Eye of Horus scatters gives 5 free spins. During free spins, the Pyramid Charger is full at every spin and chooses to expand only the premium symbols. Like the Pyramid Charger, free spins can also be retriggered.

Number of Paylines: Cluster Pays	RTP: 96.27%
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 12,000x	Software Provider: Play’n GO

Conclusion

We’re certain all those in our selection of brilliant new slots this week are worth playing. They can even become your personal favorite. This proves that game developers are not slacking off even with just a couple of weeks before the year ends.

This makes us wonder if they might be saving the best slot for last. If they are planning to end this year with a blast, we’ll sure be on the lookout for more brilliant new slots in the coming weeks. Until then, enjoy spinning!

Your Weekly Best New Slots | Week 50 / December 7 – 13, 2020

February 23, 2024 William Mcmaster

Delightful New Slots You Can Enjoy This Week | CompareCasino

CompareCasino bears witness to developers ensuring you have delightful new slots to enjoy every single week all year-round. Proof of that is the interesting new slots that caught our attention in the last stretch of the year.

Our first stop is a holiday-season-themed slot bringing generous max win potentials along with other features. If a Christmas-themed slot doesn’t appeal to you, no worries. You have four more choices in our selection of best new slots this week. Enjoy the usual free spin features together with cascade/avalanche and win multipliers among other things. There are even four Jackpots up for grabs in one of this week’s new slots.

So, sit back and allow us to present to you the details of each of these new slots. You can decide which one you like the most afterward.

5 New Slots To Check Out

Fantasma Games, Thunderkick, and Play’n GO all released delightful new slots you can enjoy playing this week. In addition, TrueLab Games with Yggdrasil and Triple Edge Studios with Microgaming also give you two of the best new slots this week. Let’s dig into what these developers have for us a few weeks before the year ends.

Christmas Tree

With Christmas around the corner, it’s no surprise that TrueLab and Yggdrasil chose a slot theme that matches the season. The Christmas tree not only serves as this slot’s title but also as host to its triangular-shaped grid.

Surrounded by in-season decorations, its grid of 6 rows uses the cluster-pay system. To score a win, you need at least five diagonally-connected matching symbols, which triggers the Cascade feature.

When the cascade ends, the Blizzard feature begins. During this feature, there are 3-9 mystery symbols dropping in random positions that transform into similar symbols. A snowman can also wake up to throw snowballs, turning into wild all symbols similar to the one it hit.

The cascades likewise serve as your ticket to other awesome features. If you trigger at least three consecutive cascades, you’ll receive any of these three presents:

Coin Win awards 5x to 1,000x your bet.
Total Win Multiplier awards 2x to 30x multiplier to your winnings.
5 Free Spins.

During the free spins, the snowman remains active. There is also a progressive win multiplier that starts at x1 and goes up by 1 after every cascade.

With its delightful features and engaging gameplay, this is one of those new slots you’ll surely enjoy playing this week.

Number of Paylines: Cluster Pays	RTP: 96.4%
Min Bet: 0.40	Max Bet: 40
Max Payout: 25,000x	Software Provider: TrueLab Games / Yggdrasil Gaming

Assassin Moon

Triple Edge Studios in partnership with Microgaming lets you in the intriguing life of agents in Assassin Moon. This espionage-themed slot gives you a luxurious view of a millionaire’s villa in the background of its 5×3 game area. This 25-payline slot has 8 pay symbols, and agent Luna serves as the wild which can land on all reels. This is a special kind of wild because it can appear stacked to cover an entire reel.

Helping you take home winnings are loads of features. Choose to use the Win Booster and get extra moon symbols which turn up the RTP to 96.33%. This also increases your chance of activating the HyperHold feature.

Three scatters on reels 2, 3, and 4 awards 10 free spins, activating the feature. The three middle reels form a Jumbo Block 3×3 in size, making it possible to win more free spins.

At least 6 moon symbols trigger the HyperHold feature awarding 3 spins at the beginning. This is where you’ll get a chance to win one of this slot’s four jackpots. The Mini, Minor, and Major jackpots award 50x, 150x, and 750x your bet, respectively. The Mega jackpot pays the highest at 5,000x your stake.

Number of Paylines: 25	RTP: 96.08%
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 20
Max Payout: 12,500x	Software Provider: Triple Edge Studios / Microgaming

Maze Escape Megaways

Fantasma Games once again made use of the Megaways mechanics in its latest release, the Maze Escape Megaways. Drawing inspiration from King Minos, this mythology-themed slot makes use of ruins as a background of the 6×7 game area. Some tiles are blocked at the beginning though, and you have to form winning combinations to remove the blockers.

Three or more adjacent matching symbols score a win. Base game spin starts with a golden frame highlighting one first-reel tile. A win occurring with the symbol in the tile triggers the Shifting Maze Avalanche. Save for the highlighted one, all other symbols are removed, and the reel then shifts to the left. Two blocked tiles also get uncovered.

Some of the blocked tiles contain special symbols which activate a modifier when the said tiles get uncovered. These modifiers are:

Guidance of Athena. Showers the reel with 1 to 4 special symbols.
Minotaur Wild. Turns an entire reel into a minotaur wild carrying a random x1 to x7 multiplier.

Collect 3 scatter symbols to get 10 Labyrinth Free Spins. During this round, every win not only triggers the Shifting Maze Avalanche but also comes with a multiplier that starts at x1. You’ll also see blocked tiles with the Wings of Icarus symbol. Unblock these tiles and win either 1-3 free spins or a x1 to x3 increase in the win multiplier.

It’s delightful that Fantasma finds new ways to make its Megaways slots unique and something you’ll enjoy each and every week.

Number of Paylines: up to 117,649 win ways	RTP: 96.15%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 40
Max Payout: 25,000x	Software Provider: Fantasma Games

Crystal Quest: Arcane Tower

This week, Thunderkick serves the second installment in its Crystal Quest series. This time, red-haired explorer Gemma searches a jungle named Arcane Tower to find some fortunes.

The game has an entertaining cartoony look, and the animation and sound effects add to the enjoyable gameplay. Some candles and trees and an old book surround the 6×4 game area with 4,096 ways to win. Except for the sorcerer, you need at least three matching symbols from the leftmost reel to the right to win. The sorcerer symbol pays at just two of a kind.

A win triggers the avalanche feature that continues to be in play as long as there are winning combinations forming. There is also a win multiplier starting at x1 that goes up a notch every time you trigger an avalanche. Something to look forward to at the start of a spin is the Linked Reels feature. It synchronizes up to 6 adjacent reels to become a replica of each other, increasing the chances of a win.

Things get more exciting when three scatter symbols land awarding 12 free spins. The bonus round carries a win multiplier that does not go back to x1 between spins. You’ll also benefit from the Wild Explosion feature, as all wilds explode when there are no matching symbols in view. This gets rid of the symbols and triggers an avalanche. Furthermore, two of the scatters in view give 3 extra free spins and additional 2 spins for each extra scatter. There are no limits on how many extra spins you can win, which is pretty awesome.

Number of Paylines: 4,096	RTP: 96.17%
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 15,000x	Software Provider: Thunderkick

Frozen Gems

Play’n GO’s timing couldn’t have been perfect, releasing an icy-themed slot during the cold winter months. All visual elements at Frozen Gems stay in theme. The thick frost on the background creeps its way to the golden 5-reel grid, freezing it in place.

Frozen Gems has a cascade feature that activates when you win. To score a win, you need at least three of a kind of any pay symbol landing from the leftmost reel to the right. In addition, there is a win multiplier starting at x1 that comes into play. This multiplier goes up by one after every cascade and continues to increase until the cascade comes to an end.

Winning combinations in a given sequence are also key to thawing the frosty topmost row which carries the following modifiers:

Wild turns into wild all symbols except for the scatter.
The x2 Splitting symbol divides into two all symbols save for the scatter.
The x3 Splitting symbol divides into three all symbols save for the scatter.

Completing the features is the free spin. Three scatters award 9 free spins and a stake win of x5 plus an additional 5 for every extra scatter. This is apart from the win multiplier in play. During the round, the win multiplier does not go back to x1 when the cascade ends. It carries over its value on the next win and will continue to go up as long as you trigger more cascades. Likewise having no limits is the extra +1 free spin awarded when scatter lands during the bonus round.

Number of Paylines: 243 to 8,748	RTP: 96.36%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 10,000x	Software Provider: Play’n GO

Conclusion

The industry’s software developers never fail to serve some delightful new slots we can explore and enjoy week after week. While developers keep the downpour of new slots steady, our team is busy selecting the best among the rest. So, be sure to visit our site for the selection of the best new slots every single week.

Your Weekly Best New Slots | Week 49 / November 30 – December 6, 2020

February 23, 2024 William Mcmaster

Outstanding New Slots To Play This Week

We found some outstanding new slots overflowing with features, and we’re sure you’ll love to play all of them this week.

The best new slots on our list this week will give your visual and auditory sense a treat, making gameplay immersive. One boasts of a Megaways engine while the other proudly brings the Megaclusters mechanism.

Each one carries a bunch of features that enhance gameplay. Avalanche mechanism, win multiplier, multiplier wilds, and expanding reels are just three of the most interesting features up for grabs.

Which among these outstanding new slots you’ll want most to play this week? We’ll help you decide by giving you a rundown of what’s in store for you in each one of them.

5 New Slots To Check Out

Behind the best new slots this week are developers Microgaming and All41 Studios, ELK Studios, Big Time Gaming, Yggdrasil, and iSoftBet. Let’s take a closer look at this week’s top 5 new slots.

Alchemy Fortunes

Visit the magical world of alchemy as Microgaming presents Alchemy Fortune from its partner All41 Studios. The 7×7 grid stands at the center of a stone chamber guarded on each side by two candles atop a stack of books. The gems and piles of coins around it and the captivating soundtrack complete the mystical feel.

In Alchemy Fortunes, 5 or more matching adjacent symbols are called Hypercluster. When Hypercluster forms, the Rolling Reels kick in, removing all winning clusters from the reels and dropping new symbols. The process continues until no new winning clusters form.

A meter attached at the side of the grid counts the number of winning symbols per sequence, unlocking levels 1-5.

20 symbols award the Potion Swap where all high-paying symbols on the reels turn into similar matching symbols.
40 symbols award the Summon Wilds where an additional 3 to 6 wilds appear on the reels in random positions.
60 symbols award the Gem Crush where all low-paying symbols get removed from the reels.
80 symbols award the Alchemy of Wilds where new wilds get added to all recorded previous wild positions.
100 symbols award 5 free spins.

During free spins, the Potion Swap and Summon Wilds come into play. The collection meters are also in play which can trigger another round of free spins. It may take a while to trigger the free spins, but there are other rewards you can enjoy along the way.

Number of Paylines: Cluster Pays	RTP: 96.41%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 1,100x/Spin	Software Provider: All41 Studios

Katmandu Gold

The fifth in ELK’s Gold series, Katmandu Gold follows the hero, Kane as he reaches the Himalayan Mountains’ foot.

Two pillars with Buddhist-inspired design keep the 6 reels upright on both sides. Adding to the entertainment factor is the game area zooming in and out as rows increase or decrease. At least three matching symbols from left to right scores a win.

What makes Katmandu Gold one of the outstanding new slots you should play this week is its multitude of features. These features are:

Avalanches. Gets rid of winning symbols to make way for new ones. An additional row also gets added, and up to 8 rows are possible.

Big Symbols. Symbols of 2×2, 2×3, or 4×4 in size landing on every spin.

Ice Climbers. Two Yin and Yang-looking Ice Climber symbols turn into wilds all symbols above them and any empty positions under. This feature triggering on the 8th row adds one more row expanding the win ways to 531,441.

Expanding Wins. Winning symbols containing a gold arrow pointing upwards, downwards or both ways expand in the arrow’s direction. All symbols in their path then get replaced.

Multiplier Free Drops. Bonus symbols of 3, 4, 5, or 6 in view award 10, 15, 20, or 25 drops. These come with a win multiplier starting at x1 that gets an additional +1 every time an X-marked bonus symbol lands.

Bonus Buy. Buy your way to the bonus round with 3 to 6 bonus symbols for 100x the bet. You can also opt for Super Buy with 3 to 6 bonus symbols and a win multiplier starting at x10 for 500x the bet.

Number of Paylines: 531,441	RTP: 96.2% to 96.4%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 10,000x	Software Provider: ELK Studios

Cyberslot Megaclusters

Big Time Gaming uses its Megaclusters mechanism for the second time in its new slot offering this week. The futuristic game area of Cyberslot Megacluster floats in front of a purplish pattern dropping neon-colored horizontal lines.

The paytable is made up of 7 symbols, and there are 3 wild symbols to help score a win. The regular wild can appear on any spin, but the other two only appear during features.

Working with the Megaclusters mechanism is the Reactions win system. On the base game, each winning symbol splits into 9 smaller symbols. The smaller symbols that become part of a winning cluster will be removed from the grid to make way for new ones. Watch out for the Golden Roaming Wild symbol as it carries a multiplier that starts at x1 and increases by +1 when it substitutes in a win.

At least 12 reactions in the base game award 6 free spins on a 9×9 grid, triggering the free spin feature. The Roaming Wild Multiplier’s current value carries over at the start of the free spin. When the multiplier reaches x10, you’ll get an additional 2 free spins retriggering the free spin feature. The Golden Roaming Wild joins the Rainbow Roaming Wild this time intensifying the winning potential. The multiplier of both wilds multiply wins together and as their multipliers grow so are your chances of hitting big wins.

Number of Paylines: 16 to 256 Megaclusters	RTP: 96.36%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 20
Max Payout: 23,960x	Software Provider: Big Time Gaming

Pirates 2: Mutiny

Yggdrasil’s follow-up to Pirates: Smugglers Paradise takes a spot in our selection of outstanding new slots to play this week. Pirates 2: Mutiny might have undergone a major makeover, but it still has the good points of its predecessor.

Two wrecked capsized ships frame the 5×5 game area with gloomy-looking clouds over an island not far behind. Just like the first version, this slot uses cluster pays instead of paylines. To win, you need at least 6 adjacent matching symbols.

Wins also trigger the Dropdown feature, which drops winning combinations at the reel’s bottom. This will also remove non-winning symbols to make way for a fresh batch. You can win not only the total amount of winning combinations but also win multipliers of up to 25x the bet.

The Free Spin feature can activate during the dropdown sequence if 3 scatters land in view. During this feature, all wins get a multiplier starting at x1 onwards.

This slot also comes with the following modifiers:

Mutiny. This awards a sure win when a huge 3×3 symbol lands at random revealing 9 similar symbols at once.
Tsunami. At least 6 potential winning symbols in view trigger a tsunami wave, sweeping all symbols save for the winning ones.
Cannon Blast. On a losing spin, a cannon blast can appear, blowing all low-paying symbols to trigger a new dropdown sequence.

Number of Paylines: Cluster Pays	RTP: 96.2%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 4,400x	Software Provider: Yggdrasil Gaming

Queen of Wonderland Megaways

Drawing inspiration from the bizarre world created by Lewis Carroll, iSoftBet released an addition to its Twisted Tales slot series. Queen of Wonderland Megaways brings you to a colorful, lively world of Wonderland.

A majestic soundtrack welcomes you to the Queen of Wonderland’s kingdom where the 6 reels sit in front of her garden. You can see her palace standing not far behind as you spin for up to 117,649 win ways. To score a win, you need at least three matching adjacent symbols from the leftmost reel onwards. This also triggers the Megaways cascade feature giving you multiple chances of scoring wins from a single spin.

This slot might be the last in our list of outstanding new slots to play this week, but it’s definitely not the least. It’s also rich in features, making it on equal footing with its competition.

During a paid spin, the Max Megaways modifier can force the reels to display the win ways to its maximum capacity. On the other hand, a Cheshire Cat representing the mystery symbol can land at random on any spin. Mystery symbols turn themselves into similar matching symbols that can result in a winning combination.

You can collect more wins during the Queen of Wonderland Respins. You can also buy a chance to spin a wheel at the Queen of Wonderland Bet. For 100x the bet, you can either win free spins or respins.

Number of Paylines: 117,649	RTP: 96.11%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 20
Max Payout: N/A	Software Provider: iSoftBet

Conclusion

Top developers’ latest slot offerings truly deserve a spot in our selection of best new slots this week. We’ll let you decide which is the most outstanding in our list of new slots as you try and play each of them this week. Meanwhile, we’ll be on the hunt again for great slots to feature next week. So, make sure you visit our site often to keep yourself updated on the best from the latest slot releases.

Your Weekly Best New Slots | Week 48 / November 22 – 28, 2020

February 23, 2024 William Mcmaster

Remarkable New Slots To Enjoy This Week

Given the number of slots released every day, finding the most remarkable new slots that you’ll enjoy each week can be difficult. That’s why our team here at CompareCasino presents to you the best new slots every week. Like in the previous weeks, this week’s selection won’t disappoint.

The hit Divine Fortune slot comes back with the same features players love but now sporting a Megaways engine with 117,649 win ways. Christmas Carol Megaways also boasts of a Megaways engine but with an enormous 200,704 win ways and max wins of 20,000x your bet.

Following not only the Christmas theme but also the 20,000x maximum payout is A Tale of Elves boasting a Random Cash Prize feature. Santas helpers also graced Carol of the Elves guarding a rather unusual reel that rewards win multipliers and extra lives.

We find each one of these remarkable new slots interesting and something we think you’ll enjoy playing this week. So, we give you a rundown of each to help you decide which ones you like best.

4 New Slots To Check Out

Our selection of the best new slots this week comes from developers NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Microgaming, Red Tiger, and Yggdrasil. Let’s find out which of these remarkable new slots will you enjoy most playing this week.

Divine Fortune Megaways™

Tagging with NetEnt’s acquisition of Red Tiger is Big Time Gaming’s Megaways license. This month, the software giant put that license to use and give two of its hit slots a makeover. Following Twin Spin, Divine Fortune now also returns sporting the Megaways engine.

This Mythology-themed slot says hello with the same elegant design and the Pegasus as its main star. Instead of the previous 5×3 reels, it has the Megaways slot’s 6-reel engine with 117,649 ways to win.

The 10 to A low-paying royals and 4 premium symbols can land on 2 to 7 rows. Three matching symbols score a win except for Medusa which only requires two. Landing on any reels to replace any symbol is the Pegasus wild, while a hand gripping a thunderbolt represents the scatter.

After all wild wins are paid, the Falling Wild Respin activates. The Falling Wild goes one position down with every spin, awarding respin until it exits the reel. An ordinary wild landing on a Falling Wild triggers the Wild on Wild feature and Pegasus stacks up covering the reel. This stacked wild also drops one position with every spin.

If 4, 5, or 6 scatters land, you’ll receive 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. You’ll get an additional 5 spins for every extra scatter. During the round, any wild that lands trigger the Wild on Wild feature. Watch out for bronze, silver, and gold coins because they are Bonus Win symbols. Collecting five similar bronze, silver, or gold coins pays 10, 25, or 500 times your stake, respectively. You can also win as many bonuses as possible during the round increasing your chances of bagging big payouts.

Number of Paylines: 117,649 win ways	RTP: 96.09%
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: N/A	Software Provider: NetEnt

Christmas Carol Megaways™

Pragmatic Play sprinkles some spooky feel to the cheerful air of Christmas in its newest slot release this week. Christmas Carol Megaways lets you relive the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist in Charles Dickens’ tale where this slot was named after.

The gigantic grid with 6 reels and 7 rows plus a horizontal 1×4 reel on top almost fills up the entire space. Because of the extra reel, a whopping 200,704 ways to win become possible. Gracing the game area are the 10 to A royals and some characters from the famous Christmas tale. Not forgetting the main man, Scrooge is this slot’s wild, and his pocket watch serves as the scatter.

Four scatters activate the Free Spin Feature where you have to choose between four options before starting.

15 free spins with a starting multiplier of x1.
10 free spins with a starting multiplier of x5.
5 free spins with a starting multiplier of x10.
Random 5 to 15 free spins with a starting multiplier of x1 to x10.

The scatters continue to be in play during the round and award more free spins. There is also a progressive win multiplier in the free spin round which increases the multiplier by +1 after each winning cascade.

Aside from the Free Spin Feature, we also love the Ante Bets function that increases the stake to 25%. Though the symbol values do not increase, you’ll receive additional scatters increasing your chance to trigger the free spin round. With an increasing multiplier in the bonus game, you’ll have bigger chances of winning the max payout of 20,000 times your bet.

Number of Paylines: 200,704 win ways	RTP: 96.48%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 20,000x	Software Provider: Pragmatic Play

A Tale of Elves

Deserving of a spot in our selection of remarkable new slots that we sure you’ll enjoy this week is A Tale of Elves. In this latest release of software giant Microgaming, Santa and his adorable helpers will give you a chance for a merrier Christmas.

First things first, let the elves accompany you in a snow-filled forest as you play on this slot’s base game. Christmas lights adorned the wooden 5×3 game area with 243 paylines. Together with 4 premium elves in differently-colored suits, the low-paying J to A royals make up the paytable. Joining the Christmas-themed symbol is the wreath wild, which can land on any reels to form winning combinations.

Two Santa scatters trigger the Random Cash Prize feature where you can win cash up to 50x your bet. When 3, 4, or 5 Santa scatters land, you’ll win 1x, 20x, or 200x your stake, respectively. Aside from that, the jolly old man will take you to the elves’ workshop for the free spin round. You’ll need to choose from 4 options to play the bonus round.

Six-symbol high blue elf with 18 free spins and x2 win multiplier.
Five-symbol high green elf with 14 free spins and x3 win multiplier.
Four-symbol high orange elf with 10 free spins and x4 win multiplier.
Three-symbol high yellow elf with 8 free spins and x5 win multiplier.

During free spins, the Random Cash Prize feature remains in play. The best part is that the free spin feature can be retriggered. So, you’ll have more chances to take home big wins besides the cash that the Random Cash Prize feature brings.

Number of Paylines: 243	RTP: 95.07%
Min Bet: 0.30	Max Bet: 12
Max Payout: 20,000x	Software Provider: Microgaming

Carol of the Elves

This week, Yggdrasil Gaming serves a Christmas-themed slot with a good old nostalgic feel. The look of Carol of the Elves plus its sweet soundtrack fits perfectly. Its 5×5 antique-looking game area sits in a living room surrounded by Christmas decorations and lots of gifts. Grandpa elf and his granddaughter sit high guarding the reels on both sides.

This slot has a unique configuration because the reels start at a 1-3-5-3-1 pattern, and blocked tiles cover the rest. There are 45 ways to win initially that go up to 3,125 when the 5×5 grid is in full view. The 9 to A royals comprise the low side of the paytable, and Christmas-related symbols make up the premiums. To win, you need 3 adjacent matching symbols starting from the first reel.

Your only goal is to form matching symbols consecutively to open up the reels. Every time you score a win, each winning symbol spits out a snowflake that flies to a blocked tile, destroying it. The board opens up a bit, and you’ll have one respin. If the respin results in a win, the process continues.

If the entire reel opens up, you’ll get a starting win multiplier of x2 and an extra life which is a respin. Winning symbols on full reels spit blue and red snowflakes.

Five blue snowflakes award a +1 multiplier.
Five red snowflakes award an extra life.

The sequence will continue until no new winning respin occurs and all extra lives are spent. The grid will then come back to the 1-3-5-3-1 pattern. We don’t know about you, but we find this setup rather entertaining and remarkable indeed.

Number of Paylines: 3,125	RTP: 96.2%
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 150
Max Payout: 5,800x	Software Provider: Yggdrasil Gaming

Conclusion

All of the above remarkable new slots are excellent, and we hope you find one or two that you’ll get to enjoy this week. Software developers work hard to come up with top-caliber slots, and they still have a lot to offer this last quarter of the year. So, watch out for our best new slot reviews where we feature only the best among the week’s new slot releases.