PRAGMATIC PLAY
Crystals form when molecules come together to create structured patterns, a process known as crystallization. Sometimes this happens relatively quickly, while other times it takes much longer. If we were to liken "Crystal Cavern Megaways" to a real crystal, it feels like Pragmatic Play opted for the faster route to create it. There are a couple of reasons for this feeling.
Firstly, when you look at it visually and thematically, "Crystal Cavern Megaways" seems quite similar to "Frozen Gems" by Play'n GO. Secondly, the game features a bunch of common elements typical of Megaways games: things like tumbling reels, expanding wild symbols, increasing multipliers, free spins, and even the option to buy features.
Now, let's set the scene: "Crystal Cavern Megaways" takes place in an underground cavern filled with glowing blue crystals jutting out from the walls in various directions. It's the kind of place that must be absolutely breathtaking to stumble upon in real life. Just imagine the excitement of discovering such a magical spot, filled with crystals never seen before. It makes you wonder what other hidden wonders might be waiting underground for adventurous explorers to find.
Let's break down "Crystal Cavern Megaways". The game panel consists of 6 main reels, each capable of holding between 6 or 7 symbols, alongside a horizontal bonus reel with 4 positions situated on top. The number of paylines varies depending on the symbols on each reel, reaching a maximum of 117,649. Pragmatic Play maintains their usual standards, ensuring smooth gameplay and fair stats, particularly if you're using the default 96.46% RTP setting for Crystal Caverns Megaways. The maximum win has been increased compared to their recent releases, and the game's volatility is set high to match.
To score a win, identical symbols must land from left to right in adjacent reels starting from the leftmost reel. There are nine symbols in total: the familiar J-A royals followed by clusters of pink, green, purple, blue, and red crystals, which are the high-paying symbols. If you manage to land 6 premium symbols on a payline, you'll receive a reward ranging from 1.5 to 25 times the stake. The golden-green wild symbol appears on reels 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 and can substitute for any symbol except the scatter.
Pragmatic Play has kept the surprises relatively low-key with Crystal Cavern Megaways when it comes to features, offering players a mix of familiar mechanics including tumbles, expanding wilds, increasing multipliers, free spins, and the possibility of a bonus buy option.
After a winning combination, the tumble feature kicks in, removing the symbols involved in the win from the reels. New symbols then fall into the vacant spaces, potentially creating new winning combinations. This process repeats until no new wins occur.
Whenever a wild symbol appears in the base or bonus game, it expands to cover the entire reel, except for the top row. The number of expanded wilds matches the number of symbols the reel originally held.
Both in the base and bonus games, the win multiplier goes up by +1 after each tumble. Once all tumbles finish in the base game, the multiplier resets to x1.
To activate the bonus game, you'll need to land 4, 5, or 6 scatter symbols, which grant 12, 16, or 20 free spins along with a payout of 5x, 10x, or 100x the bet, respectively. During free spins, the win multiplier doesn't reset until the round ends. Expanding wilds remain active, and you'll earn an extra 5 free spins when you have 3 or more scatter symbols on the screen.
With free spins occurring relatively infrequently (around 1 in 420 spins), players eager to jump into the action can opt to instantly trigger the feature by paying 80 times their stake.
Aspect | Crystal Caverns Megaways (Pragmatic Play) | Elden Ring |
---|---|---|
Theme | Pirate-themed slot with a grotto-style setting | Dark fantasy open-world with mythical creatures |
Gameplay Grid | 5x3 setup with underwater frozen pond visuals | Standard paylines with 5 reels and 3 rows |
Betting Range | $0.10 minimum to $250 maximum | Varies based on the casino |
Bonus Features | Tumble feature with increasing multipliers, expanding wilds, free spins, and a bonus buy option | Dynamic combat, magic, and exploration |
Top Prize | Up to €525,000.00 | N/A (Elden Ring is not a slot game) |
Graphics | Festive and cozy | Dark and atmospheric |
Audience | Fans of Megaways slots | Action RPG enthusiasts |
Prepare to be dazzled! Crystal Caverns Megaways immerses you in a world of precious gems and glittering crystals. The backdrop features an underground cavern adorned with stalactites, shimmering rocks, and hidden treasures. The symbols on the reels include rubies, diamonds, and other gemstones, all beautifully rendered to evoke the allure of hidden riches.
Megaways Mechanic: The game uses the popular Megaways system, offering up to 200,704 ways to win. The number of symbols on each reel varies with every spin, creating dynamic gameplay.
Cascading Wins and Progressive Multiplier: After a winning combination, the winning symbols disappear, making way for new ones. The Progressive Multiplier increases with each cascade, potentially leading to substantial wins.
Expanding Wild Symbol: When the Wild lands, it expands to cover the entire reel, enhancing your chances of forming winning clusters.
Crystal Caverns Megaways is fully optimized for mobile play. Whether you’re on Android or iOS, the game runs seamlessly, allowing you to hunt for gems on the go.
Pragmatic Play has been churning out games at a rapid pace lately, suggesting a strategy aimed at dominating the market through sheer volume. While there's nothing inherently wrong with being productive, it's a tad disappointing when they release games like Crystal Cavern Megaways, which fail to bring anything fresh or intriguing to the table in terms of theme or gameplay. It's not that the game is terrible, but with its familiar appearance and standard set of features, Crystal Cavern Megaways feels like a hasty assembly of elements that have already been explored.
The first glaringly obvious move is the striking resemblance to Frozen Gems. Both games share a wintry theme, featuring crystals, gems, snow, distinct color schemes, and intricate patterns framing each symbol. If you put the two side by side and squint, it's hard to distinguish between them. As for the features, they're a bit harder to criticize since the combination of tumbling reels, progressive multipliers, and free spins can make for an engaging Megaways experience. Crystal Cavern Megaways even adds to the mix by including a progressive multiplier in the base game, a feature not commonly seen. However, when paired with such an unoriginal theme and presentation, even these solid features start to feel uninspired. The game does pick up steam as you play, with the potential for wins as high as 10,000 times the bet. At least Pragmatic Play has upped the maximum win limit from the 5,000 times seen in their recent Megaways titles.
In summary, Crystal Cavern Megaways functions adequately, looks decent, and comes with the typical Pragmatic Play stats you'd expect. There's no denying that Pragmatic Play has a talented design team, but it's a shame to see them invest their time in producing slots as lackluster as this one.