From humble beginnings, the slot machine has soared to new heights in recent years. The advent of online gaming has cemented online slots as one of the top casino games in the world. Starting out as three-reeled physical games, slots are now available in many varied forms.
Not only have slots increased the size of their grid, typically offering five reels, but there are more paylines, different symbols, and more. And, slot providers have included an array of exciting in-game bonus features all designed to elevate slots for those who enjoy them. These days, new features are being added all the time, and these can really impact winning chances when spinning the reels.
Cascading reels
Also referred to as the tumbling, rolling or avalanche reels, this is a mechanic increasingly found in online slots. Depending on which provider the game comes from, the name of the feature may differ. But the basic function remains the same.
Essentially, when a winning combination lands on the reels, all the winning icons disappear. This leaves gaps in the grid. Subsequently, the remaining symbols fall down to fill those gaps allowing new symbols to fall from above to complete the grip and populate it with symbols. This can result in new wins being formed.
The process continues if new wins are formed. In fact, it carries on until no new wins are landed. Originally pioneered in NetEnt’s Gonzo’s Quest, this feature has since appeared in multiple slots. The fact that more wins can be earned, essentially for free, has earned this a positive top spot when it comes to the best in-game slot features.
Expanding symbols
Typically symbols on slot grids remain in place and do not move or change size. Not so with the emerging expanding symbols feature. When specific symbols land in a slot, they can expand to cover the entire vertical reel. This means that more wins can be had, with more symbols matching up.
Originally this was featured in NetEnt’s simple, yet popular Starburst game. Here, it was the wild that could expand, resulting in a whole reel of wilds. Expanding wilds mean that there was a wild reel giving players the chance to score more wins. Nowadays, there are many other slots offering expanding symbols, such as Legacy of Dead, including expanding scatters that offer free spins.
Megaways mechanic
One of the biggest, most important slot innovations in recent years comes from the relatively unknown, Big Time Gaming. This developer created the option for slots to have a dynamic number of paylines. Previously, slots had fixed paylines ranging from one payline to a few hundred.
With Megaways reels, slots can have up to 117,649 ways to win. This means that each spin can have different paylines for a more exciting game experience. Additionally, with more paylines in play, the chances of having a winning spin are significantly increased. It also means bigger wins are possible too. Multiple providers have since used the megaways mechanic, and you can find some of the top options here on FruitySlots.com.
Bonus Buy
Across the board, access to bonus or in-game features on slots occurs when players land specific numbers or combinations of symbols. This can take time to achieve, if it happens at all. As such, some providers added a Bonus Buy option to their slots.
For a small price, players can skip over the necessity of waiting to trigger a bonus, paying for it with the Bonus Buy feature for immediate gratification. It’s typically priced at a multiple of their current stake, often 50 or 100x.
With more game innovations in recent years, it’s time to keep an eye out to see what’s coming next.
