Gonzos Quest Megaways review
Theme and Storyline
Gonzo’s Quest is a classic slot in
which Gonzo, a conquistador, must hunt through Inca treasures with the player. Here,
that classic is given the Megaways overhaul.
The theme remains mostly the same with
Gonzo in the bottom left encouraging the player or sympathising with their
disappointment. The setting is similar with the wall of Aztec art making up the reels
and the deep, impenetrable jungle surrounding both the reels and Gonzo.
Whether Gonzo
gets out of that jungle with anything to show for it is down to the trio of Lady Luck,
the Amazon jungle, and the player.
High chance of a big win if player reaches the top
multiplier
Graphics, Sounds and Animations
The Gonzo’s Quest slot was a pretty one even
before the makeover to work with the Megaways system. The slot’s visuals shine, with
the 3D rendering of Gonzo and his environs jumping out of the screen. The reels are a
wall of Aztec symbols carved in stone, a fact which is beautifully emphasised by the
sound effects.
The music is a tribal set of percussion sounds, along with some ambient
jungle sounds to give things some atmosphere.
Everything is neatly animated. Nothing
too flashy, but all solid and detailed with a good sense of timing and weight. Gonzo
himself is fully animated, but as he’s small and kept to one side, he isn’t too
distracting.
Gameplay
Gonzo’s Quest Megaways uses the Megaways system for its reels.
This is an any way wins system that randomises the number of symbols per reel.
"Any way
wins" means that winning combinations are formed by matching symbols anywhere on
consecutive reels starting from the leftmost reel. The randomised symbols means each
reel can have between two and seven symbols, making for up to 117,649 ways to win.
A
cascade system removes winning symbols. New symbols then drop down from above, and any
new wins are calculated. Each cascade increases the multiplier. The multiplier then
resets when the spin ends.
Gameplay video
Wilds, Bonuses and Free Spins
The Wild symbol
substitutes for all symbols including the Free Spin symbol. Additionally, Wilds do not
get removed during the destruction phase of the cascade.
The Free Spin symbols, unlike
many slots, are not Scatters. The player must land three or more in the same manner as
a regular symbol to trigger the free spins.
The free spin bonus starts at 9 free spins
for three Free Spin symbols. The player is awarded an additional +3 spins for each Free
Spin symbol over three. During the free spins, the cascade multipliers increase. The
first win has a multiplier of x3 applied to it. Subsequent cascades get x6, x9, x15
with all cascades after that getting the x15 multiplier applied.
A bonus feature that
destroys all low paying symbols in the current spin
Bet Sizes, RTP and Variance
The
return to player of this game is 95.77%, a little below our yardstick for average of
roughly 96%.
The range of bets on the site we tested ran from a minimum bet per spin
ofR$/£/€0.20 up to a maximum ofR$/£/€4.00 per spin.
The volatility of this game is at
the high end of medium, which would make it a reasonable match for our preferred slot
machine strategies if the RTP were a bit more impressive. Our slot strategies target
the highest possible volatility and RTP.
Full paytable for Gonzo's Quest Megaways slot
machine
Conclusion
The RTP is a little low. Though the volatility is a lot closer to
what we would want, together they just don’t work all that well with our preferred
strategies.
However, in most other ways, this is a top notch slot and the popularity of
the Gonzo’s Quest franchise is unsurprising. The graphics are excellent, the
world-building is on point, and Gonzo himself is a fun little cartoon avatar for the
player to relate to.
The bonuses aren’t mind-blowing, but they provide nice variety and
the cascade system keeps the pacing of gameplay engaging.
If you aren’t too worried
about the vig, this is a solid slot.
