GONZO'S QUEST MEGAWAYS SLOT MACHINE
One of the most successful slots from NetEnt has to be Gonzo's Quest, based on the 16th-century Spanish explorer searching for the lost Golden City of El Dorado. The original Gonzo's Quest was released in 2010, and clearly, the developer felt that it was ready for an upgrade. Gonzo's Quest Megaways is a 6-reels and up to 117,649 ways to win slot with a maximum payout of up to 20,000x your bet!
KEY FEATURES
<li>Story is based on one of NetEnt's most popular slots</li>
<li>High volatility, with a 20,000x jackpot and an RTP of 95.77%</li>
<li>Highlights include Megaways<sup>TM</sup>, Avalanche<sup>TM</sup> with multiplier, Earthquake, Unbreakable Wilds and Free Falls</li>
<li>Theme of Spanish Conquistador's search for lost Gold City</li>
GONZO'S QUEST MEGAWAYS SYMBOLS AND BONUS FEATURES
Gonzo's Quest Megaways, in one way, is not that much different from the original. The 3-D artwork remains mostly untouched. The animated Conquistador is still there, standing in the same position as the original. It's hard to believe that although the original soundtrack was quite impressive, Gonzo's Quest Megaways is even better with the addition of native music.
The slot has 9 regular symbols divided into 5 top-paying painted stone Incan God faces and 4 bottom-paying painted stone-carved beasts.
Of course, the most significant change is the addition of the MegawaysTM mechanic under licence from BTG, found in many newer online slots. Here, the number of symbols on each reel is randomly determined and can range from 2 to 7. This means that the number of ways to win can vary from 64 up to 117,649.
The slot does away with spinning reels in favour of falling symbols. When symbols are involved in a winning payline, they break and disappear, starting a symbol AvalancheTM. Symbols above the empty spaces then fall into place for a chance of creating new wins and avalanches. Each avalanche in the main game applies a win multiplier of 2x, 3x and then 5x on the first, second and third or more consecutive avalanches.
It seems that NetEnt was really inspired when they added the Earthquake Feature. This is randomly triggered, shaking off and destroying all low-paying symbols and replacing them with high-paying symbols for a re-spin.
Unlike other symbols, the wilds don't break when involved in a win, but they are limited to no more than 2 on the playing area at the same time. The first will land on reels 1-3, and the second wild can land on reels 4-6. Wilds can substitute for Free Fall symbols and paying symbols.
One of the potentially most lucrative features is the Free Fall triggered by 3 Free Fall symbols on a win away or one with at least 2 Free Falls symbols with a wild symbol. Each cascade in Free Fall applies a win multiplier 3x, 6x, 9x, then 15x on the first, second, third and fourth or more consecutive cascades.
RTP OF GONZO'S QUEST MEGAWAYS
Gonzo's Quest Megaways has high volatility and an RTP of 95.77%. The lower RTP and increased volatility may make this slot better suited for players comfortable with higher risk.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Once again, Gonzo has landed on the Peruvian shoreline for NetEnt in search of gold. Gonzo's Quest Megaways is bigger than the original, with bigger payouts and more features, including the Unbreakable Wilds and Earthquake. The volatility has also increased from medium-high to high, reflecting the much higher payout potential.
Whether Gonzo's Quest Megaways can replace the original is anyone's guess. After all, the original started it all and has taken on a legendary status! Still, players ready to relive the adventure might want to give this a look.
