5 Mechanics Commonly Used in Online Slots
Over the years, the iGaming industry has evolved from an experiment into the vast, multi-billion-pound industry seen today. Led by innovation and technological advances, the industry has undergone a monumental shift, moving beyond physical casinos and becoming the primary way individuals play casino games. The first online casino launched was extremely simple, with limited UI options, slow slot connectivity and transactions, and, most of all, a lack of individuality in the games. The two main games offered by online casinos in the late 1900s were Blackjack and Roulette, both popular in brick-and-mortar casinos. Over the years, as technology advanced, the iGaming industry has expanded, introducing online slots, Boyle Live Casino games, and other games that are available today. Over the years, game developers have introduced interesting game mechanics into slot games, which have contributed to their notable growth. Some innovations have been so successful that the mechanics have become a genre in their own right, with the likes of Megaways slots, and others that we will come to in this write-up.
Megaways
Before the introduction of the Megaways mechanic, online slots were basic and lacked identity, with all slots utilising fixed paylines. The introduction of the Megaways mechanic impacted the industry massively, enabling dynamic play grids with unique numbers of paylines per spin. The Megaways mechanic was introduced by Big Time Gaming with the Bonanza slot, released to screens in 2016. The gameplay would take place across a 6-reel playgrid, with each reel featuring 2-7 symbols and a maximum payline count of 117,649. Shortly after the release, the Megaways mechanic became widely utilised, with Big Time Gaming and fellow slot development studios releasing more titles featuring it. The mechanics in this Bonanza slot release became the industry standard, with many alternative titles featuring the same maximum payline count.
Cascading Reels
Cascading Reels is a common feature in many online slots in the modern iGaming industry, and especially in Megaways releases. The mechanic is unique, bringing something new to the iGaming industry that has distinct gameplay never seen before. The cascading Reels mechanic, or Avalanche, involves identical symbols from matched combinations being removed from the reels and replaced by new ones from above. The first slot release to implement this game mechanic was Gonzo’s Quest, which marked a notable milestone in the iGaming industry. The Megaways mechanic is unique, as it allows players to potentially trigger multiple matching combinations on a single spin.
Cluster Pays
Similar to the introduction of the Megaways mechanic, the Cluster Pays mechanic changed the iGaming industry forever. Before the mechanic was debuted to the iGaming industry, all slot releases, Megaways or not, featured a payline count. Across these paylines, players could land base game prizes by landing identical symbols in adjacent reels. Until the creation of the Aloha slot game, released in 2016 by NetEnt, these traditional paylines would be the industry standard. The Cluster Pays mechanic replaced paylines with clusters of identical symbols connected horizontally or vertically to land base game prizes. The Aloha slot, and many copies following, takes place on a 6×5 play grid and requires players to land clusters of 9 or more identical symbols. Following the first release, including the mechanic, many developers have placed their own spins on it, expanding or shortening the playgrid’s size while still operating in the same way.
Cash Collect
The introduction of the Cash Collect mechanic changed the gameplay of online slots, directly influencing the way prizes could be triggered. The Cash Collect is one of the significant innovations in the history of the iGaming industry, and has been used in over 1,000 slot games since its debut. The first title to implement the Cash Collect mechanic was the Sahara Riches: Cash Collect slot game, an instalment of the already popular slot game. The Cash Collect mechanic includes Coin symbols landing on the reels and a Collect symbol, which, if landed simultaneously, collects the values of the Coin symbols. Developers have implemented this mechanic in unique ways, altering the Coin symbol’s values, requiring the Collect to land on a specific reel, or even allowing it to collect Bonus symbols.
Free Spins
Over the years, many slots have implemented a Free Spins feature, often providing additional gameplay features on top of the base spins. The Free Spins mechanic emerged as the industry shifted from traditional slots to their online variants. The first slot game to implement a Free Spins feature in the gameplay was the Cash Splash slot game, released by Microgaming in 1998. In this slot game, players could trigger the Free Spins feature by landing three or more Scatter symbols on the reels in the same spin. Following this classic release, many developers implemented the Free Spins feature, and fast-forward to today’s iGaming industry, and it is one of the most used mechanics in slots.
Responsible Gaming
When playing online slot games, it is important to ensure gameplay remains safe and fun at all times.
