Bonanza Megaways

Everyone's familiar with Bonanza by now, but let's reminisce about our first encounter with it. It was during the early days of our casino streaming era when the Megaways phenomenon burst onto the scene. Before that, our streams were dominated by high variance offerings from NetEnt, Thunderkick, WMS, Play'n GO, and Microgaming. Although a few 1024 win ways slots had emerged, Microgaming's 243-liners were the go-to for that fix, until they were replaced by the Megaways engine.

Initially, Bonanza made a quiet entrance onto the digital shelves. However, over time (not a very long time, mind you), it gradually gained recognition from the casino streaming community, quickly becoming the game of choice. It was unlike anything seen before - from its quirky music and unique reel layout to its unprecedented number of win ways and unmatched potential. Chasing the "D" (as in G.O.L.D.) became one of the first memes in online slot history.

So, what's the game all about? Bonanza is a 6-reel slot with a gold mine theme, although it wasn't the first Megaways creation, it became most closely associated with the Megaways concept. It introduced new features like cascading reels, extra horizontal reels to aid in forming winning combinations, an increasing win multiplier, and an astounding number of paylines - up to 117,649 of them. Still immensely popular, this high variance slot can be played from 0.20 to €/$20 per spin on all devices and is available at most SG Digital/Microgaming casinos.

Set against the backdrop of a bustling gold mine, Bonanza follows a gold rush narrative. You'll spot hills, waterfalls, and the iconic little hut also seen in Lil' Devil. The first six symbols are colored playing cards - aqua 9, yellow 10, green J, blue Q, red K, and purple A. Higher-paying symbols include five colored gemstones: emerald, sapphire, ruby, and amethyst. The amethyst can multiply your stake by up to 50 times for a six-of-a-kind combination.

But Bonanza isn't just about looks. The game is packed with thrilling features. Carts filled with symbols appear on a Horizontal Reel above reels 2-5, adding an extra symbol to those reels for more winning potential on each spin. These carts are also where you'll find wild symbols. The Reaction feature kicks in whenever you form a winning combination, causing winning symbols to disappear and be replaced by new ones, potentially leading to multiple wins from a single spin.

And there's more! Spell out the word G O L D in the base game, and you'll trigger 12 Free Spins (each extra scatter beyond that adds an additional 5+ spins). During Free Spins, landing 3 scatter symbols adds another 5+ spins, with an Unlimited Win Multiplier in play that increases with every Reaction.

Bonanza has left an indelible mark, popularizing the Megaways concept and catapulting Big Time Gaming to the top ranks of the industry. Its influence has been compared to that of Starburst, but we'd argue it's even greater. With countless Bonanza variations now available, produced by various Megaways licensees like Blueprint Gaming and Red Tiger, there's no denying its status as one of the best online slots ever made. If you haven't played it yet, it should be at the top of your list as a slot player.

• Title: Bonanza
• Developer: Big Time Gaming
• Reels: 6
• Rows: 2-7
• Paylines: 117,649
• RTP: 96.0%
• Hit Freq: N/A
• Max Win: 12,000x
• Volatility: High
• Min/Max Bet: 0.20/20
• Release Date: Out Now