iSoftbet: Scrooge Megaways

Since Christmas season is here, let’s make the most of it by squeezing in some cash prizes from Mr. Scrooge! Scrooge Megaways is based on Charles Dickens’ novella “A Christmas Carol” which introduced the infamous Mr. Scrooge, a miserable man who hates Christmas. As different ghosts visit him from the past, present, and future, Scrooge’s heart slowly softens up to embrace happiness and drop his grumpiness.

This slot with a 6×2-7 setup from iSoftBet has medium-high volatility that is perfect for a wide range of players. It offers different features and an impressive visual but its RTP is a little low, not unless you opt for the Buy feature. Moreover, Scrooge Megaways doesn’t have Bonus Spins so if you are looking for Bonus Spins then this is not the game for you. Nonetheless, its remaining features might be worth checking out since it has a high maximum payout.

Scrooge Megaways slot design

Another video slot from iSoftBet that is built with the Megaways is Scrooge Megaways. This slot comes with a varied number of rows that are also designed to provide you with a varied number of ways to win.  Christmas-themed design is based on Charles Dickens’ famous novella with the title “A Christmas Carol”. This well-designed game is also part of iSoftBet’s Twisted Tale series where you can meet Ebenezer Scrooge as the main character here.

The game is set on a snow-covered street that shows houses with Victorian London architecture designs. As you spin the reels, there is also a festive soundtrack playing in the background to create a more exciting atmosphere. If you focus more, you will also hear the laughter and spoken words of Scrooge in the gameplay aside from the jingling bells. Its reels are made up of lower paying symbols that consist of 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A Royal symbols.

Meanwhile, its premium symbols consist of Christmas-related symbols like Turkey, Ball and Chain, Hat, and Ebenezer Scrooge himself who gives the biggest reward. There’s also a Wild symbol and different types of Scatter symbols with different colors. Aside from the standard blue Scatter, there are 3 ghosts: the green Past Scatter, blue Present Scatter, and red Future Scatter. Watch out for these ghosts that can appear on a certain feature only!

Scrooge Megaways features

Scrooge Megaways comes with different bonus features in an expanding grid that is divided into 6 reels and 3 to 7 rows. Each spin can give you a chance to trigger a random modifier as well as its attached perks. There are Cascading Wins, Respins, and 2 modifiers that can help you in Haunting Christmas. But that’s not all since Scrooge Megaways has more to offer as you spin more and trigger more features. So, stay tuned in as we explain its features in detail.

Wild Symbols

Before we jump into the major features of the game, let’s take a look at its Wild symbol first. This special symbol is shown as a beautifully decorated WILD logo that has a golden frame and red background. The Wild symbol can help you create more winning clusters by replacing other standard symbols except for another special symbol on the reels. Thus, the Wild can’t replace all Scatter symbols but you can expect it to land on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th reels.

Scatter Symbols

If most slot games have a single type of Scatter only, Scrooge Megaways has 4 types of Scatters symbols. After all, the more special symbols are there to hit the reels, the greater is your chances of winning by triggering other features. In this game, Scrooge Megaways has a standard Scatter which can land anywhere on the reels and trigger the Scrooge Cash Respins feature. Meanwhile, the Past Scatter, Present Scatter, and Future Scatter symbols can land only during the Scrooge Cash Respins feature only.

Cascading Reels

As a common feature of Megaways, Scrooge Megaways has Cascading Reels that are triggered each time a winning cluster is completed. Also known as the Cascading Wins, this feature blasts off all winning symbols that are part of the winning cluster. Once the winning symbols are cleared from the reels, new symbols fall down to occupy all empty positions. If a new winning cluster is made with the new symbols, the Cascade will continue until there is no longer a winning cluster around.

Scrooge Cash Respins

Another major feature in this game is the Scrooge Cash Respins that can be triggered by 5 or more standard Scatter symbols. As mentioned above, the Scatter symbols can land anywhere on the reels to trigger this Respin feature on a single spin. Once triggered, this feature will give you 3 Respins and keep your triggering Scatter symbols locked in their positions. In case a new Scatter symbol appears, it will remain locked in its position as well and reset the Respin chances to 3.

Aside from resetting the Respins, another cool thing about Scrooge Megaways’ Scatter is the fact that it comes with an attached Multiplier value. Once you used up all your Respins, the attached value on the Scatter symbols will be added and applied to your current winnings. But depending on the special Scatter you land during the Respins, its attached prize may vary from 10x, 25x, or 50x the stake. If you cover the entire reel with Scatter symbols, all symbols on the reel will be multiplied by the number of present Scatters.

Bonus Buy Feature

In other territories, there is also a Buy feature that players can opt for to buy their way into the Scrooge Cash Respins. Buying this bonus round comes with a cost that is worth 50x their total stake to get an instant Respin.

Haunting of Christmas

The final feature in Scrooge Megaways is Haunting of Christmas which can be triggered randomly on any spin sequence. Once triggered, the color of the screen will turn dark and a special animation will appear to announce one of the 2 modifiers. These are modifiers that can award you the following:

• Max Megaways = this guarantees the maximum number of Megaways that come with up to 117,679 pay lines
• Bonus Award = this adds extra Scatter symbols on the grid and boosts your chances of activating the Scrooge Cash Respins

The Bonus Award modifier can’t guarantee you the Scrooge Cash Respins feature but it can help you trigger it.

Scrooge Megaways RTP, betting and prizes

Scrooge Megaways comes with a Megaways mechanic that can give you a game experience with up to 117,649 Megaways. You can spin the reels by choosing between the betting options that range from a minimum of £0.20 up to £20 per spin. To adjust the bet you want, just click the coin icon then use the – or + button according to your preferred exact amount. Players may also opt for the Auto Spins function for a lightning mode or fast-paced game mode.

Creating a winning combination requires 3, 4, 5, or 6 matching symbols on the same spin that is paid from left to right. When it comes to the returns, Scrooge Megaways has a 95.98% which is lower than other slots with an average RTP. But for those who opt for the Bonus Buy feature, the RTP can boost up to 97% RTP. This is combined with the game’s hit frequency that is set at 32.3% and a level of volatility that is set at medium-high.

This means that players can expect to create a winning cluster on average every 3 spins with this hit frequency and volatility. Most importantly, the lucky players can win up to a maximum payout of 12,000x the stake. Looking closer at the paytable, Scrooge Megaways has lower-paying symbols like the Royals. These symbols pay 0.1x to 2x the stake for matching 3 to 6 symbols. On the other hand, its higher paying symbols like the Ball and Chain, and Scrooge pay 0.25x to 25x the stake.

The Wild and Scatter symbols don’t have individual values but they can help you boost your winnings throughout the game. There are also different types of Scatters that can give you different amounts of rewards.

Conclusion

iSoftBet did a good job of re-telling the classic story of Dickensian in this Megaways slot. The combined visual and sound effects in Scrooge Megaways are nicely done starting from the basic round up to the bonus round. The overall gameplay of Scrooge Megaways didn’t reach the heights of other Megaways slots out there. However, iSoftBet made sure that there are features that trigger decent actions, especially while the Cascading Reels and Scrooge Cash respins are active. 

There are more ways to win from the base game and to trigger the features with its Megaways mechanic. Players can even take advantage of its attached Multipliers on the Scatter symbols. Aside from the RTP which is a little lower, it is a little disappointing that Scrooge Megaways doesn’t include Bonus Spins. But if you can live without Bonus Spins then this game might suit your taste where you can still enjoy Respins and Multipliers.