THE RACE

The Race Megaways online slot produced by Big Time Gaming comes with a default 96.27% RTP and a 6-reel, 2 to 7-row playing area featuring up to 117,649 winning ways.

We already heard the seatbelt click and the engines roar in the cacophony of excited crowds anticipating a high-octane action. How perplexed we felt upon launching this slot, seeing two pixelated flatscreens in the background and the grid containing classic BTG symbols in the form of shimmering royals and several gems. All that illuminated by multicolored pillars of light and infused with an uneasy thumping soundtrack.

Judging by the game’s logo, it’s the racing of the heart that the creators decided to focus on, but aside from that distinct shape and a pulse line in the image, plus the characteristic sound in the background music, there are no other details following that chain of thought. Hence, it’s challenging to pinpoint what this slot is supposed to be about. On the other hand, not every game has to bring an immersive story; sometimes it’s all about gameplay. So, can this puzzling production make the players’ hearts race with its features? The maximum win of over 24,000 times the bet already looks thrilling, so let’s see how we can take a stab at it.

THE RACE

The Race Megaways online slot produced by Big Time Gaming comes with a default 96.27% RTP and a 6-reel, 2 to 7-row playing area featuring up to 117,649 winning ways.

We already heard the seatbelt click and the engines roar in the cacophony of excited crowds anticipating a high-octane action. How perplexed we felt upon launching this slot, seeing two pixelated flatscreens in the background and the grid containing classic BTG symbols in the form of shimmering royals and several gems. All that illuminated by multicolored pillars of light and infused with an uneasy thumping soundtrack.

Judging by the game’s logo, it’s the racing of the heart that the creators decided to focus on, but aside from that distinct shape and a pulse line in the image, plus the characteristic sound in the background music, there are no other details following that chain of thought. Hence, it’s challenging to pinpoint what this slot is supposed to be about. On the other hand, not every game has to bring an immersive story; sometimes it’s all about gameplay. So, can this puzzling production make the players’ hearts race with its features? The maximum win of over 24,000 times the bet already looks thrilling, so let’s see how we can take a stab at it.

6.5/10

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SLOT DETAILS

Release Date:
03/2023

Max Win:
24 070x

Provider:
BIG TIME GAMING

Layout:
6x7

Theme:
GEMS

Pays:
117 649 WAYS

RTP:
96.27%

Bets:
0.2/40

Volatility:
VERY HIGH

Hit Rate:
-

SLOT FEATURES

Free Spins:

Cascading:

Wild:

Jackpot:

Re-Spins:

Bonus Buy:

Multipliers:

Super Bet:

Instant Win:

Collection:

Big Time Gaming is an exceptional casino software provider founded in 2011 in Australia.

The studio has been experiencing lightning-fast growth since 2016 when it introduced the world to the "Bonanza" slot and the innovative "Megaways" feature that offered up to 117,649 ways to win. This licensed mechanism became so popular that even the most famous studios, like Pragmatic Play or NetEnt, started implementing it in their games.

Big Time Gaming was acquired by Evolution Gaming in 2021 for €450m.

Big Time Gaming is an exceptional casino software provider founded in 2011 in Australia.

The studio has been experiencing lightning-fast growth since 2016 when it introduced the world to the "Bonanza" slot and the innovative "Megaways" feature that offered up to 117,649 ways to win. This licensed mechanism became so popular that even the most famous studios, like Pragmatic Play or NetEnt, started implementing it in their games.

Big Time Gaming was acquired by Evolution Gaming in 2021 for €450m.

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How To Win On The Race Megaways Slot - Features & Mechanics

We jump into the action on a 6-reel grid held inside a transparent frame with a polished chrome finish where it's possible to stake from 0.20 to 40 EUR or equivalent in other currencies per spin. The amount of symbols on each reel randomizes between rounds, showing 2 to 7 characters, which results in a variable number of winning ways on each spin, up to 117,649. Every winning combination triggers the reaction (or "cascading") sequence by removing the hit and adding more symbols to fill in the blanks. Customary to the Megaways™ setup, the paytable brings modest rewards ranging from 0.1 times the bet for the lowest 3-of-a-kind scores to 12.5 times for 6-of-a-kind combinations on the top symbol. However, most wins will comprise multiple ways, so the totals often result in higher amounts. The volatility scores maximum on a 5-point scale, meaning big wins may be more valuable on average but rarer.

Extra Reel & Wilds

An additional horizontal reel sits directly below the main grid, under the 4 middle columns. Any symbols landing on it will participate in winning combinations, and it's the only place Wilds may drop. Wilds can also activate a duplication feature, which expands them to cover the entire height of the vertical reel they're on.

The Race Big Time Gaming Expanding Wild

The Race Megaways Free Spins

Landing 3 or more Scatters simultaneously or over the course of a single reaction sequence triggers the bonus. The first stage, called Heart Bonus, will determine how many lives players take to the free spins round. With 3 respins that reset on every hit, they must accumulate as many hearts as possible on a 5x4 grid.

Free spins are unlimited as long as active lives remain, and a terminator symbol removes one life every time it drops on the reels. An uncapped multiplier starting from x1 increases by 1 after every win. Additionally, any Wilds that trigger the duplication will gain multipliers up to x5. Players can trigger the bonus instantly for a fixed price of 100 times the active stake.

The Race Big Time Gaming Heart Bonus

The Race Big Time Gaming Free Spins

The Race Megaways On Mobile

As the current industry standards dictate, the game is available in the latest HTML5 technology on all mobile devices so that you can enjoy that offbeat electronic atmosphere on any smartphone or tablet. The landscape variant is a copy of the desktop view. In the portrait orientation, the playing area occupies the center of the screen, leaving plenty of space for the simple background. The mobile gameplay is smooth, crispy, and free of lags or interruptions.

The Race Big Time Gaming Mobile Portrait View
The Race Big Time Gaming Mobile Landscape View
The Race Big Time Gaming Mobile Portrait View
The Race Big Time Gaming Mobile Landscape View

Final Thoughts

After an extensive playing session and discovering every corner of the slot (not that there were many), it's still massively confusing. In a way, it looks like some indoctrination chamber where mind-bending sounds, changing lights, and screens showing pixelated images are supposed to brainwash us into staying longer and playing more. We doubt that was the plan behind this "theme", but that's the strong impression it conjures for us. The racing heart element seems to result from those controversial practices rather than the thrill of anticipating big wins. Maybe it's just us, but the whole setting, sounds, graphics, and lack of clear identity introduce more questions than answers. It's a genuinely unusual and embroiled mix.

Setting aside the audiovisual package and focusing on the gameplay brings more stability. The base game is your classic Megaways™ bundle with cascading and the horizontal reel dropping Wilds that may additionally expand. The hold&win mini-game before the bonus may come across as intriguing at first, but essentially it's just an alternative way of determining the number of free spins. Instead of a fixed amount, players get lives that exhaust every time a terminator symbol lands. We can't say it brings any extra depth to the playthrough. The bonus itself is relatively standard, including an unlimited win multiplier and adding a slight boost to the expanding Wilds. Nothing to write home about. Yet, if you're partial to a traditional Megaways™ experience with an elevated max win of 24,000x and prefer to relive it in a confusing electronic theme, this is the way to do it.