88 Fortunes Megaways (Shuffle Master): Overview

Reviewed by Jared M on September 11, 2019.

Big Time Gaming’s Megaways engine keeps spreading across the slot landscape, and this time it’s been matched with an Asian themed title. The original 88 Fortunes served up a generous spread of jackpots, progressive jackpots, and extra features, all wrapped in the familiar deep red-and-gold style that defines the theme. It was easy to half-close your eyes and imagine you’d stepped into a glamorous Macau casino. This newer edition captures much of that atmosphere, though it tones down the visual intensity a little—nothing that should worry anyone. The bigger change is that Shuffle Master has removed four of the jackpots, even though much of what players loved about the first game is still here.

The clearest upgrade is the addition of Megaways. Megaways brings a staggering number of ways to win (117,649 to be exact) along with cascading wins. That massive ways count comes from 6 main reels that can show up to 7 symbols each, plus a 1×4 row across the bottom. Whenever a win hits, the winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in. This can spark additional wins, repeating until no further combinations land. On the plus side, it can chain together some satisfying payouts. The downside is that it often goes hand-in-hand with lower symbol values, so be prepared for that.

At the lower end of the paytable you’ll find card symbols 9 –A, bowls, a turtle, a junk boat, and a jade sculpture, paying up to 0.6 times your stake for 6 of a kind. After that come the gold symbols. Players can decide how many are active from 1 to 5, and that choice changes the price per spin. At the entry level you only have one golden coin, but increasing the wager brings in gold versions of the four non-card symbols, paying from 0.09x to 11x the stake. Bet levels per spin are:

• One gold symbol – 0.08 – 8 coins.
• Two gold symbols – 0.18 – 18 coins.
• Three gold symbols – 0.38 – 38 coins.
• Four gold symbols – 0.68 – 68 coins.
• Five gold symbols – 0.88 – 88 coins.

They’re unusual stake steps, but Shuffle Master clearly leaned into the “lucky” 8 wherever possible. It’s also hard to ignore that base symbol payouts are fairly weak, although things become more engaging once cascades start stacking wins together.

The Megaways framework also boosts the RTP, which sits between 96.06% – 96.27% depending on how many golden symbols you’ve enabled. With a top theoretical payout of roughly 10,000x, there’s plenty of upside. As usual, the biggest potential comes from the bonus features, so let’s get into them.

88 Fortunes Megaways (Shuffle Master): Features

There’s a lot going on at first glance, but a handful of spins is usually enough to make it all click. Shuffle Master has introduced two additional symbols that can swing the action quickly—the gong and the Fu Bat.

The Fu Bat shows up on reels 2 to 5 and works as a wild for every symbol except the scatter. Beyond substituting, each Fu Bat that lands adds coins to the Coin Pot and can randomly set off the picker feature at any moment. When that happens, the display switches to 15 golden coins. You select coins one at a time until you uncover three matching results, and you’re awarded the free spins amount shown:

• 10 free spins and a x6 multiplier.
• 12 free spins and a x4 multiplier.
• 15 spins and ax2 multiplier.

The gong is the scatter symbol and can appear on reels 1 – 6. Hitting four, five, or six gongs on consecutive reels awards 8, 10, or 12 Free Spins. The best part is that the feature can be triggered again while you’re already in it. During free spins, every winning combination increases the multiplier by 1, which can lead to some very strong results.

88 Fortunes Megaways (Shuffle Master): Verdict

The key question with any remake is whether it improves on the original. Here, it’s not really a case of better or worse—more that it’s different, and likely to suit a slightly different crowd than the first 88 Fortunes. The clear winners are players who enjoy both Asian themed slots and the Megaways engine. If that describes you, 88 Fortunes Megaways should hit the spot by combining both in one game. On the other hand, anyone who played 88 Fortunes mainly for its four jackpots will definitely notice their absence. It’s unfortunate they were left out, but for many players it won’t be a deal-breaker. The top theoretical payout remains high, and the busy, feature-packed feel of the original is still largely intact.

Visually, the first 88 Fortunes still edges it, offering a richer, more lavish presentation than the follow-up. The overall look, atmosphere, and layout (especially on mobile) aren’t quite as polished in the Megaways version—though only by a small margin. The plain red backdrop could have used a bit more flair, but it’s a minor complaint.

Good relationships rely on compromise—some give, some take. In this case, Megaways is the “give,” while jackpots are the “take.” In the bigger picture, not much is truly sacrificed. There’s still a real chance at solid wins, the Asian theme remains strong throughout, and Megaways massively expands the number of win ways. All told, fans of the original, lovers of Asian themes, or anyone simply intrigued will find plenty of exotic action in 88 Fortunes Megaways.