Curse of the Werewolf Megaways: Overview

Developer Pragmatic Play taps into the age-old idea of lycanthropy—humans turning into wolves—in Curse of the Werewolf Megaways, marking the studio’s fourth outing with the popular game engine. A major attraction is the strong win potential, but reaching it typically means unlocking a free spins bonus packed with symbol transformations. Alongside the headline feature, the game also includes two reel modifiers and mystery symbols.

Werewolves feature heavily in European folklore, peaking in notoriety during the Middle Ages. Among the earliest written references are the works of Gervase of Tilbury, an English cleric from the 12th and 13th centuries. Curse of the Werewolf Megaways doesn’t go quite that far back, yet its 6-reel grid sits on a cobbled street in a charming European village. A gothic soundtrack led by harpsichord rounds out the atmosphere.

This time, Pragmatic Play hasn’t pushed the Megaways engine to the absolute maximum. The 6 reels can display up to 6 symbols each, with the reel heights shifting randomly on every spin. As a result, the number of win ways ranges from 64 at the low end to 46,656 when the reels are fully expanded. Winning combinations are formed by matching symbols left to right on adjacent reels, starting from reel one.

With stakes running from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin on all devices, Pragmatic’s handy lightning volatility meter sits in the bottom-right of the home screen to keep expectations clear. Curse of the Werewolf Megaways earns the maximum 5/5 rating, so it’s definitely not one for cautious players. The default RTP of 96.5% is more accessible and comfortably above average. Keep in mind, though, that some casinos may offer a lower RTP version, so it’s worth checking before you play.

The paytable contains 10 standard symbols split into low and high pay groups. Low pays are the gold-toned 10-A royals on a royal blue backdrop, and they require at least three matching symbols to pay. Above them are the character premiums: four villagers plus a wolf. The human characters pay for three or more of a kind, while the wolf only needs two. Land six premium symbols across for returns of 1.5 to 10 times your stake.

Rounding out this section is the slashed parchment wild, which appears on reels 2 to 6. It substitutes for any regular paying symbol to help complete winning lines.

Curse of the Werewolf Megaways: Features

Pragmatic Play has removed the cascade/reaction mechanic that’s commonly associated with Megaways slots, a decision that often divides opinion. Instead, the game leans on Mystery Symbols, spin modifiers, and a blood-drenched free spins round.

Watch for the sepia wolf howling at the moon, which serves as the mystery symbol. When these land in the base game, they all convert into the same paying symbol, boosting the odds of landing a sizeable win.

There are also two spin modifiers available—super spins and guaranteed win spins. A super spin drops stacks of higher-value symbols onto the reels, while guaranteed win spins do exactly what the name suggests. That is, they deliver a big win across multiple ways.

The other wolf-howling-at-the-moon icon is the bonus scatter, and it can appear on any reel in any size. Landing 3, 4, 5 or 6 bonus symbols awards 8, 10, 12, or 15 free spins respectively. During free spins, a progressive mechanic is in play featuring a special gold wolf symbol that substitutes for the standard red wolf symbol.

In addition, whenever the gold wolf symbol lands, it strips 1 to 5 lives from one of the high-value character symbols. Once a character loses 5 lives, it is replaced on the reels by the red premium wolf symbol, and you receive an extra free spin. The bonus round can also be prolonged when 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 bonus symbols land, awarding 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 extra free spins. Put simply, the aim is to have all character symbols swapped out for the top-paying symbol to maximise returns.

Curse of the Werewolf Megaways carries serious potential, so the bonus round is usually essential to unlock it. You can either grind for it naturally or, where local rules allow, use the bonus buy option. Triggering this feature costs 100x the stake, and it guarantees at least 3 bonus symbols on the next spin.

Curse of the Werewolf Megaways: Verdict

To date, Pragmatic Play’s Megaways releases have been solid performers, and Curse of the Werewolf follows that trend. Wolf-themed slots are plentiful, but few present the same fairy-tale styling found here.

The feature set isn’t especially groundbreaking. Mystery symbols are extremely common, and the bonus round gives off a noticeable Pink Elephants vibe—part one, at least, rather than part two. On the plus side, symbols upgrade straight to the top premium instead of stepping up one position at a time, which is a welcome touch. The free spins can be very volatile, and they need real momentum to move beyond modest results. Upgrading a couple of symbols is achievable with time, but to make meaningful progress you want those transformations to happen as early as possible.

When they do, it feels like heaving a massive boulder to the top of a hill and then watching it thunder downhill, flattening everything in its way. The quoted maximum potential is a staggering 40,976 times the stake, which is huge. There has been some chatter about how realistic certain Pragmatic Play max-win claims are, so seeing more video evidence of monster lycanthrope-style hits would help cement Curse of the Werewolf’s reputation as a true mega payer.

Even with the criticism around familiar mechanics, it’s smart how the werewolf transformation theme is mirrored through the symbol-changing bonus feature. Overall, Curse of the Werewolf Megaways delivers a fairly distinctive ride. Pragmatic Play’s skill is clear in the crisp visuals, fluid animation, and likeable cast. It may not be a must-play Megaways title, but if you want an unusual theme paired with massive potential, it’s a very reasonable pick.