Gonzo’s Quest Megaways: Overview

After NetEnt acquired Red Tiger in a deal valued at hundreds of millions, it didn’t take long for the iGaming community to start imagining what kind of hybrid titles could come from the merger. A natural thought was NetEnt’s celebrated back catalogue meeting Red Tiger’s Megaways license.

Near the top of many players’ wish lists was Piggy Riches Megaways, which ultimately proved to be a very enjoyable slot. Even closer to plenty of players’ hearts is the next NetEnt classic to receive the upgrade – Gonzo’s Quest. Now it’s finally here: one of the world’s most beloved slots has been strengthened, reworked, rebuilt, refreshed—call it what you like—thanks to Big Time Gaming’s hugely popular Megaways engine.

Right away, it looks and feels like exactly what you’d want. It’s Gonzo, only updated into a more contemporary, better-looking edition. The visuals are cleaner, sharper, and more detailed—plus everything feels larger. With Megaways in play, you get 6 reels with 2-7 symbols on each reel. The number of win ways changes every spin, ranging from 64 up to 117,649. Since Megaways slots usually lean on a cascading system, Gonzo’s signature Avalanche feature fits perfectly. Add in lush jungle audio and Gonzo’s cheeky presence around the reels, and it’s hard not to enjoy the idea of jumping in.

To get started, you’ll need to choose your stake. The selection isn’t massive, but it covers most players, running from 10 p/c to $/€4 per spin. The next pleasant surprise is the set of stats, beginning with a 96% RTP—solidly average and actually above the original. Volatility is appropriately high, and it’s matched with potential beyond 20,000 times the stake. On paper, Gonzo’s is in excellent shape.

As a welcome throwback, the majority of symbols are familiar from the original, although there are some differences. First, they’re presented with improved visuals. Second, there’s a new mask at the top of the paytable, paying 15 times the stake for six of a kind. After that come four additional masks with lower values, followed by four low-paying, animal-themed icons. Two further special symbols complete the paytable, and they’re explained below.

Gonzo’s Quest Megaways: Features

Feature fans should be happy, as Gonzo’s Quest Megaways packs in plenty to keep things interesting. They show up often in the base game, maintaining a good rhythm before building up to the free spins round.

Avalanches are the main event, so they’re the best place to begin. Any symbol that forms part of a winning combination is removed, and new symbols drop down to fill the empty spaces. This makes it possible to land multiple wins from a single spin, because Avalanches keep going as long as fresh winning combinations appear. Once no more wins land, play moves on to the next spin.

Avalanches are closely linked to another returning staple, the Avalanche Multiplier. With each Avalanche, the multiplier steps up from x1 to x2, x3, reaching x5 in the base game. On a new spin, it resets back to x1.

Adding a literal jolt is the new Earthquake feature, which can trigger randomly at any time. When it hits, every low-paying symbol currently showing crumbles away, and only high-paying symbols drop into the cleared positions.

The question mark wilds have returned, now as Unbreakable Wilds. Up to 2 can appear on a spin – one in the first three reels and one in the second three reels. True to their name, Unbreakable Wilds don’t break apart when they help form a win; instead, they remain on the grid to assist in creating additional combinations.

Finally, there’s the triggered free spins feature. To activate it, you need the golden Free Fall symbols: 3 award 9 free spins, plus 3 extra spins for each additional Free Fall symbol visible. During free spins, the Avalanche Multiplier is boosted to x3, x6, x9, and x15. Free Fall scatters can still land as well, allowing the feature to be extended with no fixed cap.

A nice extra detail is that when free spins finish, the final Avalanche Multiplier carries over and is applied to the base game Avalanche sequence that set off the feature.

Gonzo’s Quest Megaways: Verdict

Given its status as one of the most played slots ever made, Gonzo’s Quest always felt like a prime candidate for an update. And since Avalanches are already part of its DNA, a Megaways edition seemed almost destined to happen. But inevitability doesn’t automatically mean it will work—so does it deliver?

Fans of the original can relax, because this version is genuinely a pleasure to play. The team has polished the finer points while getting the big pieces right, resulting in Gonzo’s Quest Megaways being an excellent follow-up. Most importantly, everything that made the first game so entertaining is still here, and the sequel expands on the original without stripping anything away. Megaways simply elevates the experience across the board.

And if gameplay isn’t a concern, the stats are even easier to appreciate. In fact, the numbers are so strong they practically speak for themselves. The RTP is perfectly fine, and the potential reaches 21,000 times the stake, which makes it difficult not to warm to this new Gonzo. It may have taken years—and a major corporate buyout—to make it happen, but Gonzo’s Quest Megaways more than justifies the wait.

Of course, not everyone will be satisfied, and if we had to hunt for a criticism, some might argue it stays too close to the original: the same symbols, the same characters, and the same core mechanics. Still, enough has been adjusted, improved, and introduced that most players are unlikely to feel that way.

At the same time, it remains unmistakably Gonzo, with all the light-hearted charm that implies. NetEnt and Red Tiger deserve credit for taking full advantage of Megaways without burying what made the original stand out. With Gonzo handled, what do you think will be the next NetEnt classic to get the Megaways treatment?