Merry Christmas Megaways: Slot Overview
At this point, with the sheer number of Christmas-themed slots that appear each year, it’s easy for them to blur into one. Once the tinsel, gifts, crackling fires, snowfall, Santas, elves, reindeer, decorations, Ebenezer Scrooges, pine trees, and candles are packed away, it can feel like all that remains is a mess of ripped wrapping paper across the living room. Still, they can be entertaining in the moment, and this seasonal entry comes from Inspired Gaming. Merry Christmas Megaways delivers festive vibes alongside a familiar Megaways feature set, including mystery symbols, tumbles, and free spins with a progressive win multiplier.
Merry Christmas Megaways takes place by a cozy fireplace. At the center is a 6-reel + horizontal bonus reel layout, positioned in front of a roaring hearth next to a Christmas tree, a comfy chair, a mantle, candles, stockings—everything you’d expect. The soundtrack leans a little eerie when the reels are still, like an old sentimental film, possibly even in black and white. Once the reels start spinning, though, it shifts into something more like a modern Christmas movie score, where the underdog beats corporate greed (despite somehow offering absurdly low prices) by sticking to wholesome values.
In Merry Christmas Megaways, each spin drops 2-7 symbols onto the main reels, while 4 always appear on the top reel. With variable reel heights come variable ways to win, topping out at 117,649 when the grid is fully stacked. You can play Merry Christmas Megaways in two modes—standard play or with Fortune Bet enabled. With it off, the bet range runs from 20 p/c to $/€10, and it rises by increasing by 50% when Fortune Bet is turned on. The upside of Fortune Bet is a triple chance of landing the bonus. On the stats side, Merry Christmas Megaways is a highly volatile slot with an RTP of 95.5%.
Wins are paid when matching symbols connect from the left side across adjacent reels. Santa is the top-paying symbol and rewards combinations of two or more, while the rest require at least three. Below Santa are sleighs, presents, and bells, followed by 9-A styled as tree ornaments. A six-of-a-kind line of low symbols pays 0.8 to 1.75 the bet, while a six-of-a-kind with a non-royal symbol returns 2 to 50 times your stake. Also, appearing only on the extra top reel is the wild symbol, which can substitute for any symbol except the bonus tile.
Merry Christmas Megaways: Slot Features
Fortune Bet is a slightly unusual addition for a Megaways title, but aside from that, the feature line-up is very much what you’d expect. The action begins with cascades, then brings in mystery symbols, and finally moves into free spins where the progressive multiplier ramps up to boost potential returns.
Cascades
Any winning result triggers a cascade. The winning symbols are removed from the grid and replaced as new symbols drop in from above on the main reels, or slide in from the right on the extra reel. Cascades keep going for as long as fresh wins continue to land.
Mystery Symbols
Mystery symbols may randomly appear on the reels on any spin. When they do, all mystery symbols transform at once into the same regular paying symbol.
Free Spins
In the base game, landing 4 or more scatter symbols triggers the bonus round—exactly 4 scatters award 12 free spins, and each extra scatter adds +2 free spins. During free spins, every winning cascade increases the unlimited win multiplier by 1. On top of that, the feature can be extended by +5 or +10 free spins when 3 or 4 scatters appear, up to a maximum of 80.
Spin Chance
If your balance drops below the current spin price, the game offers a Spin Chance. If you take it, a pointer spins on a wheel; landing on green means 1 more spin is granted, while landing on red forfeits the remaining balance.
Merry Christmas Megaways: Slot Verdict
Another familiar festive release can be added to the ever-growing Christmas pile. There aren’t many unexpected twists in Merry Christmas Megaways, whether you load it up on the big day or at any other time. Visually it’s classic Christmas fare, and mechanically it follows the standard Megaways template closely. That means it’s unlikely to disappoint anyone looking for the usual formula, but it also doesn’t bring much extra charm once the novelty wears off. Megaways fans will know exactly what they’re getting—simple as that.
To be fair, the free spins + cascades + rising win multiplier combo works smoothly and can create some satisfying snowball sequences. Mystery symbols behave as expected, and Fortune Bet is available for players who want to raise the cost for better bonus odds. Beyond that, there isn’t a lot more going on. Merry Christmas Megaways runs reliably and has a win cap of $250,000, which effectively equals 25,000x the max bet. All in all, it’s fine, but it feels like the slot equivalent of a stocking-filler bath gel—pleasant enough, yet you suspect it’ll sit unused.
By now, you may be thinking Merry Christmas Megaways is essentially Bonanza dressed up in striped elf tights and a pointy hat with a bell on the tip. The déjà vu can actually be traced even more precisely, since Merry Christmas Megaways is a clone of another Inspired game, Gimme Gold! Megaways. That title didn’t exactly whip players into a frenzy, and it’s difficult to imagine Merry Christmas Megaways doing much better. Add in the 95.5% RTP, and there are certainly less Grinch-like Christmas slots available. Still, if you want a familiar Megaways Christmas experience, it should do the job—players who enjoy this style will know what they’re signing up for.
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ProviderInspired Gaming
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RTP95.5%
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VolatilityHigh
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Reels6
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Rows2-7
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PaylinesUp to 117,649
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Min/Max Bet0.20/10
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Max Win25,000x
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Hit FreqN/A
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Release DateNovember 22, 2021