Monsters of Rock Megaways (Storm Gaming): Overview

Determined to make the jump from land-based casino products to the online iGaming space, Storm Gaming has quickly followed up with a second Megaways slot. Founded in 2003, the Wolverhampton-based studio has more than 5,000 digital kiosks installed across over 12 countries, and it now looks set to take online players by storm (pun very much intended). Their first Megaways release, Magic Merlin Megaways, unfortunately felt more like a light breeze, as the team played it safe by closely mirroring Bonanza. It wasn’t a poor game, but it didn’t really bring anything fresh, and there wasn’t much to separate it from the many other Megaways creators out there. With that in mind, let’s see how their second attempt stacks up.

Fire up Monsters of Rock Megaways and you’re immediately transported from the calm of home into the middle of a booming rock gig. The soundtrack, which to our ears could easily pass for something Oasis might have recorded, was actually supplied by a Shropshire-based band called Secret Elephant – solid effort, lads!

As for the fundamentals, Monsters of Rock Megaways follows the familiar Bonanza blueprint, meaning you get 6 reels plus a horizontal reel positioned above the main set, combining to create up to 117,649 ways to win. Built in html5, it runs on all compatible devices, with stakes ranging from 0.20 and $/€100 per spin, and it mixes a few newer ideas with the classics. In the base game, a Pick Me feature can trigger to award instant multiplier cash prizes. Also during standard play, a High Voltage feature may randomly activate to clear all royal symbols currently showing. And, as expected, there’s a free spins round featuring an unlimited win multiplier.

With roaring crowds, pounding rock riffs, and plenty of flashing lights, Monsters of Rock Megaways feels like the gambling world’s take on Guitar Hero. The action plays out on a stage, with a strobe wall behind the reels, stage lighting overhead, and two towering speaker stacks flanking the grid. Visually, it does the job, though it doesn’t look quite as sleek or polished as many other Megaways titles we’ve come across. The character symbols have a slightly grainy look that makes them feel a bit like a collection of gifs (the first game had the same problem), and overall they’re not especially impressive.

It seems the artists aimed for a tongue-in-cheek rock star parody vibe, but what’s the deal with the green guy? Is he some kind of man-larva mashup? On the reels, you’ll find J to K royals displayed on speaker-grill backgrounds, alongside higher-paying band members. Curiously, there’s no bassist in sight, but there are three guitarists: the green larva dude, a Slash lookalike, a Gene Simmons wannabe, and a blond character channeling Axl Rose. The top-paying symbol is the Monsters of Rock logo, awarding you 50 times your stake for six across a full payline. The flaming LCD screen acts as the wild and only appears on the extra top row above reels 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Monsters of Rock Megaways (Storm Gaming): Features

As with many Megaways titles, Monsters of Rock Megaways uses a Chain Reaction mechanic, where each winning symbol becomes part of a reaction and is then replaced by new symbols falling in from above. As a small extra detail, the symbols have a bouncy drop animation that gives the gameplay a pleasant bit of character.

Seemingly taking a cue from Blueprint Gaming, Mystery Symbols (referred to as cards in this game) make an appearance here. Shown as amplifiers stacked on top of one another, every time this symbol lands on the reels it will convert into winning symbols.

Also included is the Pick Me feature, triggered when 3 or more LP records land anywhere in view. Once activated, you select one of three album covers to uncover a multiplier cash prize. On top of that, the High Voltage feature can randomly trigger on any spin, removing all lower-value symbols currently visible.

The encore – or the Free Spins feature, if you prefer – starts when you land 4, 5, or 6 Flying-V guitar scatter symbols anywhere in view, awarding 12, 17, or 22 free spins respectively. As is standard, the round includes an unlimited win multiplier that climbs by 1x with each win reaction. Beyond the multiplier, the Mystery Symbols and High Voltage features also stay active during free spins. In addition, free spins can be retriggered – landing 3 or 4 scatters on the top row adds another 5 or 10 free spins to your total spin count.

Monsters of Rock Megaways (Storm Gaming): Verdict

While it isn’t quite the leap forward we were hoping to see, Monsters of Rock Megaways is still more than a simple sideways move for Storm Gaming. The extra features clearly make it more entertaining than its sister title Magic Merlin Megaways, and even though the visuals could use further refinement, the lively graphics and high-energy presentation still manage to pull you in.

That said, we strongly feel Storm Gaming needs to take a braver, more distinctive route if it wants to be viewed as a serious contender, because at the moment it’s largely doing what Megaways developers have been doing for years. In other words, Storm Gaming needs to find a way to build a more recognizable, unique identity.

With medium to high variance, the max win is currently unknown but should be similar to other Megaways slots. Do note, however, that it comes with a max cap of $250,000, which means you’ll “only” be able to reach 2,500 times your stake at max bet.

Looking for more Storm Gaming Megaways games? Make sure you also check out Captain Cashfall Megaways and Magic Merlin Megaways.