Rainbow Riches Megaways: Review

Our first run-in with Barcrest’s well-known Leprechaun feels like it happened a lifetime ago. Back when we were routinely spinning the same old 243 ways titles, we were hunting for something that stood out, and Rainbow Riches definitely did. Beyond a memorable play session — highlighted by a free spins round that retriggered an absurd number of times — what really lingered was the strangely basic yet oddly charming audio and visuals. Only later did we fully realise just how legendary the game had become, particularly in the UK, where it quickly turned into one of the most played slot machines of modern times after launch.

Now the Leprechaun steps into the present day with a release that keeps the classic spirit intact while adding the fast-paced excitement the Megaways engine is known for. After a long line of Rainbow Riches titles, this entry uses 6 reels and a variable number of symbols per reel on every spin, allowing up to 117,649 ways to win at maximum expansion. You also get cascading reels, a Super Gem Bonus feature that converts all visible gems into matching symbols, and a Free Spins round with an unlimited win multiplier. You can play Rainbow Riches Megaways across all devices with stakes ranging from 20 cents to 20€ per spin.

From a presentation standpoint, the team has clearly aimed to stay faithful to the original blueprint. That applies across the board — the audio, the visuals, and the overall vibe. Built around Irish folklore, the reels sit in a golden frame against a scenic green countryside background. Beneath the instantly recognisable logo, a rainbow bursts from a pot of gold overflowing with coins. On the reels, you’ll find the familiar A to 10 royals alongside blue, green, purple and orange gems. The top-paying symbol is the diamond, where 6 of a kind awards 50 times your stake. The wild is a horseshoe and it substitutes for all standard symbols.

Rainbow Riches Megaways: Features

Most readers will probably already know how the Megaways engine works. Created by Big Time Gaming, Megaways is built around reels that change size; in this game, each spin can produce between 2 to 7 symbols on reels 1 and 6, and between 2 and 6 symbols on the remaining reels. With straightforward maths, that means every spin can generate anywhere from 324 to 117,649 ways to win. Above reels 2, 3, 4 and 5, there’s also a horizontal reel that drops extra symbols, helping form adjacent wins, along with special symbols that are exclusive to this reel.

In addition, Megaways is commonly paired with cascading reels, and that’s exactly what you get here — any symbols involved in a win blast away and are replaced by new ones. This sequence continues until no further winning combinations remain on screen.

Rainbow Riches Megaways includes the Super Gem Bonus feature. It’s broadly comparable to Blueprint Gaming’s mystery symbols mechanic, but rather than spreading question marks across the reels, it activates when a Super Gem lands on the horizontal reel. When triggered, all high-value gemstone symbols currently visible are changed into one randomly selected matching gemstone.

While the base game can deliver strong results, the Free Spins feature is where the biggest wins are most likely to come from. It triggers when 4 or more scatter symbols appear anywhere on the main reels, awarding 12 starting spins. Each extra scatter adds 5 more Free Spins. As with all Bonanza-style games, the focus is the unlimited win multiplier, which increases by 1 with every winning cascade and never resets. During the free spins round, +1, +2 and +3 symbols can appear on the top reel to award extra spins.

If you’d rather not wait for free spins to arrive naturally, you can choose the Buy Pass feature. Paying 100 times your stake grants immediate entry into the free spins. If you want a riskier route, there’s the Take a Chance option instead. Depending on your stake, your odds of triggering the feature rely on the arrow landing on the green section — for a cost of 25, 50 or 75 times your stake, you receive a 25%, 50% or 75% chance of activating the bonus respectively.

Finally, there’s the Bonus Bank feature, designed to lower the cost of the free spins bonus. ‘Bank Off Wins’ pays all wins to balance, ‘Bank All Wins’ sends all wins to the ‘Bonus Bank’, and ‘Bank Small Wins’ moves wins of 3x stake or less into the ‘Bonus Bank’.

Rainbow Riches Megaways: Final Verdict

With only a few small twists, Rainbow Riches Megaways is largely a standard Megaways release. One example is that it’s unusual to see differing reel-height limits like you get here, where the middle reels top out at 6 symbols rather than 7 on the first and last reels. We also noticed the RTP is a touch lower than what’s typical for many Megaways slots, though given it’s Barcrest — a studio whose games often sit around the 95% range — that isn’t especially unexpected.

With medium to high variance, it delivers excellent upside, pushing well beyond 10,000 times your stake. High roller should take note, however, that the game is capped at a maximum payout of 250,000€. All things considered, it’s a Megaways title that holds its own and should suit anyone who enjoys these slots for their strong potential as well as the longer, more engaging gameplay they tend to provide. Rainbow Riches Megaways is, at least in our view, easily the strongest entry in the Rainbow Riches lineup.

If you like the Megaways mechanic, we recommend checking out Barcrest’s second Megaways slot and their first ever branded release Beetlejuice Megaways. For more Big Time Gaming related mechanics, there’s also Slot Vegas Megaquads.