Reel King Mega (Red Tiger): Review

For many players across mainland Europe, Reel King is simply another Novomatic slot. Bring it up with UK gamblers, though, and you may trigger fond nostalgia for earlier times—or a sudden flush of embarrassment as they recall messy, booze-fuelled sessions. First launched by Barcrest, Reel King is a true classic that became a pub favourite throughout the UK, later making the jump online via Novomatic after it secured a license from Barcrest. Now, with Red Tiger taking over, Reel King returns as Reel King Mega, arriving on digital casino lobbies for a new wave of players who’ll soon have their own legendary tales to share.

Keeping the traditional fruit machine vibe intact and adding a hint of Las Vegas flair, Reel King Mega is a 5-reel, 20-payline slot created by Novomatic subsidiary Astra Group and run on Red Tiger’s platform. Available on all devices with stakes from 20 cents to 200€ per spin, it includes Super Symbols that can land in 2×2 size, a random base game mechanic that converts regular symbols into wilds, and a distinctive bonus round built around a mini slot machine with its own dedicated reels.

The paytable is undeniably unusual, but that’s always been part of Reel King’s charm—being different and a little eccentric. With the symbol ranking shuffled, the reels show lower-value cherries, plums, 10’s and J’s alongside higher-paying Q’s, K’s and bags full of gold coins – the latter being the top payer, awarding 25 times your stake for 5 on a payline. The fool’s hat acts as the wild and substitutes for all symbols. Every symbol can appear in 2×2 size, including the wild. These oversized versions are called Super Symbols.

Reel King Mega (Red Tiger): Features

Reel King Mega includes a randomly activated base game mechanic called the King’s Crown feature. When it kicks in—which is fairly often—the crown on the title logo begins hopping around the reels, turning symbols into wilds, including Super Symbols. Typically you’ll see one or two wilds created, though it can generate more than that on occasion.

Most of the larger payouts are delivered by the Reel King feature – this bonus round doesn’t start in the usual way by landing 3 scatter symbols. Instead, it activates once all 5 reels are lit up with a yellow background. After triggering, up to 5 cartoon king’s can appear on the reels, each one bringing its own special reel set. The king spins his reels, awarding 2, 5, 10, or 25 times your stake for 3 of a kind mixed, blue, yellow or red sevens respectively. The feature keeps running until you hit a losing spin.

On top of that, there’s a Gamble Wheel feature for anyone feeling particularly fortunate, which, as stated in the paytable, is entirely random with 100% RTP.

Reel King Mega (Red Tiger): Verdict

Leaning on the recognisable Reel King name, Red Tiger’s take is likely to amuse a smaller, dedicated audience, but it doesn’t have the broad appeal needed to become a breakout hit. As a result, everyday slot fans may find the 500 xbet potential, low volatility and old-school presentation a little underwhelming, while players with a stronger personal attachment to the brand will seek it out specifically for the nostalgia. Reel King Mega was never meant to battle the biggest modern releases – it’s a passion project for fans, made by even bigger fans, and it’s best enjoyed with that mindset.