Snakes and Ladders Megadice: Slot Overview
Snakes and Ladders is a well-known board game that arrived in Europe in the 19th century, having originated in India as Moksha Patam. For anyone unfamiliar, players roll dice to advance a token around a numbered board, aiming to be the first to reach the final square. The twist is that landing on a ladder boosts you forward several spaces, while landing on a snake sends you backward. It’s played globally and has been adapted into a slot or two before. This version comes from Pragmatic Play and partner Reel Kingdom in a release called Snakes And Ladders Megadice, where the bonus round lets players win cash via a genuine Snakes and Ladders board.
Before the main attraction kicks in, the base game runs on a 5×3 game grid with 10 fixed paylines. There’s a noticeable retro 8-bit vibe, thanks to the font used for low-pay symbols and on-screen prompts, plus some of the general artwork. As is often the case, Reel Kingdom doesn’t commit to a single style, so the visuals can feel like a mash-up. It partly suits the fact Snakes and Ladders is an old-school board game, yet it can also come across as oddly dated. Our first impression wasn’t especially strong, though some players may enjoy the quirky mix.
Because Snakes and Ladders Megadice is all about moving up and down, you can be ahead one moment and then a troublesome snake knocks you back. A few spins later, a timely ladder can put you right back in contention. That swingy feel is reflected in the slot’s highly volatile math model. The default RTP is a sturdy 96.68%, and the overall potential is respectable too. The game is playable on any device, with bets available from 10 p/c up to a maximum of $/€100.
The symbol set feels a bit eclectic, which is very much in line with Reel Kingdom’s style. Low pays are 10 to Ace in an 8-bit card-royal design, paying 5-10 times the stake for five of a kind. Premium symbols include ladders, snakes, bananas, and Gorilla Kings, where five on a payline returns 15-50x the bet. The top payout comes from Wild Dice symbols, worth 500x the bet for five on a line. Alongside substituting for regular symbols, Wild Dice can land showing 1, 2, or 3 dots like real dice, with the dot count acting as a win multiplier of x1, x2, or x3.
Snakes and Ladders Megadice: Slot Features
The key objective is to launch the Snakes and Ladders bonus round, which can be achieved either by landing the required scatters or through a progressive feature.
Progressive Feature
When you begin playing, or whenever you adjust the stake, the 11 sections on the snake above the reels start out inactive. Each time Wild Dice hit, the number of dots they display fills sections of the snake. Based on how many Wild Dice dots appear, it is possible to trigger the bonus game and win extra rolls if you overfill the snake. Switching bet sizes resets the snake-fill progress, though if you return to a previous stake, your progress for that stake is retained.
Snakes & Ladders Board Bonus
This feature starts by filling the snake or by landing 3 bonus symbols on the reels. If filling the snake activated the round, you get 12 dice rolls plus any retriggers up to 17 at the most. If activated by bonus symbols, then 3, 4, or 5 triggering bonus symbols awards 12, 14, or 16 dice rolls, respectively.
The bonus takes place on a 12×12, 144 spaces Snakes and Ladders board. Your position is shown by a gorilla head token that begins on square one. On each turn, two dice are rolled and the token advances by the combined total. Squares may be empty or show one of the following:
- Money Award – a win of 4x to 100x the bet is added to the total round win.
- Multiplier – a multiplier value is applied to the total win collected up till that point.
- Ladder – moves the player from a lower square to a higher one.
- Snake – moves the payer from a higher square to a lower one.
- Banana – adds random Money Awards to the grid and removes other Banana symbols.
- Skyscraper – appears randomly on any square. If landed on it moves players to a random higher position.
The bonus round finishes once you’ve used all dice rolls or when the token reaches the final square. If you reach the end, the round stops, but players have the chance to retrigger it. Two dice are rolled, and if the outcome isn’t a double, the bonus round restarts. On top of that, the Snakes & Ladders Board Bonus includes a bet win guarantee. If the feature ends and the total win is less than 20x the stake, players enter Rage Mode. In Rage Mode, the gorilla token travels to the last square, collecting every prize on the route.
Snakes and Ladders Megadice: Slot Verdict
You’ve got dice, constant movement, and a board where you climb ladders and slide down snakes—plus the chance to scoop up cash along the way. So, for anyone who’s ever wanted a Snakes and Ladders/online slot hybrid, this is a genuinely interesting one to try. There are a few caveats, and Pragmatic Play/Reel Kingdom collaborations can be hit-or-miss. With Snakes and Ladders Megadice, the presentation may be the biggest dividing line. The retro idea works to a point, though it’s arguable whether it fully lands. It also lacks the same flair as titles like Hellcatraz or Santa’s Stack, for instance. Depending on taste, the visuals will either add to the charm or become a deal-breaker.
Gameplay-wise, the Wild Dice are a solid base-game feature. They matter not only as a route into the bonus, but also because their multipliers can create a few exciting moments along the way. Still, the base game largely serves as a warm-up for the bonus round, where the board-game concept is implemented nicely. You receive a decent supply of dice rolls, and the classic up-and-down swings are present, giving the feature a more grown-up take on the original. You could describe it as a traditional bet-multiplier trail at heart, just with more going on than usual. With a top potential of 5,300x the bet, Snakes and Ladders Megadice is worth considering if this style appeals to you.
All told, SNLM plays at a fairly slow tempo and looks a bit average. Still, for board game/slot mashups, there will definitely be players who are into it—Monopoly slots are still popular, for better or worse. Ultimately, if you like the retro presentation and want some Snakes and Ladders-flavored gameplay, this one should do the job.
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ProviderPragmatic Play, Reel Kingdom
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RTP96.68%
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VolatilityHigh (5/5)
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Reels5
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Rows3
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Paylines10
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Min/Max Bet0.20/100
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Max Win5,300x
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Release DateFebruary 19, 2022