Stargate Megaways: Slot Overview

Jaffa, Kree! Sci-fi lovers get a treat here with an online slot from software provider SG Digital. It’s called Stargate Megaways, a branded game inspired by the original movie starring Kurt Russel as Colonel Jack O’Neil; the crew-cutted, no-nonsense army man sent to investigate the alien world of Abydos. To reach it, teams step through an ancient device known as a Stargate after inputting specific symbol patterns. The film pulled in around $200 million and later spawned more movies plus the hugely popular TV series Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe.

Calling the Stargate franchise successful is putting it mildly, and we could happily ramble about the lore, characters, and story arcs for ages. Instead, we’ll keep the focus on the slot. Fans should feel instantly at home, from the Abydos planet loading screen to the base game set at SGC Command, one thousand meters beneath Cheyenne Mountain. At its core, Stargate Megaways follows the familiar Megaways blueprint, using a 6-reel main grid alongside a 4-position horizontal reel positioned in the center of the Stargate, or Chappa’ai in the Goa’uld dialect. The addition of the film’s sweeping soundtrack is a real charmer, so if you enjoyed the movie or its many spin-offs, Stargate Megaways starts off on a strong note.

If the front-end presentation appeals, the underlying numbers are encouraging as well. The RTP is produced in different ways depending on how you “dial” the gate. In the simplest setup, playing normally, the return is 96%, while it sits between 96.13% and 96.78% when using the Buy Pass. This highly volatile slot runs on any device and supports stakes of 20 p/c to $/€10 per spin.

Every spin can land in a different configuration: 2-7 symbols may appear on the two outer reels, 2-6 symbols on the inner four reels, plus 4 more symbols up top. This layout generates between 324 to 117,649 ways to win. There are ten pay symbols in total—five low symbols are 9-A card ranks, while the high symbols are a pyramid, a sarcophagus, Daniel Jackson, Jack O’Neil, and Ra. Six-of-a-kind wins pay 0.5-0.8x the bet for the low symbols and 1.5 to 10x the bet for the high symbols. Eye of Ra necklace symbols act as wild symbols. They don’t pay on their own, but they can substitute for any regular pay symbol to help form way wins.

Stargate Megaways: Slot Features

Cascades are a staple Megaways mechanic, and in Stargate Megaways they’re used to push play from the base game into bonus territory. Whenever a winning way lands, the cascade feature removes the winning symbols and fresh ones drop in from above. If another win forms, the cascade process repeats.

Trail

Along the left side of the Stargate sits a nine segmented trail. Each winning cascade moves the trail position along by +1. On reaching segment 5, you receive a random modifier, and once you reach level 7 or above, a bonus is awarded. The trail only runs in the base game and resets at the beginning of every paid spin.

Trail 5 Modifiers

When the trail hits its fifth segment, after all wins have been paid, one of the following modifiers is randomly triggered:

• Random Wilds – up to six wild symbols are added to reels 2 to 5.
• Expanding Reels – forces reels to produce 117,649 ways to win.
• Wild Reel – reel 2, 3, 4, or 5 is transformed into a wild reel.
• Mystery Symbols – up to ten random symbols in view are transformed into the same symbol type.
• Regenerate – removes all symbols from the board and replaces them with a brand new batch.

Bonus Game

Landing on levels 7, 8, or 9 of the trail activates the bonus game and awards 5, 6, or 7 free spins, respectively. After that, players open 7 closed doors, which reveal either nothing or modifiers that carry into the bonus round:

• Additional spins – an extra 1 to 25 free spins are awarded.
• Win multiplier – this is applied to wins during free spins.
• Ways increase – each subsequent spin guarantees more ways than the previous, up to the maximum of 117,649.
• Reincarnate – if the Eye of Ra symbol lands on reel 6, the free spins count is reset.
• Cash Prizes – cash prize of 5 to 100 times the stake.
• Wild Gates – extra wild symbols on the top reel.
• Expanding Wilds – wilds expand to cover whole reels when they land. Only applies to reels 2 to 5.

Buy Pass

Where available, this option lets players purchase entry to specific trail segments. You can choose segments 5, 7, 8, or 9 at a cost of 31.5x, 45.5x, 72.5x, or 123.5x your total stake.

Stargate Megaways: Slot Verdict

As with most branded releases, being a fan makes it much easier to connect with the end result. With Stargate Megaways, the strong mix of on-world and off-world visuals, familiar characters, and the stirring soundtrack create an excellent first impression. The Stargate transition when bonus rounds trigger is entertaining, and it’s easy to get swept up for a while in SG Digital’s take on the movie. Overall, it’s a well-made adaptation that Stargaters should appreciate.

There are a few minor issues around the edges, and while they don’t spoil the experience, the game could feel even better with a couple of tweaks. For example, it might have benefited from leaning harder into the theme during big win count-ups or adding more punch when a segment 5 modifier is awarded. It also wouldn’t have been a bad move if SG had removed the cash prize bonus pick entirely and either paid that value through the reels or swapped it for a different idea.

Still, the strengths shine brighter than the weaknesses like a Goa’uld hand device, and there’s plenty of Stargate-flavored fun throughout. Using consecutive cascades to unlock bonuses isn’t a new concept, having appeared in titles as varied as Reel King Megaways. Here it fits nicely, especially with the trail curling around the Stargate. Reaching segments 7, 8, or 9 isn’t simple, but it’s also not as daunting as it first seems. Along the way, the occasional modifiers and cascade streaks keep things lively, and dialing in the right symbols can produce strong returns, capped at €250,000, or 25,000 times the max bet.

It’s wild to remember that Stargate the movie arrived in 1994, almost 30 years before this online slot appeared. Clearly, something about the Stargate franchise resonated with a lot of people. Was it the thrill of exploration, the comfort of believing we aren’t alone in a cold dark universe, the chance to visit a new planet each week with SG1, even if many of them looked like Canada where the series was partly filmed? Whatever the x-factor is, SG Digital has captured much of that magic on the reels in their branded slot. It may have a few imperfections, but fans should have no trouble looking past them and enjoying the ride.