The Ruby Megaways: Slot Overview

When it comes to building Megaways slots, iSoftBet can feel a bit like Jekyll and Hyde, probably because different internal teams take on different titles. At their best, they deliver stunning engine-driven games with top-tier presentation and features or mechanics you don’t often see elsewhere. At the other end of the spectrum sits The Ruby Megaways, a Megaways rework of their 2018 game The Ruby. On its own, it can still appeal to players looking for a retro-style experience on a bigger Megaways framework. The issue is that it’s essentially a re-skin of Shining King Megaways, which itself mirrored Majestic Megaways, iSoftBet’s second outing with the engine. That leaves a slot that’s hard to get excited about, even though the stats and play are perfectly respectable.

If you haven’t tried an iSoftBet Megaways title before (and haven’t seen what their effects team can do), you might assume the studio is still searching for a distinct style. The visuals are fairly plain—though the glittering backdrop is nice—and most of the imagery feels overly familiar. Even the music, a subdued organ-led tune, is so relaxed it barely registers. Overall, it’s an acceptable look for classic slot fans, but there’s little in The Ruby Megaways’ audio or visuals that truly stands out.

On the numbers side, things look better, beginning with an above-average RTP of 96.11% in default mode, which increases to 96.86% when the feature buy is used. The potential is big, as you’d expect, and volatility sits in the medium/high range. The Ruby Megaways is quite capable of grinding down a bankroll before delivering a stronger burst later, typically during the bonus action.

You can play from 20 p/c to $/€20 per spin, with action unfolding on a standard 6-reel Megaways setup where each reel can show up to 7 symbols. There’s also a horizontal bonus reel above the main grid containing 4 extra symbol positions. Because the symbol count changes every spin, the game offers between 324 to 117,649 ways to win. Wins land when three or more matching symbols connect left to right starting from the first reel.

Symbol-wise, it’s largely a collection of classic, long-used slot staples. Low-value icons include bars, double bars, triple bars, cherries, blue sevens, and red sevens. Higher-paying symbols are bells, coin bags, a dollar sign, and a large sparkling ruby. A six-of-a-kind with one of these premium symbols pays between 2 to 50 times the stake. It’s also worth noting the ruby pays for two of a kind, though it doesn’t show up often. Rounding out the set is the wild, which appears only on the top bonus reel. Wilds replace all symbols except the bonus.

The Ruby Megaways: Slot Features

Don’t go into The Ruby Megaways expecting cutting-edge innovation. The feature set is the familiar Megaways mix: cascades, mystery symbols, free spins with multipliers, plus a bonus buy option.

Cascades are a natural fit for Megaways and activate after every win. Winning symbols disappear, then new symbols drop in to fill the empty spaces. This can create back-to-back wins, and the chain continues until no further wins are formed.

Watch for Mystery symbols, which can appear at random with a question mark. When they land, they all change into the same matching symbol—anything except the wild or bonus.

The main goal is landing 4 or more scatter symbols anywhere to enter the free spins feature – 4 scatters gives 12 spins, and each extra bonus symbol adds +5 free spins up to a maximum of 27. In the bonus, scatters only show on the top horizontal reel, where seeing 3 or 4 awards an extra 5 or 10 free spins. A win multiplier also comes into play during free spins, starting at x1 and increasing by 1 after each cascading win, with no cap.

If you don’t want to rely on luck to reach the free spins round, you can use the The Ruby Bet option. It costs 75 times the total bet, triggers free spins instantly, and increases the RTP to 96.86%.

The Ruby Megaways: Slot Verdict

While playing The Ruby Megaways, it’s hard to shake the sense that it didn’t really need to exist—why rework Majestic Megaways into a fruity/classic theme when you already did something so similar not long ago? Everything here feels like a repeat of Shining King Megaways, from the stats and features to the overall theme. iSoftBet has shown what they can do with Megaways when they’re fully invested, as with Moriarty Megaways, but The Ruby Megaways feels more like a quota-filler handled by a secondary team, missing that spark.

Judged on its own merits, though, the gameplay is solid Megaways entertainment, and the classic fruit approach is executed competently. If this is the style you enjoy, it should deliver enough to keep you playing. The feature package balances base game action with bonus elements nicely, and the free spins can get as intense as any progressive-multiplier slot. As with Majestic Megaways, that means potential up to 35,000 times the bet is on the table. If you’re mainly after big numbers in a Vegas-like setting on a Megaways grid, it’s as viable as many alternatives.

That said, The Ruby Megaways rarely feels like high-energy play (unless the wins are flowing). The understated soundtrack and old-school visuals don’t add much, and the overall cool tone makes it better for a laid-back session than something truly immersive. Even with a couple of positives, it’s difficult not to finish with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Since iSoftBet has already done this kind of thing before, there aren’t many strong reasons to choose this obvious copy-and-paste effort.