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18 June 2024 
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways Slot Review 2021
Get yourself in the party spirit, Santa and his crew are throwing a party and we’re on the guest list in Santa’s Big Bash Megaways by Iron Dog Studios!
The build up to Christmas has been a little stressful for Santa and his Elves, so they’ve decided to take the night off and throw one hell of a party, and we’re invited!
We’ve seen the sensible side of Santa portrayed many times through various forms of media over the years, and a fair few Slots themselves even keeps to the script with their rendition of a man on a mission. In Santa’s Big Bash Megaways it’s time to see the big man himself absolutely ruined, and we can’t wait to see the carnage.
What would Santa drink, do you think? Milk with a side of biscuits is usually the accepted norm, but we’ll bet that he’s partial to a Newcastle Brown Ale and a Donner Kebab after a mulled wine or two. The thought of Santa flying around the world to deliver presents might warm the hearts of children, but we’ve long since lost our innocence so we’ll imagine in wonderment at the thought of Santa absolutely hanging instead.
Amusing imaginings of an immature adult aside, Iron Dog Studios has won our hearts before with slot titles like Megaways Jack, Rock the Reels Megaways and 1 Million Megaways BC, so has Santa’s Big Bash Megaways got what it takes to steal the limelight? Let’s eat, drink and play on to find out!
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways Theme
Santa’s Big Bash gives you the classic christmasy feel with a roaring fireplace and a decorated tree, but the backdrop and the empty bottles strewn across the floor suggests that Santa is busy getting absolutely hammered, and the change of scenery in Free Spins all but confirms it.
In the Free Spins the scenery changes to show even more bottles, the lantern is smashed, the shelves are wonky and the tree is on the floor. Absolute disaster, or perhaps a great evening? Touché Santa, you know how to party.
Overall, the theme for Santa’s Big Bash Megaways is pretty self explanatory, but the shift from a scenic and responsible Christmas evening to one where Santa is enjoying the festivities inebriated is certainly comical. They didn’t call it Santa’s Big Bash Megaways for nothing, after all.
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways Betting and Symbols
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways has a variety of betting options for players to choose from. For those who prefer a lower stake, the minimum bet available is £0.20 per spin. For those who prefer a higher stake, the maximum bet available is £50 per spin, with plenty of options in between the two.
The highest paying regular symbol in Santa’s Big Bash Megaways is Santa, followed by the Jester, Scrooge, the Gingerbread Man and the Elf. Lower paying symbols are standard Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten.
Wild symbols substitute for all symbols except Magic Baubles.
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways Base Game and Features
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways is a 6 reel slot with up to 117,649 ways to win. To form a win you will need to connect 3 or more (or 2 or more of the highest paying symbol) from left to right, starting from the left-most reel.
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways features Tumbling Reels. If a winning combination is formed, the winning symbols will disappear and new symbols will tumble down in their place, filling all the gaps.
Santa’s Big Bash is standard business really. Anyone who’s familiar with the Megaways mechanic will instantly know how it works. However, Iron Dog Studios do like to put their own twist on things, which is where a feature akin to the one seen in Megaways Jack comes into play.
Magic Baubles
During the base game, Magic Baubles can appear on any of the reels, only during Tumbles.
The maximum amount of Magic Baubles that can land at any one time is 3.
Each Magic Bauble symbol will activate between 1 and 3 Bauble positions on the Christmas Tree.
Once the Magic Baubles take their positions on the Christmas Tree, all Magic Bauble symbols will be removed from the reels, allowing other symbols to tumble in their place.
All positons that are achieved on the Christmas Tree, will reset for the next spin.
Rudie the Reindeer
During any random spin in the base game, Rudie the Reindeer can jump out and award any of the following.
- Between 2 and 4 additional Wilds during tumbles.
- Up to 3 positions on the Christmas Tree.
- 1 Re-spin, without losing your position on the Christmas Tree.
During Free Spins, Rudie the Reindeer can award any of the following.
- Between 2 and 4 additional Wilds during tumbles.
- Up to 4 additional Free Spins.
- Locked reels to a height of 7 symbols.
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways Free Spins
Activating a minimum of 8 Bauble positions on the Christmas Tree, awards 8 Free Spins. Each consecutive win after this position will activate an additional Bauble position. Rudie the Reindeer and Magic Baubles may also help you climb your way to Free Spins.
- 8 Baubles – Awards 8 Free Spins
- 9 Baubles – Awards 9 Free Spins
- 10 Baubles – Awards 10 Free Spins and a starting Multiplier of x2.
- 11 Buables – Awards 11 Free Spins and a starting Multiplier of x2.
- 12 Baubles – Awards 12 Free Spins and a starting Multiplier of x3.
- 13 Baubles – Awards 12 Free Spins, a starting Multiplier of x3 and an increased chance of Rudie the Reindeer making an appearance.
During Free Spins, reels that land 7 symbols high will lock at that number of ways and remain like this for the duration of Free Spins. Locking a reel awards +1 additional Multiplier.
On the final Free Spin, locking any reels will award +1 Free Spin that can also retrigger.
Additonal Free Spins can be reached by landing consecutive wins. A minimum of 4 tumbles are needed to trigger an additional +2 Free Spins. Each consecutive win after 4 tumbles, awards +1 Free Spin, up to a maximum of +4 Free Spins.
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways Bonus Buy
For those outside the UK, you may benefit from a Bonus Buy option.
- 6 Free Spins – Costs 70x your total bet – 96.15% RTP.
- 8 Free Spins – Costs 100x your total bet- 96.03% RTP.
- 9 Free Spins – Costs 130x your total bet – 96.03% RTP.
- 10 Free Spins and a x2 Multiplier – Costs 150x your total bet – 96.17% RTP.
- 11 Free Spins and a x2 Multiplier – Costs 180x your total bet – 96.08% RTP.
- 12 Free Spins and a x3 Multiplier – Costs 210x your total bet – 96.00% RTP.
- 13 Free Spins, a x3 Multiplier and more Rudie events – Costs 250x your total bet – 96.23% RTP
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways Our Verdict
Santa’s Big Bash Megaways is a good showing from a provider who always does the Megaways genre justice, but as is the nature with Christmas games, the longevity isn’t there.
We think Santa’s Big Bash Megaways has all of the right stuff to remain in the minds of players for next year, but overall it’s nothing too groundbreaking. Like Megaways Jack, the road to Free Spins can feel like an impossible task, so you’ll need a fair amount of input from Rudy the Reindeer and the Magic Baubles if you’re to get there.
Even we haven’t really made up our mind about this road to achieving a bonus yet. One one hand, absences of Scatter Symbols from the Reels can only have a positive effect on Base Game potential due to more room for other symbols, but on the other hand, consecutive wins, baubles and a lucky reindeer does feel like a tall order at times. At least you’re not battling your way up the tree for nothing we suppose, there are different levels of bonuses depending on how many cascades ensue, with multipliers and more spins available for the higher levels.
Those outside of the UK will be impressed with the bonus buy options available here, and the implementation of their Bonus Upgrader option will undoubtedly be popular. Sadly, this isn’t an option for UK players, so if you’re from the UK you’ll have to climb that tree for a bonus.
Potential wise, Santa’s Big Bash Megaways looks solid in both RTP and win capability at 96.04% and 25,000x respectively. We do wonder if Santa’s Big Bash Megaways could realistically reach the maximum win value stated…probably not, but it’s ability to perform well is without question.
Overall, we were certainly impressed with the premise of Santa’s Big Bash Megaways and how Iron Dog Studios have pieced it all together.
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