Fruit Shop Megaways Demo
Fruit Shop Megaways Slot Review
After indulging in delicious, mouth-watering fruits in the original Fruit Shop release, NetEnt returns to our screens with another juicy concoction of fruits in Fruit Shop Megaways, under licence from Big Time Gaming.
The original Fruit Shop was released over 10 years ago, at the time of this release, offering a sequence of classic aesthetics and big wins that were ripe for the picking. In Fruit Shop Megaways, Netent has selected BTG’s popular Megaways mechanic as the beating heart of this release, allowing up to 117,649 ways to win to fill the reels during spins.
Thematically, Fruit Shop Megaways reveals a fairly standard backdrop, classic fruit symbols, and bursts of colour. On the outside, this game gives little away, but once you peel back its layers, you’ll find varying Ways to win and a single Free Spins mode.
With a fixed RTP of 96.06% and a high volatility score, Fruit Shop Megaways can produce a 20,000x max win potential, but will it continue to bear fruit? Join us as we pull apart the game’s exterior to reveal the juicy centre of gameplay!
Base Game & Features
Fruit Shop Megaways is the second release of the ‘Fruit Shop’ family, consisting of 6 reels, varying rows, and up to 117,649 ways to win. Winning combinations are established when 3 or more matching symbols land from left to right, starting from reel 1.
The highest-paying symbol falls to Cherries, followed by plums, lemons, oranges, watermelon, and A, J, Q, J, 10, & 9 card suits. In addition, the game is equipped with Wild symbols on reels 2-5, which substitute for all paytable symbols.
Although a Megaways title, this game does not facilitate Cascading Reels, nor does it inhabit an additional Sliding Reel of any kind. If this is something you typically look for in a Megaways slot, you’ll find a variety of promising Megaways Slots with these attributes across our site.
Fruit Shop Megaways Free Spins
Triggering the game’s Free Spins mode requires a connection of any high-paying symbol in the base game, which also establishes how many triggering Free Spins you will receive:
- 2 Cherries: Award 1 Free Spin
- 3-of-a-kind high-paying symbol: 2 Free Spins
- 4-of-a-kind high-paying symbol: 3 Free Spins
- 5-of-a-kind high-paying symbol: 5 Free Spins
- 6-of-a-kind high-paying symbol: 5 Free Spins
During this mode, the Global Multiplier begins at x1, which increases by +x1 each time a winning combination triggers, up to a maximum of x10. Additionally, extra Free Spins can be awarded by obtaining low-paying wins during spins:
- 3-of-a-kind low-paying symbol: Awards +1 Free Spin
- 4-of-a-kind low-paying symbol: Awards +2 Free Spins
- 5-of-a-kind low-paying symbol: Awards +3 Free Spins
- 6-of-a-kind low-paying symbol: Awards +4 Free Spins
Our Honest Verdict
After meddling in Fruit Shop Megaways, we found it to be strange yet oddly alluring at the same time. This, in part, is down to the unique set of mechanics and features that is available throughout gameplay, particularly in the Free Spins mode.
With the addition of Big Time Gaming’s impactful Megaways mechanic, this release is certainly a rewarding sequel to an already exclusive release from NetEnt. After such a compelling experience with the original release, there’s no denying how intriguing players will find Fruit Shop Megaways.
Although NetEnt have completely disregarded the Cascading Reels feature, which may or may not be a deal-breaker for big win chasers; however, its missing traits are quickly replaced by a unique Free Spins trigger, a global multiplier, and 20,000x in max win potential.
Our only dispute with the way the Free Spins mode triggers is the number of guaranteed Free Spins per winning combination. If you’re only able to connect 3 of the same high-paying symbols, you’ll only benefit from a single Free Spin, and we can’t imagine a lot is going to happen in that spin, do you?
Interestingly, a number of extra Free Spins can be applied when a winning connection of low-paying symbols occurs on the reels during this time, but again, the awarded amount is limited to 1, 2, 3, or 4.
Statistically, big win payouts of up to 20,000x your bet are on the cards if you’re willing to pick the juiciest fruits, but you may come across a few rotten ones along the way.
All in all, Fruit Shop Megaways is a boastful continuation of the original release, with the welcoming addition of the Megaways mechanic, but it lacks the innovation needed to make it a top-tier offering from NetEnt.
*The images found in this slot review are currently from Demo Play. On average, our reviews are written prior to the initial release date and before real play is available.
