RTP 96.54%
Min bet $0.20
Max bet $20
Max Win bet x 600
Popularity Low
Min bet $0.20
Max bet $20
Max Win bet x 600
Gamble Feature Cascading reels, Expanding reels, Freespins, Multiplier wilds, Non standard reels
Layout 4x4
Devices Support all devices
Configurable Winlines No
Volatility Medium
Progressive Jackpot No
See the world’s first Megaclusters slot. Break down the big squares and you’ll end up with a 16 times larger playfield.
Star Clusters Megaclusters is a slot with a name only a mother could love. Released in June of 2020 by BTG, it is the first-ever slot with the Megaclusters mechanic.
Big Time Gaming has always been an innovative developer. Their biggest creation was the popular Megaways mechanic and now they have come up with Megaclusters. The similar name is a little giveaway to how this feature works. The layout of the game constantly changes, but this time we are playing on a grid.
I am a fan of new things and always like to try out the games that have something new to offer. That is the reason why I instantly checked out Star Clusters the moment I saw it. Now the big question is, is the game actually good, or is it just novel?
Star Clusters Megaclusters is a mixed bag. On one hand, you have some neat design choices and a cool minimalistic style, but on the other, you have an archaic user interface and the same audio issues that BTG has had for years.
First of all, I would love to see that Big Time Gaming would do a complete overhaul on their user interfaces on all their games. NetEnt has done it, so why couldn’t BTG? The design, style and placement of the buttons is something that was fine in 2014, but not in 2020.
It’s not all doom and gloom here, don’t worry. The actual style of the slot is pretty cool. They went with a funky retro-futuristic style that emanates from the 1970s. The vibrant colours and gold trims mixed with a good beat and flashy effects look cool. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but it works.
The sounds, and especially the music, have some issues once again. Like in many BTG’s slots, the music stops between each spin. This time it is particularly notable because the music has a steady and loud beat. It sounds like a record skipping even if you play with the auto spin option.
The grid in Star Clusters is full of different kinds of jewels in all shapes and colours. I wouldn’t blame you if the first thing that came to mind when you saw Star Clusters was Bejeweled.
The game has seven regular jewels and two special symbols. Both of them are wilds but only one will increase your multiplier. The wilds are fairly easy to tell apart, but the jewels are not that cut and dry. Especially when the squares get smaller, it becomes quite difficult to tell where you have a winning cluster. Luckily you don’t need to pick them manually, because I would have missed so many.
This is a cluster game, which means that you win by getting the same kind of jewels next to each other in any direction. If you have at least five of the same symbol touching, you get a win.
Star Clusters Megaclusters is all about chain reactions, or just Reactions, as the slot calls them. Every time you win something, the winning squares are removed and new jewels fill the empty spaces.
To win big, you need to get multiple hits on a single spin and hopefully get your multiplier up. Your multiplier will grow if the golden star wild is a part of any winning combination. Each star will increase it by one and there is no limit on how big it can get.
The game has medium volatility, which makes it feel more balanced. I do like that everything is based on Reactions, which means you don’t need to get some rare symbol on the reels to start a special feature. All you need to do is get a good chain going and you’ll end up winning. That is something I enjoy in a slot.
Megaclusters is a clever mechanic, which will increase the amount of squares in the game. You start the game with a 4×4 grid that can grow. Each winning square will be split down into four smaller squares. In the base game, you can quadruple the amount from 16 to 64.
The fun part starts when you get to the free spins. There you will start with 64 squares and can split them up again ending up with a whopping 256 square grid.
Wins can really pile up in Star Clusters. Every time you win, the squares in that cluster will be destroyed and new symbols are dropped in their place. Big squares are replaced by four smaller ones and small ones will fall down to fill any gaps. The game calls this a Reaction. After the board is filled up again, the game checks if you have any new wins and the cycle starts again.
The Free Spins feature works a bit differently here than normal. Here, you don’t need any special symbols to activate it, you just need to get enough Reactions. If you chain up at least five wins, you get 2 free spins. Every Reaction beyond the five is worth an extra spin.
Free Spin feature starts with the same multiplier you earned during the base game. Now you want to increase it more than ever, because every increase after 10x multiplier will give you more free spins. Each golden star after that point is worth 2 spins.
You will start the feature on a new 8×8 grid, which can then split up once more. The maximum amount of squares is now 256.
Bonus type: No Deposit, Low Wagering, Free Play, Sign Up, Free Money, Welcome Bonus, Registration
Min Deposit: No Deposit
Bonus type: Coupon, Code, Welcome Bonus, Registration, Sign Up, Deposit Bonus, First Deposit Bonus
Min Deposit: $10
Wagering: 60x
When I first saw that BTG had released a new slot with a completely new mechanic, I needed to check it out immediately. I know that this developer can come up with great ideas and I wanted to be there to experience it from the ground level.
What we got is a nice idea, but an unpolished product. This slot is absolutely worth a try, but I doubt that this particular Megaclusters slot is the one that people will remember.
Oh, and I still hate the fact that you can’t speed up BTG’s games by clicking on them. This game screams speed, but it will make you sit there patiently and watch every symbol fall and wait until the game counts up your big win.
I can’t wait for BTG to license out Megaclusters the same way they do with Megaways. Then we might see a truly great and polished Megaclusters game. And for Star Clusters, the mechanics are great, but I doubt that I will end up playing this one for much longer.
