Please keep in mind that this evaluation is based on an imperfect version of Strike it Gold Win Ways available through early access. When the game is complete, we will update this review.
It’s hardly breaking news to state that a lot of ‘imitation’ occurs in iGaming. When one studio comes out with a groundbreaking concept, others try to cash in on the fad without being too obviously derivative. Of course, copyright violations are not limited to the gambling industry. Compare and contrast Battlestar Galactica with Star Wars, Dyson with Hoover, Apple with Microsoft, the music business as a whole with Napster. However, there are moments when the ‘imitation’ is so striking that it makes you gasp. Novomatic, one of the gaming industry’s grandaddies, is responsible for today’s consternation with their obvious rip-off Strike it Gold Win Ways.
Tell us if you’ve heard this one before. A direct hit The gold mining-themed slot machine Gold Win Ways features 6 reels and a horizontal bonus reel with 4 symbols, for a total possible number of paylines of 64 to 117,649. Also, free spins with a multiplier that grows with each cascade can be triggered. Although there are some stylistic differences, the inspiration is clear. Similar to Big Time Gaming’s mega monster smash Bonanza, which served as the impetus for Megaways’ dominance, the game’s action takes place in a wooden gold mine set to a traditional Western score. To top it all off, Novomatic also went to the trouble of trademarking the name of their knock-off mechanism, which in itself is surprising enough, but the fact that they managed to register a trademark name as generic as ‘Win Ways’ is beyond shocking.
Bets start at £/€1 each spin and go up to £/€10 per spin, thus Strike it Gold Win Ways is neither a low-roller paradise nor a high-roller paradise. Technically speaking, the RTP is set at a default of 96.07%, however it might be lower depending on where you play. The volatility is also medium. The last statistic is hit frequency, and a rate of 37.94% indicates that victories will occur at a steady pace.
When at least three of a kind appear adjacently beginning with the first reel, every but one symbol type awards a payout. The most priced diamond is an exception. Two or more of these symbols will result in a payout. Six diamonds pays out at most 50 times the wager. After diamonds, there are three other high-paying jewels, and then the 9-A card royal flush completes the payout structure. Only the top reel features the wild keg symbol, which may replace any other symbol except the scatter.
Slot Features for “Strike it Gold, Win Ways”
If you’re already familiar with Bonanza, you won’t gain anything from reading this. Let’s run down the features of Strike it Gold Win Ways for posterity’s sake. Naturally, we’ll start with responses, since they’re so common. When a winning combination is found, it is removed from the board and new symbols cascade into its empty slots. Multiple wins can occur in a row on a single spin; the streak will stop if no other wins emerge.
Keep a watch out for the gold bars, as they serve as the scatter symbols and reward a whopping 12 free games when you get 4 of them anywhere on the reels. Above a total of four scatters, each additional scatter grants an additional five free games. During the bonus rounds, scatter symbols are restricted to the first tracker reel. If you obtain three scatters on the tracker, you’ll receive an additional five free spins; four scatters will net you ten free spins. The primary perk of free spins is the progressive win multiplier that is activated during them. Each time you have a winning reaction, the win multiplier will rise by 1.
Slot Game with Multiple Payout Ways to Win the Gold
The five dollar Rolex, Strike it Gold Win Ways, may be criticized in one of two ways: with disdain or with appreciation. Why didn’t Novomatic join the rest of the gambling industry and get licensed? It’s not like they ripped off some unknown time slot at the studio. If you want to learn everything there is to know about Big Time Gaming’s Megaways system, then you must play Bonanza. Nonetheless, if you’re going to imitate a machine, you may as well pick one that’s already a huge success. How long will Strike it Gold Win Ways last in the wild before it is shot down because of how similar it is to the original?
Second, you might try to put yourself in Novomatic’s shoes and show some compassion. I was wondering how many other slot machines on the market operate in a manner similar to Book of Ra. It must sting to see your child imitated over and over again. It’s a shame Novomatic missed the boat on this one. The studio could have tried to fix the problem, but by the time they did, the genie had long already been let out of the bottle. They would be going it alone against the competition. Perhaps some veteran gamblers are pleased to see Novomatic exact some measure of vengeance after being shortchanged for so long.
Someone came along and, like the Winklevoss twins, stole their concept and ran with it. To rub salt in the wound, by now virtually everyone has jumped on the Ra bandwagon as well. Novomatic, to their credit, had dealt with it like a Harvard graduate. Up until now, that is; they may be getting revenge by mimicking Bonanza. In fact, they think their Win Ways mechanism is so superior to Megaways that they went to the bother of trademarking it. It serves as a sobering reminder of how unclean the business world can be.
Whether or not Strike it Gold Win Ways is fun to play is beside the point. This is when things start to get exciting. Are the Aussie fighters going to allow their golden goose lay eggs without them getting a piece by standing by and letting a major player like Novomatic imitate Megaways, perhaps opening the gate for other less ethical developers to loot as well?
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