Power of Thor Megaways

Power of Thor Megaways Review

Power of Thor Megaways from Pragmatic Play is an epic rendition of the Megaways brand. Thor’s thundering Hammer Mjölnir smashes wilds down into the reels, in the hope of creating Godlike wins. Set in an original Megaways format with up to 117,469 ways to win amidst the serene mountain landscapes of Midgard in the base game, we are moved to Muspelheim, the world of fire, as the heat builds up in the free games.

Read on for the full review.

SLOT FEATURES	Free Games, Increasing Multipliers, Buy Bonus*
RELEASE DATE	1st April 2021
GAME PROVIDER	Pragmatic Play
SLOT TYPE	Video Slot
THEME	Nordic Lore
REELS, ROWS, PAYLINES	6 reels, up to 7 rows, up to 117,649 ways
BET LEVELS	0.20/100
MAXIMUM WIN	x5000
SCATTER SYMBOL	Yes – T.H.O.R. Letters
WILD SYMBOL	Yes – LOGO
BONUS GAME	No
FREE SPINS	Yes
RESPINS	No
MULTIPLIERS	Yes
JACKPOT	No
RETURN TO PLAYER	96.55%
VOLATILITY	Very High

Features

Thor’s Hammer Feature:

When the Hammer lands in full view in the horizontal reel above the main reels, all symbols on the reels beneath are changed to wilds. If Thor’s Hammer lands during the free games (and depending on where it lands), it moves to its left and repeats the process on the next tumble, after wins from the added wilds are calculated.

Free Games Feature:

Win 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, or 30 free games for 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 Scatters respectively. During the free games, each tumble increases the win multiplier by 1. Any 3 scatters in a single spin award four additional free spins.

Playability

Gameplay is tight and well-choreographed. Power of Thor Megaways has a nice, snappy reel-spin with no delays; a solid math model built on a winning formula; intuitive features and a few surprises. Typically, Pragmatic Play scores low in the originality department and, with the Megaways brand and mechanic licensed from BTG, as well as elements of Blueprint games, this game seems to fit that bill. All except the Thor’s Hammer feature. This feature is not only unique, but it also compliments the Megaways mechanic extremely well. Congratulations, Pragmatic!

In this slot, as with all Megaways games from Bonanza until now, the feature hit rate is steep. Be prepared to sit for the long haul if you’re hoping to see either of the game’s features. Having said that, you can use the Buy Bonus feature at a cost of 100x your bet in jurisdictions that allow it.*

_{*Not available in the UK.}

Akin to many games from Blueprint, the free games feature includes a double-up style free game builder where you can risk the initial number of free games you’re awarded for more (up to 22 free games). There is one caveat, though… “Gambling can result in no free spins”. Yes, unfortunately it is possible to win zero spins (as there is no safety net), so tread carefully. This is the case for naturally triggered features as well as bought ones and, for a 100x purchase, it’s quite nasty to have your purchase forfeited.

For those willing to take the chance, in this and any other game where there is an increasing win multiplier, additional free games and retriggers become more valuable than in a game with only a static multiplier. Additional free games utilise the compounded win multiplier built up in the previous free games, whereas other games merely add more rounds to play out.

Although Pragmatic had not published its hit rates when this review was written, the game feels very similar to Bonanza.

• WIN HIT: 1 in 4 (estimated)
• FEATURE HIT: 1 in 450 (estimated)

Paytable Review

Both the increasing free game win multiplier and Thor’s Hammer features are, individually, incredibly hungry features. When coupled together, they consume a considerable amount of RTP. For the purposes of comparison, Bonanza’s feature hit rate was pushed to 1 in approximately 450 to afford the increasing win multiplier, which is already quite high. Whereas Power of Thor Megaways has the added awesomeness of the Thor’s Hammer feature to consider.

To make it come together, Pragmatic has shaved Bonanza’s paytable a little to afford the Thor’s Hammer feature. In each prize set, one or two prizes have been adjusted down from Bonanza. In comparison, Thor has 73% of prizes at bet or less, while Bonanza has 68%. In saying this, as most wins are coinciding and its variable ways muddles individual wins, the reduced paytable is hardly noticeable.

I am confident Pragmatic intended it to occur more frequently but the opportunity cost to the paytable would have been too great.

Player Profile

Definitely not a game for the feint-hearted, Power of Thor Megaways is intended for the avid player looking for a serious play experience.

Audio

The music and fx are as epic as one would expect from a volatile, Nordic-themed game. However, the ambient music is extremely loud and overpowers all game sounds. In fact, it is so loud that playability is reduced. You can mute the ambient music (which leaves only the game sounds) and this helps in the base game but, unfortunately, it also mutes the feature music, leaving the experience somewhat empty. Overwhelming ambient audio seems to be a common trait of Pragmatic Play games.

The background effects include some wildlife such as birds, crickets and a fly of all things. Not sure how the fly buzzing around is meant to immerse players when flies by nature are annoying.

The Glory Spin

This game does not have a glory spin. Big wins occur frequently as the free game multiplier builds up. Sure, the game states a max win of 5,000x but, as the free games feature can retrigger and the unlimited win multiplier is theoretically infinite, the max win is capped to contain the game’s exposure to £500,000 and that is ultimately determined by the max bet of £100. The game ends the round if this value is reached, and any remaining free games are also forfeit.

Delights and Surprises

• Thor’s Hammer is certainly a delight. It throws wilds onto the reels directly beneath it and, considering it is 2 reels wide, this makes for some tidy wins. The number of wilds per reel is determined by the size of the reel when the reels stopped. That is, if the reel stopped with 6 symbols, then 6 wilds are awarded.
• To sweeten the deal, unlike regular symbols which are removed after a win, Thor’s Hammer remains. On certain wins, if the symbols to the left of Thor’s Hammer are removed as part of a win, Thor’s Hammer becomes part of the tumble, sliding across to the left to fill the empty position(s) and repeating the feature. It is possible for Thor’s Hammer to land above reels 4-5, slide across to 3-4, then on to reels 2-3.
• Pragmatic has included a variable triggering spin in the Bonus Buy, meaning you could get more than the minimum trigger from a Buy Bonus. This improves integrity as the mathematicians have taken the variable free game mechanic into account in the Buy Bonus feature.
• The little runic emphasis on the winning royals before they smash in a tumble is a nice, subtle attention to detail.

Shortcomings

• The capped 5,000x max win could have been 10,000x if the max bet was reduced to £50.
• Bought free games award 10, 14, 18 or 22 free games. Winning 26 or 30 free games is only available through a natural trigger.
• Thor’s Hammer feature does not trigger if the hammer symbol is partially visible. This leaves a bit of a bitter taste when a partial Hammer lands.
• No safety net in the free games double-up. This is quite a brutal outcome in a game with such a high feature hit rate and equally brutal in a 100x Buy Bonus.
• The dreaded artefact glitch is present where objects outside the border of a symbol suddenly appear as the reel stops and disappears when the reel starts. In this case it’s the character hair and headpieces appearing above the symbol.
• When the word ‘Lose’ appears when the free games are forfeited in the gamble feature. This is completely unnecessary.

Conclusion

Wow, what a game! The game itself is a surprise from Pragmatic Play. It has stunning visuals, solid gameplay, lots of high paced action, and a few encouraging remarks from Thor himself. Aside from a few little shortcomings, there’s little to fault in this game. Although the feature hit rate is inherently high, players have come to expect a little pain from any Megaways game. Pragmatic may have even put the thinking cap on and come up with a new feature that actually stands out. Lots of fun to play.

Power of Thor Megaways gets 78 Spins out of 100 based on the following ratings:

PLAYABILITY	90
ORIGINALITY	50
BUILD QUALITY	90
MARRIAGE	95
IMMERSION	80
RUN FOR MONEY	60
INTEGRITY	80
TOTAL	78