8 Golden Skulls of Holly Roger Megaways Slot Machine: Review & Demo
Microgaming plans on releasing a series of new Megaways slots in 2021, and one of those titles will be called 8 Golden Skulls of Holly Roger. This is an exclusive release, offered by an independent studio called Buck Stakes Entertainment, and it appears to be the first game that they’re designing for Microgaming’s slot sites. With a pirate theme, and a combination of features that you can get from other titles as well, I think it will make a good impression nonetheless.
6 reels can have as many as 117,649 ways to win each round. It’s a sign of a Megaways slot that relies on the established format, and you will find that its features provide you with a mix of options that are often found together (scatters, Firepot jackpot, free spins with multiplier, mystery symbols). Wins of 6,000x the stake are possible based on the Firepot Jackpot alone, but there is potential for more as well. RTP is very good, at 96.86%.
Betting and Prizes
You are allowed to spend whatever amount you want, from the range of $0.20 to $20 that the slot allows.
As for the rewards that you can claim, the base game’s Firepot Jackpot will pay up to 2,000x the stake ($40,000), while the free spins can apply multipliers and take it up to 6,000x ($120,000).
With regular wins of up to 60x the stake, and with both Megaways and multipliers helping out, the potential of 8 Golden Skulls of Holly Roger Megaways should be a lot higher. There is no word on how much the slot is allowed to pay.
I should also mention the game’s high volatility, along with the excellent RTP, which is 96.86%.
8 Golden Skulls of Holly Roger Megaways Slot Features
You play on a random number of Megaways/ways to win, up to 117,649 available each round, depending on how many symbols show up.
Once you form winning combinations in this new slot, via ways to win, you are going to trigger the Rolling Reels. This brings new symbols to replace winning ones, and then new combinations could form. This in turn triggers new Rolling Reels and keeps improving the round’s prizes.
You can get mystery symbols as well, taking the form of Treasure Chest symbols. As expected, these symbols are transformed, adding multiple regular symbols of the same type in their positions.
One other major feature, is the Firepot Jackpot. It’s easy to figure out, you just need 3 to 8 of those special Golden Skull scatters in view. In exchange, you win 1.5x to 2,000x the stake during regular spins. If you’re in free spins mode, the available multiplier applies, and prizes could reach 6,000x then.
The final feature consists of free spins, as many as 30 of them available, along with 1x to 3x multipliers. Get 4+ Diamonds in view, and you get to find out what the feature will look like for you, following a spin of a special Bonus Wheel. With another set of scatters landing, you can get extra free spins, 4 to 10 more in exchange for 3 to 6 scatters.
Theme & Design
Even though it’s a game with a very common pirate theme, 8 Golden Skulls of Holly Roger Megaways has something to make it different. I’m referring to its use of an all-female pirate crew. The five top paying symbols are the ones showing us these ladies, while the other five have the 10 to A Royals as logos. Diamonds, Golden Skulls and Treasure Chests are the feature symbols. It’s well designed, but then so are most games which have pirates and treasures as their focus.
Conclusion
I think that 8 Golden Skulls of Holly Roger Megaways has decent potential, to become a well-liked slot machine at Microgaming casinos, especially as those don’t have a lot of Megaways options right now.
