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The world as we know it is filled with trends that are constantly changing and adapting, the same can be said for online slots as well. Developers and the brains behind these games are working hard to bring out the next big thing with some having monumental success.
Whilst it can be said that a select amount of players love to stick to what they know, there are those who long for something fresh. Ultimately, this is why the creators of online slots are diligently working to develop something original and create the newest trend in the industry.
With so many online slots, it can be hard to keep up with the latest trends but that’s exactly where the lovely team at Slot Gods come in. As one of the leading sources of independent bias-free online slot reviews, Slot Gods have reviewed just over 1,000 slots and keep up to date with all the newest trends and latest releases.
Discover what’s trending right now within the world of online slots…
Megaclusters: The next Megaways?
Once upon a time, Megaways was a fresh mechanic that literally changed the world of online slots. It transformed paylines from basic numbers to unimaginable heights with up to 117,649 ways to win.
Big Time Gaming developed the mechanic in 2016 and debuted it with Dragon Born Megaways.
Fast-forward five years later and you’ll find hundreds of slots using Megaways – so much so that it’s become a staple within the community.
However, this stability of Megaways has led the mechanic to be associated as a lazy upgrade to some slots with players wanting something new. This is exactly why Big Time Gaming has tried its hand at improving the Cluster Pays mechanic through Megaclusters.
Ultimately, these slots break down winning clusters into smaller symbols to increase the number of ways to win. They start on a grid of 4×4 but can increase to a whopping 16×16 grid with 256 symbols. Not only does gameplay look visually stunning, but it’s also fairly simple to follow.
So far, there have only been three Megaclusters slots but more are scheduled for release by year end. It’s easy to imagine many Cluster Pays slots getting a Megaclusters upgrade or famous slot franchises gaining their own Megaclusters spin-off. Megaclusters is a trend that’s only going to grow and is one of the key mechanics to look out for in 2022.
Unlimited possibilities with Infinity Reels
Whilst Big Time Gaming has been dominating the online slot world with Megaways, ReelPlay has been developing its own unique mechanics. ReelPlay has tried its hand with Radial Reels and 10K Ways, but so far with little success.
This all changed after ReelPlay released the ingenious Infinity Reels. It all began with El Dorado Infinity Reels which gave players the chance to expand the reels with each win. The mechanic continually adds another reel until there are no more wins, meaning the reels, quite literally, are infinite!
Infinity Reels have been in such demand that other developers are even partnering with ReelPlay in order to gain access to the mechanic. In December 2020, ReelPlay joined Yggdrasil’s Masters programme to accelerate distribution and launched a multitude of Infinity Reels slots under its umbrella.
This is only the beginning as many other studios are acquiring the IP rights to Infinity Reels, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it grow even more in 2022.
The rise of respins
It’s common to find staple features such as free spins in online slots, but this is steadily changing. Many developers are incorporating respin mechanics instead which became popular with the success of Relax Gaming’s Money Train 2 Respin feature.
Since then, many different types of respins have cropped up with developers having branded mechanics, such as Pragmatic Play’s Hold and Spin and Microgaming’s Link & Win. Some slots are even scrapping free spins in favour of the respin mechanic.
That’s not to say that respin mechanics are an entirely new concept, but it’s certainly being tweaked to feel more original – especially with fixed jackpots attached to some slots such as the case with Wazdan’s Hold the Jackpot respin mechanic.
The respin mechanic feels more rewarding to players as there’s no set amount of respins and they are easier to retrigger than free spins. It wouldn’t come as a shock to see free spins integrated with respins in the near future, but for now – it’s all about the respin mechanic.
Dazzling Bonus Reels
Ever wanted to just play the bonus feature on a slot? With Bonus Reels, players are given the chance to just jump straight to the thrilling special feature instead of the base game. No longer will players have to wait and spend hours playing just to trigger one feature.
There has only been one example of this so far with Money Cart 2 by Relax Gaming. Ultimately, this is the bonus feature from the Money Train 2 slot but without the base game. It literally revolves around a single bonus feature with no standard symbols during the gameplay, instead featuring blank spaces and bonus symbols.
Amazingly, Money Cart 2 became such a success amongst players that Relax Gaming decided to release another Bonus Reel slot, confusingly titled, Money Cart (yes, the prequel was released after the sequel!), which was also based on the original Money Train.
For the next year, we could easily see other developers jumping on the bandwagon as Money Train 2 has proven popular with YouTubers and streamers as it just looks more exciting to play. So watch this space, as Bonus Reels could soon be the biggest trend within the online slot world.
