Powerways Slots

A. Antonova (editor)

Most casino fans are enamored of slots due to the fun and straightforward nature of these games. Reel spinners do not need to have some special skills or learn some complicated rules to play slots. They only have to place a bet, set the reels in motion, and keep their fingers crossed that identical symbols will land on a payline.

This game genre appeals to many casino fans as every slot features a unique theme that can grab the attention of any book lover, movie fan, music aficionado, and any other type of person. Despite the eclectic selection of themes, the playing process remains the same regardless of the slot you decide to test your luck on. After spending some time playing slots, you might grow bored and leave the casino, determined to find another source of entertainment to spend your money on.

In reality, casinos want to keep you engaged in the betting action for as long as possible. And it is not a secret that slots are among the games with the worst odds, which only means more profit for the house.

To keep players on the edge of their seats, game developers have incorporated various exciting bonus features in their slots. What is more, software companies have perfected the quality of the graphics to provide slot fans with a more immersive gambling experience, with every reputable slot developer even going the extra mile to ensure complete user satisfaction by optimizing their games for mobile use.

In 2015, the software company Big Time Gaming (BTG) introduced an innovative Megaways mechanic with its slot Dragon Born. While the slot did not enjoy great popularity among slot fans, BTG’s next Megaways launch, Bonanza, became an instant hit among slot fans. This set a brand-new trend for slot developers, with other providers also hopping on the Megaways train through exclusive partnerships with BTG. Determined to introduce a brand-new way of enjoying reel spinning, in 2021, Pragmatic Play introduced its first slot featuring the Powerways mechanic. However, Yum Yum Powerways by Pragmatic Play still has not garnered a lot of attention, which is the reason why there are still no other slots incorporating the unique Powerways mechanic.

How Does Powerways Work?

At the moment, there is only one slot that runs on the Powerways mechanic, so we can currently base our review on the feature only on Pragmatic Play’s Yum Yum Powerways. At first glance, we can say that it utilizes a 4×4 grid that is surrounded by 2 horizontal and 2 vertical reels, forming a 4-6-6-6-6-4 layout. The outer reels spin separately from the symbols on the inner grid in an anti-clockwise direction.

What is unique for the Powerways mechanic is that winning combos can be formed left to right, right to left, top to bottom, and bottom to top. An important condition to create a winning combo is that one of the winning symbols should appear on an outer reel. In other words, slot fans have to land 4 or more identical symbols, starting from any of the reels surrounding the inner 4×4 grid.

At first glance, even the most experienced slot fan can be confused by the Powerways mechanic. However, things are not so complicated. After all, slots are preferred games due to their straightforwardness, and software companies are aware of this. In a nutshell, the Powerways engine provides players with more ways to win as winning combos can be created in four different directions.

Yum Yum Powerways Slot

Yum Yum Powerways is an exciting food-themed slot that was released in September 2021. It is the first game that is based on the Powerways mechanic, offering players unique ways to land winning combos. The brain behind this innovative slot is the software provider Pragmatic Play. Hence, it is not surprising that the graphics are of superb quality, and the animations are smooth. The cartoonish design of the game adds extra character to it.

In the background, players can see the image of a pristine beach while a pink food truck that offers tasty food accommodates the grid. The fine-drawn symbols adorning the reels nicely complement the overall theme of the slot. The cheerful music playing in the background further contributes to the overall experience of the game.

Even though the food theme has been addressed on multiple occasions, Yum Yum Powerways is an attention-grabber thanks to the bright colors it features. The game is played on a grid that consists of 6 reels, where reels 1 and 6 have 4 rows and reels 2 to 5 have 6 rows. As mentioned above, the Powerways mechanic incorporated in this Pragmatic Play slot allows players to form winning combinations in all four directions.

Yum Yum Powerways has an RTP of 96.43%, which is slightly above average. It should be noted, however, that Pragmatic Play offers several RTP versions of the slot so you may come across an online casino featuring a lower-RTP version of Yum Yum Powerways. What is more, the slot sits at the high end of the volatility scale, which means that wins are less frequent, but can be significantly higher compared to payouts in low-volatility slots. Thanks to the Powerways mechanic it utilizes, this one-of-a-kind slot offers 16,384 ways to win. Yum Yum Powerways is the perfect game for slot enthusiasts who would like to test something fresh.

Symbols

The nicely designed symbols treat not only the eyes but also the bankroll. Players have to land 4 to 6 identical symbols on the reels to win a cash prize. The payout associated with the different symbols depends on the size of your bet. The payouts you will find in the lines below are for a $1 bet.

The highest-paying symbol is the hamburger. It comes with a payout of 1.5x the bet for 6-of-a-kind. If you land 6 symbols depicting a pizza slice, you will collect a payout of $0.90 for a $1 bet. The pasta symbol features a maximum payout of 0.6x the original stake, while the drumsticks and the taco symbols offer a maximum payout of 0.5x and 0.4x the original bet, respectively.

Each of the symbols depicting French Fries, a cheesecake, and a chocolate cake offers a maximum payout of 0.25x the bet for 6-of-a-kind. The lowest-paying symbols are the cream doughnut, the chocolate doughnut, and the avocado dip, each offering a maximum payout of 0.2x the total $1 stake.

Yum Yum Powerways slot does not lack special symbols, either. A meal platter performs the role of a wild symbol in the game. It substitutes for all symbols except for the scatter. The chef acts as a scatter symbol, triggering the free spins bonus feature. Both symbols can appear on all reels.

Bonus Features

The Yum Yum Powerways slot comes with a symbol replacement feature. Even though it closely resembles the cascading wins feature, there are some notable differences between them. When playing the Yum Yum Powerways slot, you will notice that winning symbols are flipped to make space for new ones. In the inner 4×4 grid, new symbols appear on the empty positions of the previous winning combo. Meanwhile, in the outer edges of the grid, the new symbols are inserted in a counter clockwise direction.

The symbol replacement feature activates every time you hit a winning combo and comes with a win multiplier that increases by 1 on every consecutive win. It is crucial to note that the game developers did not impose a limit on the win multiplier, meaning that the more wins you hit in a row, the higher the win multiplier will get. The feature continues until there are no new winning combos formed on the reels or rows of the slot.

The Yum Yum Powerways slot also offers free spins that can be triggered whenever at least 3 scatter symbols land on the reels. The number of free spins you will receive depends on the number of scatter symbols that will come into view. You can win 6, 8, 10, or 12 free spins for landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters, respectively. Provided that extra scatter symbols land on the reels during the bonus game, you will receive 2 extra free spins for each of the additional scatters.

The slot also comes with a gamble feature, providing players with the chance to win more free spins. Only slot fans who triggered the free spins by landing 3 to 5 scatters can benefit from the gamble feature. Please note that if you win 12 free spins during the base game, you cannot benefit from the gamble feature.

The gamble feature is optional and is based on pure luck. Players who opt for it will have access to a wheel. Every time the wheel stops in a winning position, the number of free spins increases by 2. Meanwhile, a losing section on the wheel will reduce the free spin rounds by 2. The chances of winning during the gamble feature are as follows:

• Gambling with 4 to 6 free spins – 50.14%
• Gambling with 6 to 8 free spins – 42.88%
• Gambling with 8 to 10 free spins – 44.46%
• Gambling with 10 to 12 free spins – 45.47%

During the free spins feature, players can enjoy a 3x progressive win multiplier. It increases every time when the symbol replacement feature takes place. A wild symbol comes randomly into view on the inner 4×4 grid during the free spins feature.

Closing Thoughts

Judging from the unique features incorporated into Yum Yum Powerways, we believe the Powerways mechanic is set to take the gambling industry by storm. Pragmatic Play certainly did its best to appeal to the interest of the slot-playing crowd. Yum Yum Powerways is a slot game that presents this one-of-a-kind slot mechanic to the public, and we believe it is doing a great job of representing the future of video slots. Loaded to the brim with bonus features, this title will captivate the hearts of players who love delicious food and have a passion for slots.