Break Da Bank Again Megaways

Microgaming are teaming up with Gameburger Studios to give players yet another attempt at breaking the bank, or breaking ‘da’ bank, as it is named. I say ‘yet another’ because this isn’t the first sequel to come of  the 2003 original, Break Da Bank.

So far, we’ve been given opportunities through Break Da Bank Again in 2008, and Break Da Bank Again Respin in 2019 – the latter of which being the first time Gameburger Studios tried their hand at the franchise. Now, the team are making a return to give us Break Da Bank Again Megaways.

Opting for the iconic Big Time Gaming mechanic sure seems like the logical next step for the Break Da Bank series, and it seems unlikely any game could ‘not work’ with this mechanic. With an RTP of 96.05% and volatility levels described as ‘very high’, let’s take a look at what this new release has to offer…

Break Da Bank Again Megaways Base Game

Visually, Break Da Bank Again Megaways has certainly had an overall upgrade, with things fitting in with what we would expect from this current season of slots. One thing that remains more or less the same, however, are symbols – the team have stuck to the original symbols, which leaves us a bit undecided.

It’s always quite difficult to transition symbols to a Megaways format without making changes, as with so many different size of symbols possible, it can end up a bit confusing, particularly with symbols so close in imagery, such as the cheques or stacks of cash, when they’re small enough.

On the other hand, it’s nice that the team have chosen to stay true to the earlier editions, keeping things close to home.

Audios are probably the best bit, with stealthy music playing through in the background, and all other sounds such as reels dropping and symbols landing going a long way towards complimenting this, for an experience that almost makes you feel as though you are sneaking through a bank.

Break Da Bank Again Megaways Base Features

Taking place across 6 reels, up to 7 symbols can land on each (including the top reel), for a combined total of up to 117,649 ways to win on each spin. Wins are formed by matching symbols in any position on adjacent reels, beginning with the leftmost reel. Symbols available begin with the lower paying 10, J, Q, K and As, awarding players between 0.8x and 1.5x bet for 6 of a kind matches.

Next, stacks of coins, a cheque and stacks of cash pay between 2x and 3x bet, again for 6 of a kind, while 6 of a kind gold bars reward players with win values of 4x bet. Finally, the purple gem is the highest paying symbol, paying anywhere between 2 and 6 ways – with values of 1x and 15x bet, respectively.

Rolling Reels are Active in The Base Game and Free Spins

Helping to form wins with these regular symbols are Wild symbols, which substitute for all symbols except Scatters, appearing only on the top reel during the base game. All wins involving 1 or more wild symbols will be multiplied by 5.

Rolling Reels

Rolling Reels™ are active, wherein symbols involved in a winning combination will be removed from the reels to make way for new symbols, which then take their place, allowing for new wins to occur.

Scatters are not removed during Rolling Reels, and once all winning combinations have ended any Scatters will be counted and a bonus will be triggered, if enough are in view on the reels.

Rolling Reels can award multiple consecutive wins, and continue until no more wins are formed.

Break Da Bank Again Megaways Bonus

Landing 3 or 4 Scatter symbols awards 10 and 15 free spins, respectively, both with trigger values of 2x bet. During free spins, the win multiplier begins at x1, incrementing by +1 for every win.

Scatters continue to land during free spins, only available on regular reels 2-4 and not the top reel. Each time they land, extra free spins are triggered – with 1, 2, 3 and 4 Scatters awarding an additional +1, +2, +10 and +15 spins, respectively.

Wild symbols continue to land during free spins, although during the feature they can also land on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5 alongside the top, extra reel. All wins involving 1 or more wild symbols during free spins will continue to be multiplied by 5.

3 or More Scatters Trigger Free Spins

Hot Mode

It is possible for Hot Mode to activate upon 15 free spins triggering.

When Hot Mode is active, the reels will be surrounded by fire, and the incrementing multiplier during free spins will begin at x20. Hot Mode free spins continue to play out as normal, with Wild symbols and Rolling Reels still active.

Hot Mode activates at random and can be awarded from any 4 Scatter trigger.

Break Da Bank Again Megaways Hot Mode

Feature Buy

Finally, players in appropriate regions have access to the Feature Buy to skip straight to the action, with 3 different buy options:

• 10 Free Spins: 100x bet
• 15 Free Spins: 130x bet
• Hot Mode: 500x bet

RTP

When 10 free spins are purchased, there is a chance that a fourth scatter will land and award 15 free spins. It is so far unclear if Hot Mode can randomly activate from a 4 Scatter trigger when bought. Hot Mode is only possible to purchase up to a maximum of €4 bet size – or €2,000 cost.

• Break Da Bank Again Megaways has an RTP of 96.o5%
• Buying 10 free spins has an RTP of 96.49%
• Buying 15 free spins has an RTP of 96.60%
• Buying Hot Mode free spins has an RTP of 96.59%

3 Feature Buy Options are Available – Costing 100x, 130x or 500x Bet

First Impression

Break Da Bank Again Megaways makes a nice transition to a more modern format with ease – there’s not much to be complained about when we’re offered up to 117,649 ways to win, a fair RTP of 96.05%, an incrementing multiplier, multiplying wilds, and a few feature buy options – it’s a solid edition.

Nothing groundbreaking, but nothing to complain about. What does lean more towards groundbreaking is the Hot Mode, which players should recognise from Microgaming’s Terminator 2. Hot Mode gives us a huge leap forwards to a x20 head start, so the ingredients are there to produce some huge wins – although the maximum win hasn’t been specified by the team.

What is a nice touch is the ability to trigger additional free spins in spite of paying for fewer. If 15 spins are triggered from a 10 spin feature buy, players will save 30x bet in cost, which might not seem huge, but given that we tend to pitch the ‘average’ bonus around 60-70x bet, this can make all the difference. Once we’re in free spins things tie together nicely – with wins clocking up and the multiplier building, players are just waiting for a x5 wild to really take things to the next level, so excitement does build during the feature.

The team have specified the volatility has ‘very high’, and given our experience so far we can say this seems an understatement. The promise of wins is there, but there might be some heartbreak along the way, particularly for players who pay 500x for the Hot Mode feature buy. We would recommend lowering the stake slightly to contend with this jump in volatility – but overall Break Da Bank Megaways is a great next step for the team.

*The screenshots taken of games reviewed on this site are taken from Demo Play, as reviews are often written before games are released for real play.