Over the Moon

A total of 12 men have walked on the moon, but it seems human beings are setting their sights a little further as a visit to Mars is one of the most discussed possibilities in this day and age. Of course, in order to get to Mars, you have to pass by the moon, potentially at a relatively close proximity, but the trip to Mars would be considered somewhat of a more historic achievement – like that of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin when they first walked on the moon in 1969. Regardless though, any trip to space would a significant accomplishment, and one that you’d be ‘over the moon’ with – pun intended. Today, Big Time Gaming are taking us away from the bright lights of The Race Megaways into the star dusted skies of outer space in Over the Moon. With a fixed RTP of 96.55%, this highly (5/5) volatile release can produce wins up to 13,570x bet.

Over the Moon Base Game

We’re in space today, as you’d expect, although things are a lot more subdued than some other space themed releases on the market, like Space Miners or Mystery Mission – To The Moon. Everything takes place inside some smoky, purple clouds with twinkling stars. Apart from this we have a variety of gems on the reels, the usual rainbow Wilds, and rockets, stars, and meteors, which all help to bring the mechanics into play. An upbeat, typically Big Time Gaming soundtrack ties it all together – not the norm, but a fine choice.

Over the Moon Offers Players Up To 117,649 Ways to Win

Over the Moon Base Features

Taking place across 6 reels, wins are formed on Over the Moon by matching at least 2 or 3 symbols on adjacent reels, beginning with the leftmost reel. Each reel can hold up to 7 symbols, producing up to 117,649 ways to win. Symbols available begin with non premiums, with 9s, 10s, Js, Qs, Ks, and As, awarding wins between 0.10 and 0.20x bet for 3 of a kind matches, increasing to values between 0.80 and 1x bet for 6 of a kind wins. At the premium end it’s the usual line up, with green, blue, and red gemstones. Land 3 of a kind of any of these symbols to see wins between 0.30 and 0.50x bet, increasing to values between 1.50 and 5x bet for 6 of a kind matches. Purple gems are the highest paying symbol and the only to pay for 2 of a kind, awarding wins of 1.50, 3, 5, 12.50, and 50x bet, for 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 of a kind respectively. Finally, rainbow Wild symbols are available to substitute for all symbols except Scatters, Meteors, or Batteries, which we’ll explain soon.

Winning Symbols are Removed With Reactions

The first thing to cover in Over the Moon is Reactions. On every spin, all symbols involved in a win will be removed from the reels. All remaining symbols will then drop down to the bottommost available position on their respective reels, with new symbols dropping in from above to fill any remaining gaps. Scatters are not removed during reactions, which continue until no new wins are formed.

Next are Meteors and Rockets. On every spin or reaction, it is possible that 1, 2, or 3 Rockets will appear. In the base game, Rockets can each have a multiplier of x1, x5, or x10, and 1, 2, or 3 fuel cells lit. After every reaction, any Rockets with no remaining fuel cells are removed, whilst all other Rockets have their fuel cells depleted by -1. Rockets will be removed at the end of a paid spin, regardless of fuel remaining.

Working hand in hand with this are Meteor symbols, which can land in any position on the reels or as the result of a reaction. Meteor symbols contain Meteor Prizes, which are collected by every Rocket in view. If a Rocket has a multiplier, it will multiply any Meteor Prizes it collects. Meteor Prizes are cash values up to 100x bet.

If there is no Rocket in view, Meteor Symbols will be removed from the reels after landing. Removing a Meteor Symbol will count as a reaction, so if a Rocket appears with one fuel cell and collects a Meteor Prize, the rocket will be removed and cannot collect any new Meteor Prizes that drop down in place of those that have been collected.

Land Rockets to Collect Meteor Prize Values

Finally, Win Exchange™ is available. With Win Exchange, whenever you win 80x bet or more, you have the option to exchange 80x bet for 12 Free Spins. If you have won more than 80x bet, only 80x bet will be exchanged, and the remainder will be added to your bonus win.

If you win between 25 and 79x bet, you have the option to exchange the entire win for a chance to be awarded 12 Free Spins – by gambling. The chance of winning the gamble is represented by green on the wheel, and the chance of losing is represented by red. The higher x bet the win, the more green will be present on the wheel.

If you win Free Spins through Win Exchange, you will then have a chance to win Enhanced Free Spins. If you lose this gamble, you play through normal Free Spins – you do not lose the feature.

Over the Moon Free Spins

Over the Moon Bonus

Land 3 or more Scatters to trigger 12 Free Spins, plus an additional +2 spins for every Scatter beyond the third. During Free Spins, there is an unlimited Rocket multiplier in play. The first Rocket that appears will have a x1 multiplier, with every consecutive Rocket gaining a multiplier that is +1 higher. Everything else continues as normal, with Meteor Prizes collected and multiplied by Rockets, except now Rockets with fuel remaining will remain on screen between spins.

During Free Spins, it is possible to land Battery symbols on reel 6. When a Battery lands in view, all Rockets in view will have their fuel topped back up to the maximum of 3. Landing 3 Scatter symbols in any position will award an additional +4 spins, plus an additional +2 spins for every Scatter beyond the third.

It is also possible to trigger Free Spins with one Megascatter, in which case Enhanced Free Spins will be awarded. During Enhanced Free Spins, the first Rocket that appears will have a x2 multiplier, with every consecutive Rocket gaining a multiplier that increases by +2 each time.

Land Battery Symbols to Re-Fuel Rockets to 3 Fuel Cells

Players in appropriate regions can take advantage of the following Bonus Buy options:

• 12 Free Spins – 70x bet
• 12 Enhanced Free Spins – 140x bet

Whilst Big Time Gaming usually opt not to place a win cap on their games, the maximum win so far in Over the Moon has been 13,570x bet.

Over the Moon Enhanced Free Spins

First Impression

There are a few different elements contributing to the excitement in Over the Moon, although the majority comes from Rockets collecting Meteor Prizes. Of course, this feature is immediately recognisable from Golden Catch and Gifts of Fortune, although there have been enough tweaks made to keep things unique – like fuel cells and batteries. For some players, however, this might not be enough to tempt them away from the variety that we’re offered now.

Features in the base game keeps things ticking over, and the option to use Win Exchange to try to fast track your way into free spins is also available – although worth nothing that the bonus costs 70x bet to buy in accessible regions, but 80x bet to exchange, so not sure why that is. Free spins are where things get more exciting though, with a persistent Rocket Multiplier and Rockets staying on screen between spins until their fuel is depleted. When the right combinations land, wins are possible up to 13,570x bet.

Finally, maths is highly (5/5) volatile and RTP is fixed at 96.55%. There isn’t much more to say on this one. We’ve seen most of the features before, but if you were a fan of any of them originally, you’ll find something you like in Over the Moon.

*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.