The Goonies Megaways

The Goonies Megaways: Slot Overview

In the spirit of friendly jest, Blueprint Gaming is like a friend who always wants to watch the same movie every time you go visit. In some ways, this can be annoying; in others, it's kind of cute, and in regards to Blueprint Gaming, the movie in question has to be the 80s cult classic friend film The Goonies. It might be pushing nearly 40 years old (at the time of review), but The Goonies is a feel-good film that still manages to entertain to this very day. Not only does the movie still hold up well, and its nostalgia readings are off the charts, but someone at Blueprint Gaming must have a soft spot for it since The Goonies Megaways is something like the fifth related release from the studio, not counting the scratch card version.

Indeed, The Goonies Megaways is built off the back of The Goonies Hey You Guys, so it shares a few technical similarities. It also looks very similar, too, where the game grid sits on a wooden surface as if linked to One Eyed Willie's treasure map. Gold coins lie about the place, as does the infamous doubloon with the holes strategically made in it, but the best news for fans is Sloth, Mikey, Data, and Mouth all show up on the reels, bringing their Goonie charisma with them. Not Chunk, though, apparently, which kinda sucks.

Thanks to the power of Megaways, the gaming grid has been expanded to 6 reels in size, each reel landing up to 5 rows of symbols. The number of ways to win varies, as well, up to 15,625, meaning The Goonies Megaways doesn't push BTG's device to full capacity, but there are still plenty of ways to string a win together. The RTP is a little on the low side, at 95%, while the volatility is medium-high, and it takes wagers of 10 c to $/€25 per spin.

The Goonies Megaways has 11 regular paying symbols. The lower value lot are 9-A card ranks, awarding players 1 to 1.5 times the bet for a 6-of-a-kind hit, while the highs are Data, Mouth, Mikey, Sloth, plus a pirate flag and hitting 6 identical premiums pays 2 to 5 times the bet. Appearing only on reels 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 is the doubloon wild, able to substitute for the regular pay symbols.

The Goonies Megaways: Slot Features

The Goonies Megaways' features are a lineup of Cash Collecting, Hey You Guys modifiers, free spins, and Treasure Blitz Super Spins.

Cash Collect

During each spin, Cash symbols are active on all reels. When starting a session, the Cash Collect symbol is active. On any spin where a Cash or Cashpot symbol lands in view, if a Cash Collect symbol lands on the rightmost reel, then the Cash Collect feature triggers - the Cash Collect symbol expands to cover the reel and collects the values on the Cash and/or Cashpot symbols (ranging from 20x to 2,500x). For each Cash Collect symbol that lands, one position on the Unlock Trail is lit. Reaching a special icon position unlocks a game feature. When all icons have been unlocked, all unlocked features remain active in the main game and in free spins from then on. They are:

• 2 Collect symbols – unlocks Dual Collect so Collect symbols may land on reels 1 and 6.
• 5 Collect symbols – unlocks Streak Collect. Streak Collect holds Cash symbols in view before the reels respin. Respinning continues until the win is no longer improved, then Cash is collected by the Streak Collect.
• 8 Collect symbols – unlocks Boost Collect, which boosts all Cash values in view before collecting Cash symbols.
• 12 Collect symbols – unlocks Multi-X Collect, which collects any Cash symbols in view up to 5 times.
• 17 Collect symbols – unlocks Fortune Wheel. If Collect symbols land along with the Fortune Wheel, a ship's wheel appears and spins in either a fixed pot prize or a bet multiplier mystery win. This is awarded along with any other collection awards.
• 20 Collect symbols – unlocks Treasure Blitz Super Spins.

Hey You Guys

Hey You Guys can trigger randomly on any spin to award one of the following:

• Hidden Treasure – randomly adds Cash symbols to the reels.
• Bonus Boost – extra scatter symbols are added to the reels.
• Dynamite Blast – dynamite is thrown onto the reels, upgrading symbols to the top symbol and/or wilds.
• Cave In – symbols are removed from the reels, and new symbols drop in to award a win.

Bonus

Hitting 3 or more scatter symbols triggers the bonus. Players can choose either free spins or Treasure Blitz Super Spin – when this one has been reached on the Unlock Trail. The choices are 1 Treasure Blitz Super Spin or 10 free spins, plus players get a payout of 20x, 100x, or 500x the bet when triggered by 4, 5, or 6 scatters, respectively.

Free Spins

Unlocked Cash Collect symbols remain active, and on any spin where a Cash Collect symbol lands, the prize is awarded for each Cash symbol also in view. During free spins, Cash Collect symbols are collected when they land.

• Collecting 3 Cash symbols awards +5 additional spins along with an x2 multiplier for any Cash collects.
• Collecting 6 Cash symbols awards +5 additional spins along with an x3 multiplier for any Cash collects.
• Collecting 9 Cash symbols awards +5 additional spins along with an x5 multiplier for any Cash collects.
• Collecting 12 Cash symbols awards +5 additional spins along with an x10 multiplier for any Cash collects.

Treasure Blitz Super Spin

During this feature, only Cash, Cashpot, Collect and Fortune Wheels are active on the reels. Each time a Cash, Cashpot, or Fortune Wheel symbol lands in view, it adds to the Retrigger Trail. On the initial Super Spin, collecting 13 Cash, Cashpot, or Fortune Wheel symbols awards the Pick a Key feature. On the 1st retrigger, collecting 14 of said symbols awards the Pick a Key feature. On future retriggers, collecting 15 symbols awards the Pick a Key option. Pick a Key reveals an extra super spin and a multiplier of up to x10. Treasure Blitz Super Spins continue until the retrigger trail isn't completed. Then, the accumulated winnings are awarded.

The Goonies Megaways: Slot Verdict

Not only is The Goonies one of Blueprint Gaming's favourite subjects at the moment, but the studio is well and truly enamoured with Cash collect games that charge players with unlocking different Collect symbols as the action unfolds. There have been quite a few, too, from D10S Maradona, Crazy Chilli, King Kong Cash Even Bigger Bananas, Funky Budha, and, of course, The Goonies Hey You Guys. It's a cool feature and all, but is enough enough by now? Guess not if The Goonies Megaways is anything to go by, and something tells us this might not be the last time Blueprint Gaming slings unlockable collector symbols gamblers' way.

What eases the repetition is the use of diverse themes to distract players, as well as newer features like Treasure Blitz Super Spins, which have all the makings of a short, sharp, volatile ride. It's a feature that could go either way, and it is quite a dilemma choosing a single (though retriggerable) Treasure Blitz Super Spin over a more familiar, some might say safer, set of free spins. This addition definitely adds a new dimension to the Collect symbol collection feature, which wasn't really available in the previously mentioned slots. It has to be said - the use of the fishing style bonus seems somewhat uninspired, particularly because this mechanic has become too worn out by now, and the incorporation of jackpots might not appeal to all players either since it locks up some of the RTP that could have been allocated to the bonus features instead.

The last point is The Goonies Megaways' winning potential, which has been capped at 10,000x the bet. A sight lower than the figure often found in a Blue Gaming slot's small print, but more realistic, perhaps, which might be why the studio has jammed on such a limitation. It's a decent amount to top a satisfying cash-collecting game with a strong nostalgic jolt, though players who preferred the menu of bonus games on offer in slots like The Goonies or The Goonies Return might not be so impressed.