Mahjong Ways 2 (PG Soft) Slot Demo & Review

I’ve had a good few trips to the casino over the years, but I tend to be more of a slots player than heading to the tables, if I’m honest. Occasionally, I may have a little flutter on the roulette wheel or the odd hand of blackjack, but I’ve always felt I stand a better chance of winning when I spin the reels on one of my favourite slots. Preferences tend to be different all around the world, and the further east you travel, the more you’ll find that table games are the choice of those wanting to have a bet. However, one particular tile game, Mahjong, has transitioned from the tables into an online slot. This was created by PG Soft and called Mahjong Ways, and it has proved to be an extremely popular game for the provider, spawning today’s sequel and even a prequel titled Mahjong Ways 3.

Just like in the original version of this slot, the paytable symbols are made up of the characters found on the tiles in the game Mahjong. In all truth, these symbols are far too detailed to be able to describe them to you accurately, so the best I can do is to say that the green tile is the most valuable at 5x for a five of a kind win, whilst the lower value symbols can pay as little as 0.6x for a full payline. These may not sound like the biggest pays you have ever heard of, but we must consider there are two thousand ways to win on the game, so these amounts can be awarded multiple times on one spin. There’s the inclusion of a wild symbol, too, which is represented by the golden ingot. This carries no monetary value but will substitute for all other regular symbols.

Trying your luck for real money on Mahjong Ways 2 doesn’t have to be a costly affair, with stakes starting from as little as €0.20 and reaching up to a maximum of €20.

Those familiar with this game’s original version will remember that it was played across a 5×4 reel set. This time, PG Soft has decided to add an extra row on the three centre reels, giving Mahjong Ways 2 a reel set of 4x5x5x5x4. What does this mean for the general play? Well, the original slot had just 1,024 ways to win, but Mahjong Ways 2 has 2,000 fixed paylines thanks to those extra rows.

Maximising those extra positions and getting yourself a win will require you to land three matching symbols on adjacent reels. These wins need to start from the leftmost reel first.

Cascading Reels

Central to the gameplay is the cascading reels mechanic, activated once a win has been created within the playfield. Upon the win connecting on the reels, winning symbols will be removed, and new symbols will fall from above, potentially awarding you further wins. These cascades, known as reel tumbles, will continue until you fail to connect a new winning combination.

Gold Played Symbols

During any spin, gold-plated symbols ( excluding wilds and scatters ) may land on reels 2, 3, and 4. If these symbols then help to form a winning combination, they will be transformed into wild symbols after the reel cascade that follows.

Multiplier

Above the reels, you will notice multiplier values numbered 1x, 2x, 3x, and 5x. As each new spin of the reels takes place, your starting value will be at 1x. Each successful win you achieve will see your multiplier climb by one position. Players should note that once they fail to connect a new win, the multiplier will reset to 1x.

One main bonus feature can be triggered in Mahjong Ways 2. For this to be activated, you will need to land three scatter symbols in view, awarding ten free spins, with each additional scatter appearing after adding two more to your starting total.

Free Spins

There are a couple of points of significant interest during this bonus to keep an eye out for. Firstly, the multiplier values above the reels are now doubled, so reaching the end will mean you’ll have a 10x multiplier applied to any wins achieved in that sequence. Secondly, all symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4 are now gold-plated, so you’ll have a better chance of hitting a win that creates a wild afterwards.

Extra free spins can be awarded, too. So keep your fingers crossed that the scatter symbols again land in view, as this will mean additional spins and even more chances to win.