Casino Bonuses
Provider | Blueprint |
Reels | 5 |
Rows | 3 |
Paylines | 10 |
Bonus Rounds | 1 |
Bet Range | 0.10 - 500 |
Volatility | Low |
Max Win | 500x |
Bonus Buy | No |
RTP | 92.51% |
Our Rating | 7.5 |
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Game Overview
Modern-day slots in land-based establishments and online casinos tend to be technical masterpieces with loads of features and modifiers. However, that has not always been the case, and if you were born in the 80s like me, then you’ll be more than aware of the humble Bar-X machine. This has received several makeovers over the years to bring it up to date, and one such version of it is titled Mega Bars Big Hit, which was developed by Blueprint Gaming. As for the vital stats, this is 10 payline machine with a relatively low RTP of 92.51% and a maximum win of 500x.
Bar-X slots are notorious for not having any type of features attached to them, but that’s the case with Mega Bars Big Hit. The base game, granted, is a little quiet but hit three or more free spin symbols on an active payline, and you’ll be in with a chance of getting a half-decent return on your bet. Arguably the jewel in the crown for this slot is that it’s a part of Blueprint’s Jackpot King Network. This means that randomly on any spin, you could trigger the jackpot feature and give yourself a chance of hitting one of three pots, one of which will run into the millions. To clarify, this is why the RTP of the game is so low, as it has to contribute to progressive jackpot totals.
What do you say we take a break from the bells and whistles of the current crop of online slots and take a trip down memory lane? I’m certainly up for that, so why not join me and try out our free demo slot of Mega Bars Big Hit. It’s available to play below.
Mega Bars Big Hit Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
I have many memories of the Bar-X machines growing up over the years. There was a local arcade where I lived called ” Spot “, and they had a huge row of these bandits, where three Xs paid £1, and three Bars were worth £6 of tokens. I can also remember these being the first slot that I learned if it held after a nudge, it would roll the win in on the very next press, and it felt like you knew an inside secret at the time, even though to most, I guess it was common knowledge. Later in my working life, I operated some of the Mega Bars machines on a £500 jackpot, and whilst they were pretty popular with players, the cabinets were awful and very susceptible to fraud. In fairness, they probably still are, so if you see one when you’re out and about that looks like Fort Knox, then that’s the reason why. Before I crack on with this review, if you’d like to try a more modern version of a Bar-X, Blueprint Gaming also has a slot titled Bar-X Safecracker Megaways; that’s worth a look.
How about the pays then? Well, this could be one of the shortest paytable explanations I’ve ever written. The highest paying symbol is, of course, the Bar, which will pay you 50x bet for a five of a kind win. This is followed by the only other symbol with a cash value in the game, which is the X. Hit a line of five, and you’ll receive 15x your stake. As for the pesky “O”, this is nothing more than a blocking symbol, so expect to see plenty of these on the reels. Finally, there is one last symbol, the scatter, but I’ll talk more about that in the bonus section of the review.
Blueprint has ensured that Mega Bars Big Hit can be accessed and enjoyed by both low and high rollers. So, to start the reels spinning, it will cost a minimum of €0.10, whilst the maximum bet on the game reaches a staggering €500. There are over twenty other stake sizes between these amounts, so there’s plenty of scope to play the game at whatever level you feel comfortable.
Base Game & Modifiers
Mega Bars Big Hit has been built upon a 5×3 reel format with 10 paylines in play during the base game and free spin feature. Wins are awarded when three or more matching symbols line up anywhere adjacent to each other within the reel set and on an active payline. This is a real plus point for the game in general, as it means it pays both ways and across the centre reels position, so it at least gives the impression that you can win more often, even if this isn’t necessarily the case.
Mega Bars Big Hit Slot Bonus Features
The scatter symbols appear on all five reels of Mega Bars Big Hit, but you’ll only need three to land on a payline for 3 free spins to be awarded, whilst hitting four and five scatters on a payline will award 4 and 5 free spins respectively.
Free Spins
The key to getting a high-paying bonus round on this slot is for the scatters to hit across multiple paylines rather than just one. I tend to find that if you only get a small number of spins, most of them will be dead, and you’ll receive one half-decent premium spin. Keep your fingers crossed for the dream set-up of a full screen of scatters. This was a guaranteed jackpot back on the land-based machine, and I imagine it’s the same for the online game too.
Jackpot King
On any random spin, it’s possible that the jackpot king feature can trigger. If this happens to be the case, then you will be taken to a separate reel set where collecting enough crowns will give you a shot at winning one of the three progressive jackpots.
Mega Bars Big Hit Slot Review Final Thoughts
It would have been hard to imagine that slots would be playable on a handheld device when I came across a Bar-X machine for the first time, but here we are. So how does Mega Bars Big Hit stand up against the current competition? As far as I’m concerned, I’ll always have a soft spot for these machines as they were just iconic bandits in the era that I grew up in, so even though Mega Bars incorporates free spins and a jackpot bonus, it’s still a Bar-X at heart, and a game I enjoyed playing. If I were to take the rose-tinted glasses off, I’d have to say it’s a game purely for the jackpot hunters out there. If you’re a regular slot player, I’d suggest playing one of the other hundreds of titles out there with a far superior RTP.
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