The New Reel Mechanics Taking Casinos by Storm – What are they?

Discover Yggdrasil’s new TopHit^TM Reel mechanic & NetEnt’s XXXtreme slot feature. Plus, bonus material covering the evolution of reel mechanics! (Courtesy of YggDrasil)

With the introduction of new slot mechanics have changes classic slots.

Today, online slot players have the pleasure of rolling the reels on slots with no pay line technology (Ways to Win with adjacent reel technology.

That soon turned into Megaways (Ways to Win), Cluster Pays, Pay Anywhere, Infinity Reels and Infireels.

You were probably wondering what could be next.

The latest mechanic to hit the iGaming scene is the Yggdrasil software provider’s TopHit^TM reel mechanic. It is another example of a software developer adding a clever touch to the way slots are played.

We have also seen a similar innovative approach from software providers like Wazdan with its Hold the Jackpot, Cash Infinity^TM, Volatility Levels^TM, and Collect to Infinity^TM. Other ingenious features complementing slot reel mechanics include Amazing Links (Games Global/Microgaming), Hold and Win (Playson), and plenty more to rumble on about. Of course, this is brilliant for slot players as the diversity out there right now is unmatched by any other online casino vertical. I mean what the heck, I’d go as far as saying there are more slot reel mechanics and features than there are ways to bet at an online sports book.

XXXtreme Multiplier – Another Innovative Feature? Yes, not only will I cover the new TopHit^TM reel mechanic, but I’ll also be looking at the XXXtreme feature used on NetEnt slots originally and adopted by the online slot developer’s parent company Evolution.

The All-New Yggdrasil TopHit^TM Reel Mechanic

One of the latest reel mechanics to break out into the gambling entertainment slot arena is the new TopHit^TM reel mechanic by Yggdrasil. Notice the trademark! You can only play this feature on slots developed by the software provider and its partner brands.

And the video slot to give this new reel mechanic lift-off is the Starfire Fortunes TopHit^TM title, which made it to our ‘Top 5 New Online Casino Slots’ in this week’s ‘New Online Casino Games July (Week 27) 2023’ update.

What does this mechanic do?

• Yggdrasil explains the TopHit^TM feature as follows: There is an additional reel with 4 symbols that sits above the main reels horizontally. When any of the high-paying symbols hit this reel in full view, it changes into a wild symbol. All other alike symbols on the reels will also turn into wilds. If the same symbols land multiple times on the top reel, the same wild conversion occurs, and the game adds a 5x multiplier. Along with all this, comes a nudge feature triggered either by the 5^th reel or the 4-symbol horizontal reel.

Another Yggdrasil game mechanic: On the Yggdrasil slot news report, the software providers say this is its 10^th Game Engagement Mechanic (GEM).

NetEnt Online Slot XXXtreme Multipliers

The first NetEnt slot was Starburst XXXtreme introducing a low-volatility online slot series as an upgrade to the original Starburst title. Rather than a 500x max win, the new version comes with 200,000x. And the same high max wins apply to NetEnt’s subsequent releases of Milkshake XXXtreme, Taco Fury XXXtreme, and the June 2023 release of Twin Spin XXXtreme.

On these video slots, there are wilds with multipliers and XXXtreme spins giving you the chance to net big wins with wild symbol multipliers during these mega free spins round. All very simple to apply to an online slot and tons of fun.

Find out more about online slots: If you want to know about jackpots, tournaments, playing high RTP games, and playing with low wagering requirement slot bonuses, check out our online slot tips and tricks guide.

Evolution XXXtreme Multipliers

Evolution live casino games have also adopted the XXXtreme feature. The first release of this feature into the live casino vertical is XXXtreme Lightning Roulette. Rather than the max 500x win on the original multi-award-winning game, players can net multipliers of up to 2,000x their bet. The game mechanic is simple. Players bet on a number, an RNG randomly assign 1 to 5 number with multipliers, and if the player bet on that number and the roulette ball lands on that number after the spin, he/she wins the multiplier.

Find out more about Evolution: Check out the Evolution live dealer games guide for the lowdown on what this live casino developer has to offer.