Kluster Krystals Megaclusters: Slot Overview
We all suspected it was only a matter of time before rival studios began lining up to have a go with Big Time Gaming’s Megaclusters mechanic. Having seen what BTG accomplished with Megaways, it’s only natural to wonder what Megaclusters can do for the grid slot category. You’d be forgiven for thinking a little more time might have passed though. It hasn’t been long since BTG themselves released their initial offerings Star Clusters (followed up by Cyberslot), and already license offers are rolling in. Beating everyone else to the punch is Relax Gaming in a slot titled Kluster Krystals Megaclusters. We can tell you from the outset this is a very different experience to what BTG has produced to date.
The first impressions of Kluster Krystals are quite the opposite of Star Clusters or Cyberslot. Relax’s version looks more like prehistoric Tetris rather than a futuristic 1970s Flash Gordon, Star Trek mashup. A transparent 5×5 grid sits between two stone columns on a dais under a night sky, while stars glitter through the Aurora Borealis in the backdrop. It’s cosmic-ish, though nothing overly special. The music, which could have been inspired by Flower Fortunes Megaways, helps to set the mood and establish the atmosphere of the setting. While the overall effect is completely adequate, some might have thought the studio would have put more effort into making a bigger impact with Megaclusters.
Playable from from 10 p/c to £/€100 per spin, Kluster Krystals’ stated RTP of 96.49% means there is a house edge of 3.51%. Keep in mind though, while the game is fairly well-balanced, the math model can be quite brutal due to its high volatility which goes hand in hand with the high potential. Also, the free spins frequency seems to be relatively low and dead spins can be plentiful, making it come across as something of an “all or nothing” slot. In that sense, the game is well suited for hardcore gamers.
No less than 8 identical symbols are required to form a cluster, which then triggers the avalanche feature. Eight symbol clusters might sound a tall order on a 5×5 grid, but the game, and ultimately Megaclusters, helps you out. Each position on the board can contain singles, doubles, triples, or quad versions of the symbols. Therefore, two neighbouring quads are good for a winning cluster, as an example. There aren’t many symbol types in Kluster Krystals, just 5 coloured gems make up the regulars. They come in green, blue, purple, pink, and orange, worth 20 to 50 times the stake in clusters of 20. No wild graces the grid, though several features are on hand to maximise thrills.
Kluster Krystals Megaclusters: Slot Features
The features found in Kluster Krystals have generally been integrated with the Megaclusters mechanic in some way. The list includes avalanches plus symbol upgrades, multipliers, three mini-features, and free spins.
Each winning combination triggers the avalanche feature which removes the clusters from the board to let new symbols drop into the gaps. This can lead to consecutive wins off a single spin since the process repeats until no new clusters form. While this is happening, non-winning symbols next to a winning cluster are upgraded. So a single becomes a double, a double a triple, and a triple a quad, potentially increasing the chances of repeat wins.
Another symbol type which receives upgrades when next to winning clusters is multipliers. These symbols land with values of 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 10x as the base multiplier and can be upgraded three times. When an avalanche sequence ends, multipliers are added and applied to the total win amount.
Helping keep the ball rolling are three random features. They are guaranteed to trigger after a run of 6 avalanches. These are:
- Krystal Vanish – removes one coloured symbol group from the grid.
- Krystal Boost – upgrades all visible symbols by one stage.
- Krystal Kut – removes all single-stage symbols in view.
Lastly we get free spins triggered by the bonus symbol. When a bonus symbol is in view, it is upgraded when next to a winning cluster. When it has been fully upgraded (it contains four segments), seven free spins are awarded. Filling a bonus symbol during free spins adds four more spins.
Kluster Krystals Megaclusters: Slot Verdict
Shakespeare famously said a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Props to the bard, but he never played Kluster Krystals. The initial interest with Kluster Krystals is in another studio’s use of Megaclusters. The funny thing is if it weren’t for the name, you’d never know you were playing a Megaclusters title. In which case, the experience and the verdict would have been completely different. There is no doubt Kluster Krystals is a decent, well thought out slot, yet if you went in blindfolded with the title removed from the screen, you probably wouldn’t suspect this was a Megaclusters powered slot. It is definitely clever while feeling much removed from what BTG has done so far. Their Megaclusters games have been about getting small, going all microscopic, challenging the belief a Planck length is the smallest unit of measurement.
Kluster Krystals goes in another tangent. It does expand individual symbols, technically cramming more of them into an individual position, but it doesn’t feel like Megaclusters as we know it. One positive takeaway is that Megaclusters might be more versatile than it originally appeared. Relax certainly deserves credit for being bold and trying something unexpected. On the gaming side of things, Kluster Krystals can be highly entertaining. When clusters chains get moving, they pop and fire, one win leading to another, symbols incrementing, multipliers appearing, it all goes off like a great grid slot. Yet in many ways therein lies the rub. Megaclusters isn’t about making a great grid slot; it’s about redefining the genre, carving its own niche, and Kluster Krystals kind of falls short in that regard.
Then again, if you go into Kluster Krystals with the mind-set of enjoying a well-made grid slot you’ll probably have a pretty good time. If on the other hand you want to be dazzled by a fresh new take on Megaclusters, it can come across as a little puzzling.
