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Firstly, don’t worry — I’m not going to spend the first part of this review giving you a historical lesson on who Merlin is or was. I’m more excited that iSoftBet has released a brand-new casino game, Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways. This is a huge game with many features, so I need all the review space to detail why Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways is the game you should be playing this month and throughout the year.
In this review, I will be covering the slot’s performance, in-game bonus features, and what can potentially be won with the right amount of luck at top slot sites. As with all game reviews from Casinos.com, you will have access to the free-to-play demo. See for yourself why this is one of the best new releases so far this year.
When you load the Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways slot game, you instantly know that this isn’t going to look and possibly play like any other slot made by iSoftBet. Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways is obviously themed on the mythical character, but it also comes built with a glorious setting. The slot grid itself has a massive layout going six-reels across, with a top tracker reel over reels 2, 3, 4, and 5. This golden framed slot sits atop a background that shows us a stone bridge amongst a forest area, with flying eagles and rising mist from the lake below.
The accompanying music is a little to be desired. Call me fussy, but flutes and harpsichord music aren’t my jam. But I suppose it’s representative of the time this game is set.
As the title makes clear, this is a Megaways slot; therefore, for it, you have up to 117,649 ways to win. So, no, there are no set payline patterns with Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways.
To cut a long and entertaining experience short, I ended the 100 spins with my balance in a much healthier position than when I started.
Playing the game is simple, even if this is your first foray into Megaways gaming or even slot machine play in general. First, to win, you would normally aim to match symbols across a payline pattern. With Megaways, there are no patterns, so to win, matching symbols only need to land on adjacent reels. With Megaways games, each reel can contain up to seven symbols, which is why there are up to 117,649 ways to win when playing. The number of Megaways in play changes on each spin, which you will see on the counter next to the top tracker.
When the game loads, you are presented with a stunning game, and there is a lot to take in. Before you play, whether it’s the free demo game or the real money version, you need to adjust any of the default settings. With the demo game, the cost of play per spin is defaulted to $0.20. This value is the lowest there is, but players can play up to $20 per spin. Once you have set your wagering limit, press the spin button on the right of the reels to begin play. You will notice the 6-reels will spin in a conventional manner while the top tracker goes sideways. The top tracker is solely there to help add a symbol to the four reels below it (increasing the ways to win).
With Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways, the slot comes with cascading wins. When you land a win, those symbols vanish from the game. These are then replaced by the symbols above, while new symbols drop into the game from above. This cascading motion of play means that consecutive wins can be triggered by one spin.
Surrounding the reels of this slot, your eye will likely be drawn to the additional features. The Magic Bet and the Bonus Buy. These are additional ways of winning, but the features come with a higher cost requirement.
Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways comes with a free spins bonus round feature. To activate the bonus round, you need to land three or more of the game’s bonus symbols. Three symbols will give you eight free spins. Four symbols equal ten free spins; five will provide 12 spins, and six bonus symbols reward you with 14 free bonus spins.
During this round of play, you can also trigger the Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways Mystery Symbols. These are portrayed as mirrors and can reveal one of many modifiers to help boost wins. These modifiers are:
During the free spins bonus round, you will play with a multiplier feature that increases with every win produced in play.
The Bonus Buy slots feature allows you to access two special features. You can bypass the main game and instantly play the bonus rounds at a cost. This cost is 75x the value of your wagering bet per spin. You can choose the Free Spins Bonus or the Super Free Spins Bonus, which comes with a minimum of 5,000 Megaways.
The Magic Bet increases your wagering cost by 25% but also increases your chances of triggering the Magic Bet Feature.
Now, I’m not normally big on Megaways games — too much going on for me, and I like it old-school. That said, I might make an exception for this game. It’s beautifully vibrant and packed with features that help make this game really engaging.
I played Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways as a real money game inside the casino I’m a member of. I went in with a $100 balance and played at a wager of $1.00 per spin, giving me 100 spins to play. Within my first few spins, I landed the Mystery Symbol, and Merlin changed 95% of all symbols to K, which prompted a $190 win. On spin 73, I landed eight free spins with 1,728 minimum locked. The total win from this round was $44.80.
With only a fraction of play into my balance, I loved this game. To cut a long and entertaining experience short, I ended the 100 spins with my balance in a much healthier position than when I started. Plus, I hit the free spins bonus round a second time, winning $462.10.
Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways comes with an RTP score of 95.98%. The maximum payout that can potentially be won is 10,000 times the bet value. So, at a bet of $20, you can potentially win a max payout of $200,000. Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways also comes with a high volatility setting, which makes it very hard to achieve any form of success from the game. The reason why high-volatility games gain interest from players is because the returns can be more lucrative than low or medium-volatility games.
I can keep this verdict very brief and my point very simple. Now, I liked this game, and, usually, I wouldn’t say I like Megaways slots, so I highly recommend playing this. When it comes to the software, iSoftBet does know how to knock up an entertaining game, and this might actually be up there in their top ten best slot games ever.
Other Megaways slots that I’ve made an exception for are Pirates Plenty Megaways by Red Tiger and Monopoly Megaways by Big Time Gaming, the masters behind the creation of Megaways gaming features and software.
Karolis Matulis is an SEO Content Editor at Casinos.com with more than 5 years of experience in the online gambling industry. Karolis has written and edited dozens of slot and casino reviews and has played and tested thousands of online slot games. So if there's a new slot title coming out soon, you better know it – Karolis has already tried it.
Read Full BioMerlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways was made and released by iSoftBet. This gaming developer came into the industry in 2010 and has a portfolio of 400+ casino games. Titles include Western Gold Megaways, Tales of Silver Megaways, and the official movie slot for the film The Love Guru™.
You can play Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways as a free demo game within this slot review. You can play a limitless number of times with no download or sign-up requirement. You might be able to play the real money version if you can find a no deposit casino bonus.
Whilst iSoftBet is a reputable gaming developer, the number of online casinos hosting their games isn’t as numerous as, say, NetEnt or Red Tiger. If you want to play for real money, it’s best to begin looking for casinos in our casino reviews and top 10 lists. See which casinos meet your banking and gaming requirements first.
Merlin’s Magic Mirror Megaways was released by iSoftBet on January 15, 2024. This follows hot on the tails of their games Gimme the Honey Megaways and Eagle Ridge: CashLink. This is, however, the first new game released by them in 2024.
Yes. Merlin’s Magic Mirror does come with a free spins bonus round, and it can either be triggered by landing three or more bonus symbols, or you can pay your way into the bonus round by using the game’s Bonus Buy feature.
The Bonus Buy feature comes with two bonus options. Free Spins and Super Free Spins. Each one of these must be paid for. You cannot simply enter the bonus rounds for free. During the free spins, you will also play with a growing multiplier and mystery symbols.
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