Eternal Phoenix Megaways Slot Review

In Greek mythology, the Phoenix is an immortal bird that dies in flames and rises again. So we can assume that this is what has inspired the Eternal Phoenix Megaways slot. We say assumed because, though the graphics are of decent quality, and visually the slot is appealing with golden framing of the reels and so on, the background of the game shows lava, which, while fiery, does not immediately scream 'phoenix'.  

Eternal Phoenix Megaways' soundtrack is suspenseful and intriguing, but the gaming sound effects are extraterrestrial, not what you would expect from a mythological ancient Greek theme.

Combined, this makes Eternal Phoenix Megaways checks out theme wise at-a-glance, but look just a little more closely, and it feels much more like a lazy reskin. The symbols used are also a representation of this ‘well presented by lazy’ approach by Blueprint, comprising the generic playing card symbols for low-paying options and various coloured rocks for the more valuable ones. The full paytable for Eternal Phoenix Megaways is as follows:

Mystery transforming symbols, Power Play, and free spins with a limitless win multiplier are the bonus features on offer in Eternal Phoenix Megaways. These are examined in more detail below:

Mystery Symbol

Mystery symbols are not something commonly seen in modern slots, so it is always nice when one makes its appearance. In Eternal Phoenix Megaways, the Phoenix Egg is a mystery symbol. The mystery symbol, when landed, will transform into any other base game symbol at random, and if there is more than one on the reels at the same time, all mystery symbols in sight will transform into the same symbol. If these new symbols form a winning combination, then a new cascade will start.

Free Spins

The main feature round starts when you land 4 Bonus symbols anywhere on the reels on the same spin. The bonus symbol looks like a green portal with a slightly bird-looking ouroborus as its frame, certainly not the most fitting for the theme. For four bonus symbols, players will be awarded 12 free spins; any additional bonus symbol used to trigger the feature will award 5 extra free spins.

The free spins bonus round starts with a 1x multiplier. Every time a cascade win is made during the free spins round, that multiplier goes up by 1x. This multiplier has no upper limit and retains its value until the bonus has concluded.

During the feature, the bonus symbols can only show in the top reel window. If you land 3 or 4 of them on the same spin, you get 5 or 10 more free spins on top of your current tally. 

Power Play Feature

The Power Play feature was created by Blueprint as an alternative to the ‘feature buy’ options outlawed in many regions, such as the UK. To use this option, players click on the Power Play icon situated to the left of the reels. Power Play has four levels and requires players to raise their bet to activate it. In exchange, players get 5,000, 10,000, 15,000, or 20,000 Megaways guaranteed to be active at the beginning of a spin.

While the average player’s attention may be distracted by incredible top pay-outs and ‘unlimited’ elements, as a seasoned reviewer, I will take the time to have a good root around. Eternal Phoenix Megaways aims to highlight its positive elements like the 50,000x top prize, up to 117,649 win ways, and unlimited win multiplier, and use these to detract attention from its negatives, which I view as lazy design and theming, lower than average RTP (95.5%), and limited betting range (10p-£10).

If we take a step back and put our logical hats on, while a 50,000x total stake top prize feels like a showstopping prize, consider the reality: how likely are you to win that maximum prize, or anywhere even close to that value? Similarly, the top prize is not technically 50,000x, it is 50,000x the total stake OR £250,000, which, while I would be over the moon to win this amount, does not have quite the same sparkle. 

I think where the wool is truly being pulled over players' eyes in this game is the theme. It is worse than simply uninspired or lazy; instead, it tries to push the illusion of an elaborate theme that differentiates itself from the thousands of other slots out there, whilst piggybacking on the showstopping top prize to draw in the punters. No one likes to feel tricked, and this is how I feel spinning the reels of Eternal Phoenix Megaways. This slot has nothing unique about its theme, visuals, or sound design, from the lava background that just about ticks the box, to a random green portal for the bonus symbol, and futuristic sound effects, it feels like Blueprint has minimised expenditure by taking as many ‘off the shelf’ assets as possible hoping players will be too drawn in by the top prize to notice.

All in all, while the game plays well, the features are O.K, and the stats (bar top payout) are average, there is not anything special about this game, as with just a change in logo and the alteration of a few symbols this game could have a polynesian theme, a space theme, or a classic arcade theme. Therefore, for putting in half the effort, Blueprint Gaming earns Eternal Phoenix Megaways a score of 5/10.

Rating: 5.0