Gems Bonanza

Gems Bonanza Review

Taking inspiration from the more complex puzzle-like mechanics of select Play’n GO games, Pragmatic Play came out with Gems Bonanza in 2020. There’s a LOT going on here, so it will take you a good while to learn the rules, but it’s worth it.

The base game takes place on a big 8 x 8 grid, and the general idea is to line up 5 or more symbols of the same type to form clusters and create tumbles. But instead of waiting for Scatter symbols to take you to a free spins round, each symbol that explodes helps fill up the Gold Fever Meter, and once you land 114 symbols within 1 spin, you’ll enter the bonus round.

On top of that, there are five different Spin Features central to Gems Bonanza. Lights representing each one will float behind the grid randomly, and if you explode a symbol on a lit-up square, you trigger the corresponding Spin Feature, which will help you clear the grid.

There are quite a few Aztec-themed slots, but this is a stand-out; the way the mechanics and visuals are intertwined with the Aztec world is pretty damn cool. In terms of stats, it’s high volatility and high RTP, as we’ve come to expect from Pragmatic. It’s also more complex than most other slots, so we’ll run through all the details below.

How To Play

1. Choose your bet size and start spinning.
2. You’re aiming to land horizontal/vertical clusters of 5 or more gems on the grid. When you do, the cluster tumbles away to be replaced by more gems which drop from above.
3. Every spin, each gem exploded will contribute a point to the Gold Fever Meter. If you hit 114 gems in the same spin and fill the meter, you’ll trigger the Gold Fever feature.
4. This bonus round starts at level 1. All 5 Spin Features are guaranteed to be played at least once per level. If you collect enough winning gems for that level again, you will advance to the next round, and so on. There are 5 levels in total, and each one has a bigger multiplier than the last, which affects every win during the level.
5. You can also trigger a Spin Feature in base gameplay. Lights that correspond to certain Spin Features appear on the grid randomly. If you explode a winning symbol on a square that’s lit up, you will trigger the corresponding Spin Feature.
6. Each spin can last quite a long time as the game works through the tumbles, then any Spin Features that are waiting to be used.

Bonus Features

• Spin Features: There are 5 Spin Features that help you form clusters and clear the grid. These are triggered by exploding symbols on lit-up squares in the base game, or they get worked through in the Gold Fever feature. The below list shows the order in which the Spin Features take place in the game and explains their function.
  • Nuclear: After all tumbles from the current spin finish, the whole grid is replaced with new gems.
  • Wild Gem: After all tumbles from the current spin finish, one gem type is chosen at random and each instance on the current grid is replaced with a Wild.
  • Squares: After all tumbles from the current spin finish, big 2 x 2 gems of one type are randomly added to the grid.
  • Colossal: After all tumbles from the current spin finish, a 3 x 3, 4 x 4, or 5 x 5 random giant gem block is added to the grid.
  • Lucky Wilds: After all tumbles from the current spin finish, 5-15 Wilds are added in random positions on the grid.
• Gold Fever: This meter always resets back to 0 at the start of a spin. In the base game, once you fill the meter by landing 114 winning symbols, the Gold Fever feature begins. The feature starts at level 1, where each win will receive a 2x multiplier. At every level, all Spin Features are guaranteed to land once, in order.
  • To reach level 2, you must collect 116 winning gems in level 1. Now you get a 4x multiplier.
  • To reach level 3, you must collect 120 winning gems in level 2. Now you get a 6x multiplier.
  • To reach level 4, you must collect 125 winning gems in level 3. Now you get an 8x multiplier.
  • To reach level 5, you must collect 132 winning gems in level 4. Now you get a 10x multiplier.
• Buy the bonus: The Gold Fever feature can be instantly triggered for 100x your current bet.
• Hit frequency: 1 in 3 spins.
• Max win: 10,000x.
• Probability of over 1,000x win: 1 in 79,145 spins.