Panda Money Megaways Free Play in Demo Mode by Big Time Gaming

Panda Money Megaways review

Theme and Style

You don’t usually equate the cute bamboo-eating panda bear with fast action and great riches. However, in this slot, the calm of the background bamboo grove with its titular bear snoozing is contrasted with energetic reels and fast-paced slot action.

The slot might be themed around a slow-moving vegetarian bear and it might be set in the quiet of a bamboo forest, but this slot is neither quiet nor slow-moving.

Graphics, Sounds and Animations

The background on which Panda Money Megaways situates its slot reels is a hand-drawn digital painting of an idyllic Chinese bamboo village. In the foreground an animated Panda bear snoozes, waiting for the player to wake him up with the action on the reels.

Those reels are very simply animated, with clean high-resolution images of Chinese artworks like jade rings and crystal lotus flowers.

Win animations are less clear than on some slots, but are accompanied by classic slot noises to keep players engaged. Overall, however, the graphics, sound, and animations fail to cohere with the setting chosen for the slot.

While the vibe is pleasant and relaxing, it is hard to be fully drawn into this panda’s world.

Gameplay

Panda Money Megaways uses the Megaways system. The Megaways system means that for each of the six reels, the game randomizes the number of symbols each time the player spins the reels. Each reel can have up to five symbols on it.

Wins are calculated on an any way wins basis. This means that wins are generated every time the player lands matching symbols on three or more consecutive reels starting from the leftmost reel. The position of the symbols on each reel does not matter.

There is also an additional horizontal reel above reels two to five. These come into play during cascades when winning symbols are moved to the bottom of the reels and the other symbols are respun. Winning symbols from the extra reel fall also fall onto the reel. They can also increase the number of symbols on a reel if that reel is already full. The winning symbols remain in place until a respin occurs that does not increase the value of the win. Then the respin resets.

As if that wasn’t enough in the way of features, players also have the option to gamble wins on a double or nothing game, and—if they win more than 100x their bet—the player can exchange 100x their bet to trigger the Free Spin Bonus.

The maximum win on any given round is capped at 67,330x the player’s bet.

This is a lot of fun gameplay features for a slot that gives off such a low-key, relaxed vibe!

Wilds, Bonuses and Free Spins

Wilds substitute for all other symbols except the Scatter and only appear on the extra reel.

The Scatter pays out for three or more symbols anywhere on the reels and triggers the Free Spin Bonus.

The Free Spin Bonus begins with 8 free spins for three Scatter symbols with an additional 2 free spins for every subsequent Scatter symbol.

During the Free Spins, a multiplier is applied to all wins. The multiplier starts at x1 but increases by one for every five Bamboo symbols that land.

Landing three or more Bonus symbols during the Free Spin Bonus adds at least two additional free spins with another two added for every Scatter above three (i.e. 4 spins for 4 symbols, six spins for 5 symbols, etc…).

Bet Sizes, RTP and Variance

The return to player of Panda Money Megaways is 96.10%, close to our yardstick for an average of roughly 96%. This increases slightly to 96.15% if you buy directly into the bonus game.

The range of bets on the site we tested ran from a minimum bet per spin of $/£/€0.20 up to a maximum of $/£/€8.00 per spin. This is a relatively low maximum which high rollers will want to take into account.

Panda Money Megaways has very high volatility. As a result, it's a good match for our preferred slot machine strategies. We prefer to target the highest possible volatility slots.

Conclusion

There is a lot to love about pandas. They are cute, calm, and cuddly. This slot takes after its namesake in a few ways but diverges in some others.

The RTP is pretty average while the volatility is very high. The artwork and music are rural and old-fashioned, the sound effects jarring and modern. The tone is simple and relaxing, but the features are high-octane and varied. The overall effect is of a solid slot, but with an inconsistent tone.

Overall, we like the Panda Money Megaways slot for its good features. However, our recommendation is somewhat tempered by the slot’s atmospheric issues.