Akira Tora's avatar Akira Tora

Lucky 8 Merge Up Slot Review

My sister’s a bit of a hippie. She’s into astrology and hugging trees and rescuing the planet. And she firmly believes in karma and reincarnation, which she says is the universe’s way of elevating man from one level to the next. Shoo wow. 🌈❤️🦄

She was always frustrated with me 🙄 when we were growing up as I was unwaveringly practical and didn’t buy into her tie-dyed approach to life.

But for once, I can report back and say that not only do I get what she was on about, but I’ve also managed to elevate myself to the next level. 🥳

That’s because I’ve been playing BGAMING’s Lucky 8 Merge Up slot, where there are 9 levels of numbers that increasingly boost your win potential. Now that’s a leveling-up that I can understand! 🎰

Gameplay

You know what? I applaud BGaming. If you’re going to create a stripped-down game, at least make it look cool. And Lucky 8 Merge Up slot looks the biz!

You get a blue background and nothing else, but this, in conjunction with the colorful grid, makes the game look fantastic. And, of course, it also means that the mobile experience is glorious.

To the left of the 6-reel grid are the Ante Bet and the Buy Bonus (we’ll discuss these in the Features section). Below these, you’ll also see a list of the latest winning combos.

Lucky 8 Merge Up slot works on Cluster Pays, which means you’ll need to land 4 vertically or horizontally adjacent symbols to form a win.

Cluster symbols merge after a win. If the Cluster was made up of 4 or 5 winning symbols, then 2 new symbols will be formed. If the Cluster was comprised of 6 or 7 symbols, then 3 new symbols appear.

A Cluster of 8 or 9 symbols yields 4 new symbols, while a Cluster of 10 or 11 creates 5 new symbols. Lastly, a Cluster of 12 or more symbols produces 6 new symbols.

Given its low-key appearance, you might believe that this game is a chilled affair that offers a middling payout. Boy howdy, would you be wrong! Lucky 8 Merge Up slot has a very high volatility rate but your risk is compensated for by a $400,000 top payout!

As for the max multiplier, that’s less impressive at 5,000x (but still not bad), and the RTP is 96.25%.

The Scatter symbol is the number 8 and can appear in any position during the game. You might also see a Scatter emerge from a Cluster Win.

Features

MERGE UP:

The Merge Up feature happens when 4 or more of the same symbols hit vertically or horizontally adjacent to each other. After the win amount is paid, some symbols disappear, while others become symbols of the next level.

There are 9 levels in the game – the Scatter representing the 9th level – and the win amount is based on the symbols' level and their number.

FREE SPINS:

Land 4, 5, or 6 of the number 8 Scatter and you’ll trigger this round with 15, 18, or 20 spins. Cells where winning clusters form are marked, and if a marked cell forms part of a subsequent win, it gets a 2x multiplier.

This action continues as long as wins are happening and if the action includes the marked cell. The multiplier will be applied to the next winning combo the cell takes part in. The maximum multiplier you can score is 128x.

You can re-trigger the Free Spins round by landing an additional 4 Scatters on the reels. However, 4, 5, or 6 Scatters will now award 5, 8, or 10 spins.

BUY BONUS:

Pay 100x your bet to go straight to the Free Spins round.

ANTE BET:

The Ante Bet option increases your chances of triggering a Free Spins round. It will cost you 24% of your bet and will stay on until you deactivate it.

Performance

I played hundreds of rounds of Lucky 8 Merge Up slot, and the game performed flawlessly.

Maximum Win

Hold onto your hats, boys, coz this is going to blow your mind: you can win a staggering $400,000 when you combine a $80 bet with the 5,000x max multiplier. If that’s too much money to spend per spin, you can bet from as little as $0.20.

Conclusion

This is the kinda thing I love to see. Doing things differently doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel; it can simply entail taking a different approach, and that’s what BGaming has achieved with Lucky 8 Merge Up slot.

The game takes “stripped down” to a new level but still manages to make it a feast for the eyes. They’ve successfully matched the volatility rate with the potential payout. The studio also uses levels in their Merge Up feature that can bolster your payouts.

What’s not to like?

Slot Details

Software: BGAMING
Game Type: Video Slots
Paylines: Cluster Pays
Reels: 6
RTP: 96.25%
Bonus Round: No
Progressive: No
Free Rounds: Free Spins
Max Multiplier: 5,000x
Max Win: $400,000
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BitStarz, award-winning Bitcoin Casino