ABOUT THIS SLOT
Wheel of Wishes from Microgaming is another progressive real money online slot to add to the developer’s impressive catalogue, joining the likes of Mega Moolah, Fruit Fiesta, Major Millions and Treasure Nile. This game gives players the chance to win Microgaming’s famous Wow Pot, which starts at an eye-watering €2 million.
The theme here is colourful Arabia and you’ll find a desert scene stretching out behind the reels, mysterious music wafting along in the background and lots of suitably exotic symbols. The set-up is a standard 5-reel 3-row affair with 10 paylines and the 4 jackpots ticking away at the top of the screen. These prizes can be triggered by getting lucky during the bonus features.
RTP, VARIANCE AND PAYOUTS
Wheel of Wishes a low variance slot, as is common among progressive titles, while the RTP is also predictably low at 93.34%. This percentage is actually higher than many famous progressive slots, such as Mega Moolah, which has an official RTP of just 88. 12%. However, it’s important to remember that these RTPs only apply to the base game because a part of your wager goes into the progressive jackpot.
Payouts aren’t frequent in the Wheel of Wishes base game, but you can still get lucky and enjoy decent results without triggering one of the progressive jackpots. The max win in the base game is 500x stake, while the 10p minimum bet is friendly to low rollers.
SYMBOLS AND PAYTABLE
The symbols in Wheel of Wishes include Arabian icons, such as Aladdin’s lamp, a book of spells, treasure chest, ruby pendant and potion bottles. The card suits award the lowest payouts, while the best-paying regular symbol is the lamp, which awards 10x stake for 5 matches.
The purple Wild symbol awards 50x your bet for 5 matches and also stands in for other symbols to create more potential wins. The colourful bonus wheel is the Scatter symbol, which can launch the Power Spins feature and also awards the best payout in the base game of 500x stake for 5 of a kind.
GAMEPLAY AND FEATURES
Wilds
The purple and gold Wild symbol can substitute for the other symbols to create more potential winning combinations. This also pays 50x your bet for 5 of a kind.
Power Spins and Giant Symbols
The bonus wheel Scatter pays 500x stake for 5 of a kind. If you land 2 or more of these, you’ll trigger Power Spins, where Giant Symbols appear on the middle 3 reels. If the bonus wheel Scatter lands as a Giant Symbol, you’ll activate the Wheel of Wishes Jackpot Bonus.
Wheel of Wishes Jackpot Bonus
Spinning the jackpot bonus wheel will reveal a prize, which can be one of the 4 progressive jackpots, including the Wow Pot with its €2 million minimum prize.
Power Mode
If you’re dead set on winning the jackpot and have a good bankroll, you can launch Power Mode by betting 10x stake. This pricey option lets you play Power Spins all the time with added bonus wheels, giving you more chance of triggering the progressive jackpot.
OUR VERDICT
Wheel of Wishes is an attractive addition to the Microgaming stable of progressive slots. It has a pleasant Arabian theme and music to match, while the symbols are simple but effective. Players who love to chase big jackpots will love the €2 million potential prize and it’s easy to drip your bankroll away activating Power Mode in the hopes of spinning that lucky bonus wheel. The RTP is pretty low with this mode activated though and base game payouts are thin on the ground. Apart from the bonus wheel, there aren’t many features and with the low variance and lack of Free Spins, it’s slightly dull. This slot relies heavily on the Progressive Jackpot opportunity, which is fine for big money chasers but if you’re looking for an entertaining base game with fun features, there are better options out there.