Tumbling reels are your way to score more wins free of charge. Modern slot games can hardly go without some kind of cascading symbols to serve as filler during dry streaks and the cherry on top our paylines. Take a look at the best cascading reels slots in 2022.
Video transcript:
Cascading slots, tumbling reels, rolling reels, avalanche slots - no matter how you choose to call it, the cascading reels feature has helped reshape the way we play slot games.
First introduced by developer NetEnt in Gonzo’s Quest in 2011, the mechanic is based on a very simple concept, yet provides so many opportunities to everyone involved. Developers use it as a core theme to create all kinds of innovative features around, while players get more winning chances and anticipation in the build up to big wins.
Here’s how tumbling reels work: once a winning spin has been activated, all the symbols on the winning line disappear to be replaced by a new set of symbols falling from above. This is actually one spin free of charge, and if it happens to be a winning one, the process will repeat. What’s great about this feature is that it can last indefinitelly in the form of chain reaction as long you keep scoring consecutive wins.
Let’s take a look at some of the best old and new cascading reels slots:
It is only appropriate to start with the first ever cascading reels slot – Gonzo’s Quest, released in 2011 by NetEnt. The slot immediately became a huge hit with players and software studios alike, in no small part thanks to the Avalanche feature.
Gonzalo Pizzaro’s jungle-themed adventure was a visual wonder at that time – we got a glimpse of the extravagant audiovisual effects of the future with each stone block symbol that tumbled onto the screen. To make the concept even more exciting, NetEnt added a win multiplier that increases with each new avalanche up to 5 times in the base game and up to 15 times in the Free Fall bonus.
With mid to high volatility, low RTP and difficult to trigger free spins, Gonzo’s Quest is still a player-favorite despite the flaws, some even dare say the best NetEnt slot and one of the best online slots ever made.
Play Gonzo’s Quest at CasinoCruise, Videoslots.com, and No Bonus Casino.
You might be thinking - Not another mining-themed game! – but we promise, you will like Cascading Cave for its winning potential and old-school design.
Unlike most modern slots with tumbling reels that are actually Megaways, this game from Playtech offers a very plain cascading reel setup across 5 reels, 3 rows and 20 pay-lines. Any wins will trigger a collapse of symbols and any new consecutive wins will trigger another in a chain reaction. Additional perks come in the form of dropping multplier wilds of up to 5x the win.
The software studio tried to offset the downsides of the 95.83% RTP and high volatility by allowing the payout odds to max out at 10,000 the bet.
You can play the game for free or for real cash at SlotV, Cadoola and Frank Casino.
Tropical Tiki by Pragmatic Play
This is another highly volatile slot with the tumble feature, except this one comes with a twist. Instead of all win-line symbols disappearing during a cascade, Pragmatic Play added a new dynamic that will see you laughing all the way to the bank.
What happens is that only non-winning symbols disappear, while all others, including high-paying symbols and any Scatters, remain locked in position. If more Scatters or matching symbols land, they will also remain sticky, greatly increasing the chance of triggering the free spins feature, plus they pay on their own as much as 35x the bet for 10 Scatter symbols.
The following casinos currently offer Tropical Tiki: Tusk Casino, BetSofa, and BitDice.
Temple Tumble 2 Dream Drop by Relax Gaming
The first slot in The Dream Drop Jackpots series and a sequel to highly popular Temple Tumble, this Relax Gaming release banks on 5 jackpots to keep you interested, with the largest Mega capping out at €10,000,000.
While the slot can, in theory, pay a lot even in the base game, the RTP is low at 94.80% and the volatility intimidating.
The gameplay is based around cascading reels, and branches out into numerous coactive features that work beautifully together to create a wealth of opportunities: multipliers, sticky Wilds, transforming symbols, and extra spins.
See if Temple Tumble 2 is any better than the original and find it at lvbet, Rajabets, and Leo Vegas.
50,000x max win is reason enough to try Cygnus 2, but players are more interested in the innovative X-itertm feature developed by ELK Studios.
A step above bonus buys, the feature opens new ways of playing the game by allowing instant access to all available game modes and bonuses. In Cygnus 2, you can enjoy a complete experience with up to 5 game modes and a wide range of bets. Instead of waiting for the features to trigger, you can directly activate Bonus Hunt, Multiplier, Multiplier Wilds, Bonus, and Super Bonus.
The symbols tumble a bit differently here: they are round or spherical in shape and roll over and down to the left or right as if influenced by gravity. Each consecutive win and avalanche adds one row to the grid, opening up new payways up to a maximum of 262,144.
CatCasino, Yeti Casino and Surf Casino currently have the highly anticipated sequel on offer.
Do you know of any other fun cascading reels slots? Let us know in the comments!
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