Mega Joker Slot Game by NetEnt: A Full Review of Its Classic Charm, Features, and Gameplay Experience
Mega Joker is an online casino slot launched by the industry giant NetEnt in 2011. It is a high-volatility slot game with a very high RTP rating. Though it doesn’t offer a free spins feature, the Supermeter mode and progressive jackpot mechanism surely make up for it. The game features vintage graphics and sound effects for an authentic gambling experience.
Theme of Mega Joker
Mega Joker has a retro theme with fruit symbols from the classic slot machines at brick-and-mortar casinos. In fact, this classic theme is the prime attraction for many players as it gives them a nostalgic vibe. The casino slot has a black and grey background with decorative trees on each side, which creates the perfect casino atmosphere.
The grid is placed in the middle of the screen, featuring two separate sets of reels. You can see the payouts listed on both sides of the reels. The jackpot size and gameplay buttons are placed at the bottom of the screen. All of these elements give you the same retro feel with green digits and highlights around the buttons. Finally, the blinking lights add to the already wholesome classic casino atmosphere.
Music and Sound Design
Just like a slot machine at a land-based casino, Mega Joker doesn’t have any extravagant background music that plays all the time. Instead, you get an arcade-like sound effect for every action and event. You’ll hear coins clinking when you adjust the coin size. All the buttons, when pressed, sound like they’re real buttons on a physical game machine. Similar retro sound effects kick in when the reels spin, or you land a winning combo.
Symbols and Payouts
Mega Joker has two modes, each of which has its own 3×3 grids with five paylines. There are six symbols in the base game and eight in the Supermeter mode. High-paying symbols in the base mode are chests and bells. Low-paying ones are watermelons, lemons, and cherries. In the Supermeter mode, high-paying symbols are lucky sevens, bells, and watermelons. Low-paying ones are grapes, lemons, oranges, and cherries. The jester is the highest-paying symbol in both modes.
In the base game, you can choose coin sizes starting from 0.1 and going up to 1 where the coin size 1 is equal to 10 coins. That means you can bet between 1 and 10 coins. The winnings range from 20 to 2,000 coins. There are four adjustable bet/coin sizes (20, 40, 100, 200) in the Supermeter mode, with higher payouts for bigger coin sizes. Let’s take a detailed look at the paytable.
Base game:
| Symbols (Combos of Three) | Payouts (in Coins) |
| Jesters | 20 to 400 |
| Chests | 2000 |
| Bells | 200 |
| Watermelons | 80 |
| Lemons | 20 |
| Cherries | 20 |
Supermeter mode: At 200 coins, one or more jesters anywhere on the grid pay out between 100 and 2000 coins. At 100 coins, one or more jesters in the middle reel pay out between 100 and 2000 coins. The other payouts are shown below:
| Symbols (Combos of Three) | Payouts (in Coins) | Coin Size |
| Jesters | 1000 | 20 or 100 |
| 2000 | 40 or 200 | |
| Lucky 7s | 800 | 20 or 100 |
| 2000 | 40 or 200 | |
| Bells | 600 | 20 or 100 |
| 1200 | 40 or 200 | |
| Watermelons | 500 | 20 or 100 |
| 1000 | 40 or 200 | |
| Berries | 200 | 20 or 100 |
| 500 | 40 or 200 | |
| Lemons | 200 | 20 or 100 |
| 400 | 40 or 200 | |
| Oranges | 100 | 20 or 100 |
| 200 | 40 or 200 | |
| Cherries | 100 | 20 or 100 |
| 200 | 40 or 200 |
Bonuses and Special Features
Mega Joker has two special features: Supermeter mode and a progressive jackpot. The progressive jackpot mechanism takes 3% from each player’s bet and puts it in the network jackpot. Any player can trigger the jackpot at any time to claim the top prize.
If you win a round in the base game, you can collect the coins or enter the Supermeter mode. This mode offers more symbols with higher coin sizes and winnings. However, you must win less than 2,000 coins in the base game to enter the Supermeter mode using the max bet. One downside of this mode is that you can’t win the jackpot here.
Pros and Cons of Mega Joker
Pros:
- Very high RTP
- Classic retro theme
- Two different game modes
Cons:
- Comparatively lower winning potential
- Game interface can look overwhelming to some
Popularity and Reception
Most online players praise Mega Joker for the old-school experience with its retro theme mimicking the classic fruit machines at land-based casinos. Symbols like lemons, melons, and sevens attract both new and existing players. The Supermeter is also a fan-favourite mode for its potential for bigger wins. The progressive jackpot can trigger at any time is particularly exciting to many players. Others are attracted to the fast-paced gameplay compared to modern slots with heavy graphics.
Surprisingly, almost all of the people who have played Mega Joker highly praise it. The only downside one or two players mention is that the size of winnings is a little lower than in other NetEnt slots with progressive jackpots. However, when compared to traditional casino slots, the winnings are still pretty big.
RTP (Return to Player)
Mega Joker is a casino slot with high volatility and a theoretical RTP of 99%. This theoretical measure means that if you play for a long term (thousands of spins), the game will eventually reward an average of 99 cents per dollar bet. In the short run, like a few hundred spins, you will not get returns that reflect the theoretical RTP. Because of the high volatility, you will win less frequently, but your real money winnings will be quite large when you do.
Final Opinion on Mega Joker
Mega Joker is an absolute beauty with its retro theme and classic fruit symbols. Though some players complain that winnings are comparatively low, the online casino slot allows for huge real-money winnings with its Supermeter mode and progressive jackpot. The RTP of 99% is also one of the highest in the industry.
If you’re looking for an authentic vintage casino gaming experience at Betswap with chances to win big, this might be the perfect choice for you.