Why mechanics matter more than theme
When all 58 catalog games share the same character, the theme no longer distinguishes them from one another — mechanics do. Two games can look almost identical on the cover and feel completely different on screen, because one pays on fixed 20 paylines and the other changes the number of symbols on each spin.
Three mechanics stand out in our catalog as clear groups: Megaways (2 peliä), avalanche / cascading (4 games, the same set under both names) and Hold and Win (5 games). The rest of the games are built on fixed paylines or cluster games — they are not misplaced in this article, but form their own, larger base group.
Megaways: same game, a different number of ways to win each spin
Megaways is a licensed mechanic where each reel can display a different number of symbols on each spin — typically two to seven rows per reel. The number of ways to win is calculated as the product of the reel heights and can climb into the tens of thousands on a single spin. In our catalog the mechanic is used by two games:
- Medusa Megaways (NextGen) — RTP 97,63 %, high volatility, maximum win 50 000× the catalogue's highest.
- Medusa's Mystic Reels Megaways (playzia) — RTP 94 %, high volatility, max win 10 000×, and also includes a bonus buy.
Two games isn't a small coincidence: Megaways is a real-time mechanic that costs the studio a license fee to Big Time Gaming, so it's used less often than open mechanics. The full Megaways list for the catalog can be found in the collection Megaways.
Reel heights vary on every spin, so the grid looks lively even in the base game. Large numbers of win ways often build up precisely when the reels happen to be at their tallest — therefore the game can look quiet for many rounds and then suddenly full of symbols.
Avalanche, i.e. avalanche/cascading: chain wins on the same spin
Avalanche, also known as avalanche tai cascading, removes winning symbols from the grid and drops new ones into their place — using the same stake, without a new spin. If the new symbols form another win, the chain continues, and in many games multipliers increase with each link in the chain.
All four avalanche games in our catalog are the same four that are also marked with the cascading feature — the mechanic always appears together:
| Game | Studio | RTP | Volatility | Maximum win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medusa Megaways | NextGen | 97,63 % | high | 50 000× |
| Medusa's Mystic Reels Megaways | playzia | 94 % | high | 10 000× |
| Medusa Dark Ages | Skywind Group | 96 % | medium–high | 15,000× |
| Stone Gaze of Medusa 2 | StakeLogic | 96,03 % | high | 10 000× |
Note that our Megaways pair is also included here: both mechanics appear in them at the same time. That’s not an exception but a common combination — a wide grid produces more possible chains.
At the partner casino you can play both Megaways and Hold and Win games as free demos before deciding which feels right for you.
Hold and Win: respin-coin bonus, no free spins
Hold and Win is not the same as free spins, although both are often grouped under the “bonus round” label. In a Hold and Win round some symbols — usually coins or money symbols — lock in place on the grid, and the remaining cells receive a limited number of respins (typically three). Each time a new coin symbol lands, the respins reset. The round ends when the respins run out or the entire grid fills.
Five games in the catalogue use this mechanic:
- Legend of Medusa (SYNOT) — RTP 96,01 %, maximum win 500×, fixed bonus coin round.
- Cash Flip Medusa (Snowborn Games) — RTP 96 %, high volatility, maximum win 4 100×.
- Power of Gods: Medusa Extremely Light (Wazdan) — adjustable volatility, bonus buy included.
- Amazing Link Medusa (SpinPlay Games) — RTP 96,48 %, high volatility, fixed jackpot included.
- Power of Gods Medusa (Wazdan) — RTP 96,18 %, adjustable volatility, both Hold and Win and bonus buy.
The full list and more respin-based games are in the collection Hold and Win and more broadly Respins.
Games that fall between three mechanics
Megaways, avalanche and Hold and Win are the catalog's most distinct special mechanics, but they cover only part of the 58 games. Three games — Medusa's Madness (Play'n GO), Medusa The Wild Temple (7777 Gaming) ja Stone Gaze of Medusa (StakeLogic) — use cluster wins: symbols pay when grouped adjacent to each other, not on fixed paylines. This is different from avalanche mechanics, although in both cases symbols can fall again.
The rest 41 catalog games rakentuvat perinteisemmälle pohjalle: kiinteille voittolinjoille tai kiinteälle ruudukolle ilman Megaways-, avalanche-, Hold and Win- tai klusterimekaniikkaa. Tämä ei ole vanhentunut tapa rakentaa peliä — moni tuore julkaisu käyttää edelleen kiinteitä linjoja tarkoituksella, koska tulos on helpompi lukea etukäteen kuin ketjuuntuvassa tai muuttuvassa ruudukossa. Koko katalogin mekaniikkajako näkyy kootusti sivulla Collections.
Progressive jackpot: the catalog's rarest mechanic
Even rarer than Megaways is progressive jackpot — only two catalogue games use it: Medusa (GMW) ja Age of the Gods Medusa & Monsters (Playtech Origins). The progressive jackpot grows continuously with a small portion taken from every bet by all players until someone wins it — unlike a fixed jackpot (fixed jackpot), the amount is predetermined and does not increase through play.
This is a different thing from the fixed jackpots in Hold and Win games, such as Amazing Link Medusa -the game's built-in pot — the fixed amount is known in advance, a progressive one is not. Neither structure is listed as a maximum win in the same way as a regular multiplier, so in these two games the max win field should be read especially carefully on the game's own page.
How to choose according to the mechanic
Three mechanics fit three different session expectations:
- Do you want to see the grid change every spin? Megaways fits this — the reel height changes all the time, so the game never looks exactly the same.
- Do you want cascading wins within the same stake? Avalanche mechanic builds exactly that: one good spin can cascade into many consecutive wins.
- Do you want a clear, countable bonus round? Hold and Win is the most predictable of these three: coins lock visible and the result is decided with a limited number of retriggers, not a random chain of multipliers.
None of these tell you in advance how much a game pays — that is always read from the RTP and volatility, not the mechanic's name. See RTP and volatility in plain language, if these concepts are still unclear.
Mechanic and buy feature also don't exclude each other — many of the games mentioned in this article, such as Medusa's Mystic Reels Megaways tai Power of Gods Medusa, also offers a direct buy button for the bonus round. If this combination interests you, the full list and what the buy button actually does is explained in the article Bonus buy In Medusa slots.
We do not claim that one mechanic is “better” than another — they are different products for different tastes. We also do not calculate expected hit frequency from the mechanic, because no such figure exists in the game’s own data.
The network partner casino is the only destination we promote — try different mechanics in the demo before choosing your favourite.
Short summary
- Megaways — 2 games, variable stake level, catalog's largest cap 50 000×.
- Avalanche/cascading — 4 games, cascading wins on the same spin (the same group includes our Megaways pair).
- Hold and Win — 5 games, respin-based slot bonus, the most predictable of the three.
- Mechanic describes the feel of the game, not the payout percentage — RTP and volatility are always read separately.
