What Are Cluster Pays Slots?
We love slots with plenty of paylines. Gone are the days of the one-armed bandit with just a single fixed winning line. Today, the variety of online slots is simply staggered, and there’s no limit to the amount of ways you can win in our lobby. But there are some slots which are truly unique. Of course, we’re talking about Cluster Pays slots.
What Are Cluster Pays?
Cluster Pays slots are a collection of revolutionary slots from NetEnt, and have gotten rid of paylines altogether. On standard slots you’ll need to match symbols in a line on the reels, typically from left to right. Instead, Cluster Pays slots are 5×6 reel slots that need around nine matching touching symbols to land either anywhere on the grid.
Simply match symbols in any position, anywhere on the reels and you’ll get a winning combination. From a square to symbols stretching from the middle of the reels or a cluster in the corner. Your payout will vary depending on the value of the symbol, your stake and how many symbols form the cluster.
How Do Cluster Pays Slots Work?
Cluster Pays slots work by getting rid of traditional paylines and instead offering the player a more interesting and unpredictable method of gameplay. Think of games like Candy Crush and you’ll know what we’re talking about. A Cluster Pays slot shakes things up with the ability to win anywhere on the reels, offering more chances to win with every spin.
Cluster Pays slots have more reels than classic slots to allow for the multi-symbol win mechanics, and so sometimes they’re easy to spot. You can still check out the game’s paytable to better understand how these clusters work.
The great thing about these slots is that though they have the added Cluster Pays feature, this doesn’t mean they’re lacking in other features. They’re certainly not! Below, we’ll highlight some of the first Cluster Pays slots to hit the airwaves.
Aloha! Cluster Pays
Release Date: March 25, 2016
RTP: 96.42%
Layout: 6×5
Volatility: Low
Max Win: 100,000 coins
Enter this beautiful tropical game and meet Tiki, the smiling Moai for a unique reel adventure. The first slot of its kind, Aloha! Introduced players to the world of Cluster Pays, with nine or more symbols needed to create a win. This slot brought NetEnt’s new feature without disappointing on bonus features. This game also includes Sticky Win Re-Spins, Substitutions, Free Spins, a Symbol Drop feature and more. The Symbol Drop enables you to keep winning more combinations, and during Free Spins, low-paying symbols are removed from the reels to keep those mega combinations coming.
The Legend of Shangri La
Release Date: September 17, 2017
RTP: 96.59%
Layout: 6×5
Volatility: Low/Medium
Max Win: 2,000,000 coins
The buffed-up big brother to Twin Spin, Twin Spin Deluxe includes identical twin reels that can appear adjacent to any of the six main reels to really sweeten things up. These two exciting features combine to produce a classic slot that is anything but a classic slot experience.
Slots With Similar Mechanics
Though Cluster Pays is a NetEnt creation, there are several Grid Slots from other providers that use similar mechanics, paying out based on symbol groups rather than paylines. Some of our favourites are Play’n GO’s 9×9 slot Sweet Alchemy, with Sugar Rush Meter and tasty bonus features. Big Time Gaming’s Bonanza also provides potential mega payouts by paying out left to right adjacent symbols instead of clusters. If mining for wins isn’t your thing, then you can always hang out with everyone’s favourite cute aliens in Reatoonz and hope that the little guys stick together!
Why Play Cluster Pays Slots?
Why shouldn’t you? If you’re looking to mix things up from your usual spins, then these slots might just have the answers you’re looking for. The thrill of waiting and not knowing where the winning symbols could land. While there are games that offer bigger payouts than these, Cluster Pays offer a pretty healthy RTP and are certainly worth a few spins. If you’re looking to test out diverse games and features and are interested in new slot technology, then these may just be the games for you.
