If their Sweet Bonanzas and Chilli Heat games are anything to go by, the team over at Pragmatic Play does like to chow down. Backing up this assumption is Yum Yum Powerways, which is stuffed with all manner of comfort foods at the beach - what could be more decadent? As well as lashings of foodstuffs, Yum Yum Powerways is run by an unusual pay way mechanic. Powerways is a system that lines up wins in all four directions, literally opening the game board like few slots do. Indulgence or ingenious design? Only one way to find out.
We'll go over the ins and outs of how Powerways works in the features section, but for now know the grid is presented in a 4-6-6-6-6-4 formation, laid on the side of a food truck by the beach. This setup provides 16,384 ways to win, and the grid is smothered in a range of comfort food that really isn't conducive to constructing a perfect beach bod. Self-denial is not Yum Yum Powerways MO, though, providing an effortlessly enjoyable environment for players to try the new mechanic in. As well as the enticing blue sky, sandy background, a jolly salsa backing track amps the mood, turning up the tempo when free spins trigger.
>
>
Players can enjoy Yum Yum Powerways' seaside setting on any device by selecting a suitable stake from 20 p/c to $/€100 per spin. The game is as volatile as it gets from Pragmatic Play while generating a default theoretical return value of 96.43%. This rises slightly to 96.67% when buying free spins, though just be aware these are default settings which can be found lower depending on the market.
All symbols in Yum Yum Powerways have been custom drawn for the game to get your mouth as watery as possible. It starts with lower value snacks such as guacamole, chocolate doughnuts, white ice doughnuts, chocolate cakes, and cheesecakes. Next, come the more valuable French Fries, tacos, drumsticks, noodles, pizzas, and hamburgers. Don't expect to win a fortune from standalone win lines. Even a full six of a kind premium combo returns just 0.25 to 1.5 times the stake. The wild helps by completing winning lines, yet it's the selection of features that make the biggest impact.
>It might be reminiscent of Megaways at first, but Powerways actually operates a lot differently from BTG's popular game engine. As well as this new way to win, Yum Yum Powerways comes with a Winning Symbols Replacement feature and free spins.
How Powerways works is that it spins a 4x4 reel set in the centre of the grid, while four 4 position reels spin on the outside – 2 laid out vertically on the sides, 2 horizontally up and down. The task is to land 4 or more matching symbols from left to right, right to left, top to bottom, or bottom to top. Winning combinations must start from any of the 4 outer reels.
When a combination hits, the Winning Symbol Replacement feature removes it from the board, and new symbols appear in the gaps. While this occurs, the game's win multiplier increases by 1 following each winning replacement. As long as new wins land, the Winning Symbol Replacement feature continues to function, with no limit to the multiplier. Between base game spins, the win multiplier resets back to x1.
Getting to the free spins game occurs when 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters land to award 6, 8, 10, or 12 free spins, respectively. Scatters remain on the reels during the bonus rounds, and every 1 in view awards +2 additional free spins. Before free spins commence, players may gamble them to start with up to 12 if successful or possibly lose them all if not.
While free spins are active, several changes to the rules occur. The first is the win multiplier starts at x3, and after every winning replacement, it increases by 3 rather than 1. Also, a wild symbol is placed on the inner 4x4 panel on each free spin, persisting through cascades if used in wins.
Instead of triggering free spins the normal way, players may be able to buy them instead. If this is a possibility, a payment of 100x the bet lands 3-6 scatter symbols on the next spin.
It might look a bit like a less healthy version of NetEnt's Fruit Shop Megaways at first, what with a food stand theme and masses of reels. However, Yum Yum Megaways is actually a rather unique game. It not only showcases Pragmatic Play's creativity but also makes you realise there are still plenty of great ideas out there for developers to entertain players with. It might take a few spins to get a handle on the tetrarchy of pay directions at first. A quick demo should have you thinking in four dimensions rather than the usual one quickly, however. Even if the new system is more confusing than entertaining, you have to appreciate Pragmatic Play's willingness to go out on a limb to try something new.
Once you wrap your head around the four directions, then Yum Yum Powerways isn't a complicated game at all, with just free spins to keep into account. Even here, Pragmatic has gone against the grain by starting the win multiplier on x3 and incrementing it by threes. The guaranteed wild symbol is a nice touch, too, helping link wins from any side of the grid.
To stop the game from becoming a free-for-all, Pragmatic's math team has increased the minimum number of winning symbols from the standard 3 to 4 and depressed their values to compensate for the additional line directions. These are things to consider for sure, though they don't have a hugely negative impact on the game. One possible enthusiasm dampener is Pragmatic Play has stuck to their 5,000x win cap. A respectable haul, but with so much good stuff available in free spins, you'd think max win might have been higher. It means Yum Yum Powerways is massively overshadowed by other games in the cuisine category like Spicy Meatballs Megaways, for example.
Still, Yum Yum Powerways remains an intriguing option due to the unusual way it functions, as well as its sultry summer vibe. Yum Yum Powerways might not be the most debauched food slot on the market, yet its great look and extra directions to win make it easy for gastronomes to enjoy.
Play for real money
