What are Cluster Win or Cluster Pays slots?

If there is one key identifying feature of slot games, regardless of whether they are in the real world or played online digitally, it is the fact that they have reels. Ever since the very first slot game was developed it used a series of reels as the basis for the game and little has changed regarding that fact over the years.

Sure, the number of reels in games has altered. We now have five reel games, six reel games and there are games available with even more reels than that. But generally, most slot games tend to stick to the reel system.

However, there are some slot games that do not use reels. Slots that feature Rolling Reels for example, do not have reels that spin (instead, the symbols drop down from above into the space where the reels would usually be). Although the effect of the Rolling Reels feature does make it still look and feel like a slot game,

There are even some games that don't have spinning reels but instead each of the positions on the 'reels' are individual reels themselves, which are randomised on each spin and display a symbol that may or may not be similar to the ones above it or below it on the reel.

However, there is one game that really does move away from the notion of reel-based play into something akin to a social media game. These games are usually played on a grid-style screen and instead of spinning reels and matching symbols in lines across the reel, players instead land their wins by landing groups of symbols that are adjacent to each other on the reels. The more of these adjacent symbols you can land together, the greater the potential value of your win.

These slot games work on the premise of 'clusters' of symbols offering players a payout and as such, they have become widely known as Cluster Ways or Cluster Pays slot games (although different providers can have different names for this type of game, although they essentially work in the exact same way).

In this article, we are going to learn a little more about Cluster Pays slot games, how they work, how they are set up and whether they are more or less or about the same in terms of potential to win for players. We will then also look at some fine examples of Cluster Pays slot games which you can try out for yourself.

How do Cluster Pays/Cluster Ways slots work?

You may think that Cluster Ways slot games have been a relatively recent phenomenon in the slots industry, but in actual fact there have been a number of these games released over the last decade or so, although it is fair to say the popularity of the games has becomes more evident in recent times.

That is generally because these types of Cluster Pays slots tend to emulate a number of popular social media games, where players need to match clusters together to complete levels and move through the game. Candy Crush Saga is perhaps the best known type of social media game of this ilk, although there are many more, and it is clear to me that game designers have tried to emulate this kind of game with their more recent Cluster Ways slots.

Although each Cluster Ways slot is designed differently to the other in terms of the size of the grid and the number of symbols in play on each spin, all these types of slot tend to play out on a grid of symbols that are not spun, but which simply randomly display a symbol on each 'spin'. If on a spin, you land a set number of symbols together in a cluster, you win. The type and number of symbols you land clustered together will determine the value of the win.

Cluster Ways games feature symbols that offer differing values, just as a normal slot, but it is how many of these symbols you can land in a cluster together (or with a symbol such as a Wild), which will determine the value of the win, with the more symbols in a cluster generally meaning the greater the value of a potential win.

Each game usually has a minimum number of symbols that are required to be in a cluster for the game to pay out. This is usually set at around 4 symbols in a cluster. There may also be rules regarding whether symbols need to be clustered together either horizontally and vertically only, not diagonally.

Cluster Pays slots can also have symbols on the grid which offer players certain types of bonuses. While Free Spins bonuses are generally rare, a Wild is a commonly used bonus feature and some games may use symbols that can alter other symbols on the reels or perform some other task on other symbols to perhaps benefit the player. These features though are very much dependent on the game designer's creativity and they can differ wildly from one Cluster Pays slot to the next.

Indeed, some games may not even have any of these bonus symbols at all.

In many Cluster Wins slots, when you land a win, the Cluster of symbols you land the win on can be altered in some way, with fresh symbols coming on screen to replace them. This can then trigger additional wins from the same spin (although again, this feature is not available on all Cluster Ways slots). You can also trigger multiple cluster wins on the same spin in different positions on the grid.

Rather like Free Spins bonus games, the way in which slots designers can use the Cluster Ways method of game-play is only really limited by their imagination and their programmers level of skill in recreating different features on the game. As it is a relatively new type of slot, I think we have only scratched the surface of what this particular type of game can offer players and I do feel that in the future we will see a lot more Cluster Ways slot games being designed and made available for players to play.

Are Cluster Ways slots more or less volatile than standard slots?

One of the main issues players face when playing a Cluster Ways slot is whether or not they offer more, less or about the same chance to land a win as a typical slot game and the truth of the matter is that Cluster Ways games are relatively easy for a designer to make more or less volatile, so in truth they offer the same broad range of games as you would find in typical slot games. That means some Cluster Ways slots are low volatility, others are medium and others a high. The games can fall anywhere along that line of volatility.

One if the main issues people have though, especially those that come to these games having played a free social media game of a similar type, is that they can expect to win far more frequently than is feasible in a game you play for real money, as opposed to one you play for free using virtual coins as your 'winnings'.

This is similar to people that play social media games that focus on poker and when they feel they are extremely successful at this game, perhaps racking up millions in 'winnings' in their virtual cash, they feel emboldened to play for real money at an online poker site and are shocked that their strategies used in the Free Cash games do not work when real money is on the table against players who are used to playing for real cash.

So, I would advise any player coming from social media games to play a Cluster Ways slot that the low volatility nature of Social Media games and the ease at which you can trigger wins on them, will not be the same in these real cash games.

Some of the key identifiers which will determine whether a Cluster Pays slot is more or less volatile than a slot game is the number of symbols that are available to land on the reels, with the more symbols in the game, the more volatile it is likely to be. Similarly, the number of positions on the Grid can also influence how volatile a Cluster Ways game can be, as can the number of bonus symbols in the game too.

However, it is more the game mechanics and how it is designed that will determine how volatile a Cluster Ways slot is, in much the same vein as a standard slot game.

For customers, it is important to know that they are not penalised in any way by playing a Cluster Ways game compared to a slot and indeed, compared to some higher variance slot games, Cluster Ways can offer lower variance gaming by a considerable margin.

What are good examples of Cluster Ways slots?

There are not a huge amount of Cluster Ways slot games available at the moment, and you do have to do a little searching to find them, although we have done the legwork for you here as we bring you a shortlist of some of the best Cluster Ways games to try.

Astro Legends - Lyra & Erion by Foxium

Playable from 0.10 per game, up to 100.00 per game, Astro Legends has a 1,000x jackpot prize and features a grid of 22 different positions. It is a space age-themed slot which sees six standard symbols in the game, three lower value symbols (Ace, King and Queen) and three better value gemstone symbols (peridot, garnet and amethyst).

Cluster wins start when you land five of the same symbol in a cluster, which offers you a cash prize of 2x your standard bet. Alongside the standard symbols though, there are a number of bonus symbols which can offer additional bonuses such as a Multiplier Wild feature (offering up to 15x the standard win if you can land three together). You can also trigger a Sonic Respin feature after any winning spin, which can see you add further symbols to your cluster to increase the value of a win and there is also a Lyra Spirit bonus to trigger too.

Treasure Heroes by Rabcat

Played on a 5x5 reel grid, this exciting take on a Cluster Pays slot sees clusters of six or more symbols land a win on the grid on each spin. To help you land a win there are Wild symbols that can appear on the reels. In addition, there is also a rare Free Spins bonus game which is triggered when you land the two Scatter symbols which will see you land 10 Free Spins.

The real selling point of this slot though is the Moving Wall feature which triggers after every win and which sees the symbols shift around horizontally and vertically which can land you more wins with the symbols on the reels from the same spin, although this feature is not available if you trigger the Free Spins bonus game.

This is a fantastic looking game by Rabcat and one that all Cluster Pays slot fans should try.

As I mentioned previously, there are not too many Cluster Wins slots available to play from Microgaming and their content partners, but I do feel that this particular type of game is rich to be explored in more detail in coming months and years and I would be very surprised if we do not see more titles in a similar vein to the two outlined above added to the selection shortly.