Wheel of Wishes slot rolled out on general release to Microgaming casinos

Slot players will have had this date circled in their calendar for a good while now as the 11^th February is the day that Microgaming finally offer the new Wheel of Wishes progressive jackpot slot for general release across a massive range of casinos.

Prior to this, the slot had only been available in a small number of casinos as part of a limited release. Now that this period has passed, a far greater number of players will now have access to this brand new progressive jackpot game, the first slot game to offer a brand new progressive jackpot system from Microgaming for several years. You can also demo the game at WheelOfWishes.net before making a commitment to deposit.

What is Wheel of Wishes?

Wheel of Wishes is a 10-pay line slot that offers players the chance to play from 0.10 per spin to 25.00 per spin in the standard game, or from 1.00 to 250.00 per spin if you elect to play the game in Power Mode.

The slot is based on an Arabian theme and is set against the backdrop of a sandy desert. The game does not have a Free Spins bonus game, but instead offers something called Power Spins. These can be accessed by landing two or more of the Scatter symbols while playing through the base game or switching on the Power Mode button to the left of the reels.

However, in Power Mode all your spins are 10x the value of a standard base game spin So for example, if you are playing the base game mode at 0.50 per spin, then you switch to Power Mode, your spin cost in Power Mode will be 5.00 per spin. However, if you activate a Power Spin from the base game, then this spin is free of charge to the player.

The biggest jackpot in the base game is a prize of 500x your stake for landing five of the Scatter symbols across the reels. If you land five Wilds across the reel, then that will offer you a prize of 50x your stake. With standard symbols, the highest value win is 10x your stake. Symbols are not stacked on the reels, apart from the Wild symbol, but that does mean you can land two different types of symbol wins on the same spin, especially if you have several Wilds stacked on the reels too.

The base game plays as a more medium variance slot, but Power Mode when activated means that the slot is slightly more volatile, ostensibly because you are playing the game for a much greater amount on each spin. Even so, as progressive jackpot games go, this is not the most voracious progressive out there and you do get a decent number of wins whether you play the base game or in Power Mode.

Why would I want to play Power Mode?

Of course, if you are going to wager 10x more than the standard bet amount on a single spin in the Wheel of Wishes slot, then there needs to be a good reason for doing so. Sure Power Mode is expensive compared to the standard game in Wheel of Wishes, but there are two big reasons why that is.

Firstly, you can't trigger the Jackpot Bonus Game from the base game in Wheel of Wishes. To do this, you need to first trigger a Power Spin by landing two or more Scatters and then hit the right combination of symbols on your free Power Spin. As such, this means most base game spins won't offer you a chance at trying to launch the Jackpot Bonus Game.

In Power Mode, every spin is a Power Spin and as such, every spin could trigger the Jackpot Bonus Game.

The way this is triggered with a Power Spin or in Power Mode is exactly the same. You have to land the large 3x3 Jackpot Bonus Wheel Scatter symbol in full on that large middle reel. When you do, you will launch the Jackpot Bonus Game.

It is in this simple wheel spinning game that you will have the opportunity to win one of the four progressive jackpot prizes available in the Wheel of Wishes slot. These are the prizes that have got slot players very excited as the two largest prizes are seeded at higher amounts than any other Microgaming progressive.

• Mini - Seeded at 10.00
• Minor - Seeded at 100.00
• Major - Seeded at 50,000
• Wowpot - Seeded at 2,000,000

Simply spin the Jackpot Wheel and whatever the colour of the segment that the pointer points to at the conclusion of the spin, that will correspond to one of the four progressive jackpot prizes.

The other reason you may want to play Power Mode is that in Power Mode, there are none of the lower value symbols on the reels and the way that a spin plays out is different to the base game and it means that only five-symbol wins across the reels are possible.

In a Power Mode spin, the outer reels (first and fifth) do not spin as such but instead turn into what appears to be some kind of tornado. The middle three reels combine into a single large reel and on that single reel are extra-large (3x3) high value symbols from the game, plus the Scatter symbol. These larger symbols can cover the entire middle reel in full.

As the middle reel spins, the two outer reels will eventually display three symbols on each reel, but for each spin the high value symbol displayed will be the same random symbol for that spin. So, you may have six treasure chest symbols shown on the two reels, or six pendants.

When those outer two reels have resolved, the middle reel will come to a halt and if all or part of the large symbol that matches the symbols on the outer two reels is the same, then you will receive a pay-out. If you have more of the larger symbol on the reels, or better still the entire symbol on the reel, then you will land a larger pay-out as you will win across more lines.

Should I play Wheel of Wishes in standard game mode or Power Mode?

On the day of release, this is the question that many people will be asking themselves and in truth, I think the answer to this does depend entirely on the size of your bankroll and the type of budget that you have when you play slot games at an online casino.

If you are generally a lower stakes player who deposits smaller amounts into their account, then I think the base game mode is the wisest option. There are two reasons for this, the first is cost and the second is that the base game offers a far greater scope for those balance-boosting smaller and medium value wins, that mean your bankroll will likely last a lot longer and allow you more opportunity to play the game.

You can (and likely, will) trigger a few free Power Spins when you play too, so you won't have absolutely no chance at landing a shot at one of the for progressive jackpot prizes, you just won't likely have that opportunity on every spin.

On the flip side of this, If you are a higher stakes gambler, who deposits a larger amount into your account, who is comfortable with betting more per spin and who can afford to do so without wiping out their balance, then the Power Mode may be a better option. Be warned though, this mode can quickly prove to be expensive and there is no guarantee you will win a jackpot prize, as the game remains random.

It is always worth remembering that to get the best out of a slot, you really should experience all it has to offer, so I would give both game modes at least a couple of spins to try, to see which you feel is best, but I do feel generally the advice above is good advice dependent upon your bankroll.

How quickly will the Wheel of Wishes progressive jackpot increase?

This is the key question and as such, it is entirely dependent on how popular the slot is with the progressive slot gaming public as to how quickly the progressive jackpots increase. If the game is a smash hit success, it could race past the current amount of 2.1 million and beyond within days. If it is slow to gain traction, it may stay at that amount for a little while.

The truth is, until more people have played the game and are fully aware of it and then enjoy playing it, we will not know if this new slot will enjoy the same level of popularity as the other great Microgaming classic slot Mega Moolah.

Wheel of Wishes should be available in a number of casinos around the world from today, so check out what the game has to offer by logging into your preferred Microgaming casino and loading it up for a few spins right now!