Buffalo Rising Megaways slot review

Buffalo Rising Megaways slot overview

Buffalo Rising Megaways belongs to the first wave of licensed Megaways games. Blueprint Gaming, the Newark-based studio owned by the Merkur Group, announced its Megaways licence on 1 May 2018, a deal covered at the time in CasinoBeats' report on Big Time Gaming and Blueprint (opens in a new tab). Blueprint's first Megaways title, Diamond Mine Megaways, followed that May, and Buffalo Rising arrived in October 2018.

Its engine is pure Megaways: a changing number of symbols on each reel, cascading wins and a bonus round where a multiplier grows. Its standout idea is letting you choose how the free spins are set up.

Where 117,649 ways comes from

On a Megaways slot the number of ways equals the number of symbols showing on each reel, multiplied together. Ways pay for matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left, in any row. The 117,649 maximum is exactly 7 to the power of 6, which is what you get when all six reels show seven symbols at once.

These rows are illustrations of the arithmetic, not the game's actual reel distribution. The point is that most spins show far fewer than 117,649 ways, and the headline number is a ceiling. Check the game's rules for how the horizontal top reel adds to the count. Our ways to win explainer covers the same counting for fixed-ways games.

How the features work in Buffalo Rising Megaways

Cascading wins

Every win is followed by a cascade. The winning symbols are removed, new symbols drop into their place, and if they form a fresh win it pays and the process repeats. In the base game this extends a spin; in the bonus it also drives the multiplier. See our page on cascading reels for the general mechanic.

Four scatters and your choice of bonus

Landing four scatters triggers the free spins round. Before it starts you choose a combination of the number of spins and the starting multiplier, or pick a mystery option instead. The menu itself is in the game; the specifications we hold don't list the exact combinations, so check the screen when it appears. The Casinos.com Buffalo Rising Megaways review (opens in a new tab) describes the same choice.

A multiplier that climbs with every cascade

During free spins the win multiplier increases with each cascade. A spin that chains several cascades lifts the multiplier for every later win, which is where the round's biggest outcomes come from. Our multipliers guide explains why growing multipliers concentrate a game's value into rare long chains.

Picking a free spins option: the trade-off explained

The game doesn't publish a value for each option, so there is no basis for treating any one of them as a hidden better deal, and the rules screen is the place to look for detail. What the choice clearly changes is the shape of the results.

In short, pick the shape of result you prefer, not the one that feels luckier. The volatility explainer shows why a wider spread doesn't mean a higher average.

Buffalo Rising Megaways RTP and cost

The 96.5% figure comes from a slot database listing rather than a developer page we hold, so open the game's information screen to confirm the setting your casino uses. At 96.5%, the house edge is 3.5%, or about £3.50 per £100 staked over the long run. Some Blueprint games, such as Eye of Horus Megaways, are supplied at several RTP settings, so the check is worth doing; the RTP display rules explain where UK casinos must show the figure.

Expected loss = stake × house edge. At 3.5%, a 20p spin costs about 0.7p on average and a £2 spin about 7p.

Buffalo Rising Megaways on a £20 budget

Staking £20 through once costs about 70p on average at 96.5% (£20 × 3.5%), whatever the stake. What differs is how many chances you get at four scatters.

The hourly column uses an illustrative pace of 600 spins an hour; your own pace may be slower, and it can't be faster than one spin every 2.5 seconds. With most of the value sitting in a bonus that needs four scatters, 20 spins at £1 often won't reach it. Our page on how long £20 lasts on a slot shows the same sums for other games.

UK rules for Buffalo Rising Megaways

• Stakes are capped at £5 a spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 for those aged 18–24, as the GOV.UK note on the £2 stake limit for under-25s (opens in a new tab) explains.
• No autoplay, and at least 2.5 seconds between spins with no turbo or slam-stop, under the game design rules.
• No celebrating returns that are equal to or less than the stake.
• Net position and time played on screen throughout.
• Feature buy-ins aren't offered to British players, following a Gambling Commission warning in January 2020, so the four-scatter trigger is the only route into the bonus.

Cascades belong to the spin that started them, so a long chain doesn't count as extra spins or extra stakes.

Megaways myths that apply here

• 'More ways means a higher RTP.' The ways count changes every spin, but the RTP is fixed by the game's design.
• 'A big-ways spin is due after small ones.' Reel heights are random on every spin. See independent events.
• 'The mystery option is secretly better.' There is no published evidence of that; treat it as a different shape of result, not a better one.

How to play Buffalo Rising Megaways

1. Open the information screen to confirm the RTP and read the paytable.
2. Set your stake per spin.
3. Spin, pressing the button each time.
4. Let cascades run; each win clears and new symbols fall in.
5. Land four scatters, then choose a spins-and-multiplier combination or the mystery option.
6. In the bonus, watch the multiplier climb with each cascade, and stop at your planned limit afterwards.

Buffalo and Megaways slots like Buffalo Rising

More games in our buffalo slots collection and the wider slot reviews hub. Figures are published specifications.

Where to play Buffalo Rising Megaways in the UK

These partner welcome deals are slot offers, but none is linked to Buffalo Rising Megaways, so check the casino's game lobby first. 18+ and terms apply.

PlayOJO gives new UK customers (excluding Northern Ireland) 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza with a first deposit of £10 or more, worth 10p each, with no wagering and winnings paid as cash. Coral gives 100 free spins at 10p on selected games when you deposit and bet £10 or more on slots, to be accepted within 48 hours and used within 7 days, with no wagering on winnings; PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify. Ladbrokes gives 50 free spins a day for 10 days (up to 500) at 10p on selected games after you deposit and spend £10 or more on slots, claimed by 23:59 each day and valid for 7 days, with no wagering; PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and prepaid card deposits don't qualify.

Coral and Ladbrokes are both run by LC International Limited. For how to compare spin offers, read what free spins are worth.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.