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Should I play the Wheel of Wishes Power Mode more often?
There is no doubt that the Wheel of Wishes slot has been a sure-fire hit for Microgaming since its release. The promise of a minimum seeded progressive jackpot prize of 2 million, plus a second prize seeded at 50,000, has plenty of allure for slot players that like to chase the biggest progressive jackpot prizes.
However, as many people have discovered when they load up the game, players have a choice of ways in which to play the game. They can either play the standard base game, or for a fee of 10x the standard bet for each spin, they can elect to play the game in what is called Power Mode.
In this article, we are going to take a closer look at Power Mode and the factors that you should consider when playing the Wheel of Wishes slot. In short, we will be looking at the main reasons to play Power Mode, as well as some of the reasons why you should not, depending on of course what your aim is when playing the Wheel of Wishes slot.
Before we do that, let's first give you an understanding of how the Power Mode or Power Spin fits into the structure of the Wheel of Wishes slot.
Power Spin in the Base Game
If you play the Wheel of Wishes slot in the standard base game mode, then you can trigger a Power Spin by landing two or more of the Jackpot Wheel Scatter symbols anywhere across the reels on any spin.
When you achieve this, you receive one free, and that is important to note, Power Spin, which is the same as one spin in Power Mode.
These spins take place on an entirely different reel set up and in a different way to bonus game spins. In this spin, the first and fifth reels are scrambled (the animation looks like a tornado on screen) and the middle three reels combine into one large reel, which is populated by large 3x3 versions of the higher value symbols, plus the Jackpot Wheel Scatter from the base game.
The First and Fifth reels will then reveal their symbols, which will be the same symbol on both reels in all three positions. The big middle reel will then come to a halt and if you match the outer symbol with part or all of a larger middle reel symbol, you will land a win.
Land the Jackpot Bonus Scatter in full on the middle reel and you then trigger a shot at one of the four progressive jackpot prizes by spinning the Jackpot Bonus Wheel game.
How does Power Mode fit into this?
Power Mode fits into this by offering players the chance to avoid playing the base game, and instead play every spin as a Power Spin. Which of course means every spin you play has a much better chance of triggering the Jackpot Bonus Game, ostensibly because you don't have to qualify for a bonus spin each time.
The price you have to pay for this privilege though is a big one. Power Mode spins cost 10x the standard spin in the base game. So if you were playing the base game for £1 per spin, then at the same level, to play in Power Mode, would cost you £10 per spin.
Now that we understand how a Power Spin and Power Mode works on the Wheel of Wishes slot, we need to then consider which option is the best for you. In truth, the answer is dependent on the individual player and what they want from a game like Wheel of Wishes, but there are some key strategic points about using Power Mode, or not, that you should consider as you decide which is the best option to play Wheel of Wishes for you.
The positive points of both game modes
The reason this is a tricky decision to make is that both game modes have their own positive aspects and also their own negative aspects. It isn't the case that one mode is 'better' or more lucrative than the other, the game is far more subtle than that and in truth, has been designed superbly well to take full advantage of both game modes.
- Power Mode plus points
Common sense would dictate that if you play a progressive jackpot slot, you want to win the top prize, therefore you should take every opportunity to play for that top prize that you can. If that is your thinking, and you do not mind the larger spin cost, then Power Mode is most likely the way you should play Wheel of Wishes.
For that, you will have more chance of triggering the Jackpot Bonus Game but that is not the only benefit you will gain in this game mode. In addition, all other wins you can land in Power Mode will be five symbol wins and if you can land a super-sized symbol in full on the middle reel, that matches the symbol on the two outer reels, you can win that five-symbol prize across all ten pay lines.
Essentially, with a much higher initial bet amount, plus only the higher value wins available, the Power Mode option is the more volatile option for customers. It should also be remembered that you can adjust the cost of Power Mode spins down to the minimum bet of 1.00 per spin. So, if you were playing for 1.00 per spin in the base game mode, and wanted to play Power Spins, you can adjust the value of your bet down to 1.00 per power mode spin.
However, the upshot of that is any wins you land on the reels will be based on a coin value of 1/10 of your bet, which means that the payouts will be relatively small compared to your initial bet.
Even so, Power Mode is still very appealing because of these facts, but that doesn't mean that you should not even consider the base game mode as there are plenty of players for whom this mode is particularly well suited.
- Base Game mode plus points
Of course, the base game is much cheaper than Power Mode and can be played from 0.10 per spin. You can still win the top jackpot prizes playing in base game mode, you just need to go through an extra round of spins before you do that.
The real positive for the base game mode however is that it is a far less volatile version of the game to play. As spins are much cheaper, that helps a great deal, but also you have the full range of three, four and five symbol wins available in the base game, which means you get a mix of low, mid and higher value wins, which in turn helps keep your bankroll on a much more even keel.
Furthermore, the Stacked Wild in the base game is also extremely useful when landing some of the better value wins in this section of the game.
It should also be noted that hitting two of the Jackpot Bonus Wheel Scatter symbols does occur relatively frequently in the base game, especially when compared to triggering, say a Free Spins bonus round on another slot. As such, although you don't get a free Power Spin on every base game spin, you do hit them often enough to feel like you still stand a fair chance of hitting a Jackpot Bonus Wheel spin every now and then.
So what is the optimal strategy for playing Wheel of Wishes?
Having outlined the positive aspects of both game modes, the key thing you need to understand here is it is the experience you want from the Wheel of Wishes slot, allied with your bankroll, which should determine whether you should play the Power Mode game more often, or not.
If you have a bankroll of say, £10, then that equates to 10 Power Mode spins at the lowest bet in the game. In such circumstances, I would suggest that even if you are an avid progressive jackpot hunter, then playing the base game would be a much more preferable option.
If you have a significant amount in your account though and you can sustain a session playing Power Mode, then you do have a choice to make. If you simply want to chase the top progressive jackpot prize and the bigger value wins in Power Mode, then this is a good option for you. However, be warned, this mode can be very volatile and take a good chunk out of your balance.
Alternatively, if you prefer a less volatile game that offers you a much cheaper initial bet amount and the chance to win a greater number of times with three, four and five symbol combinations and you also prefer the look and feel of a standard slot game, but one that offers you an occasional chance to land a shot at the Jackpot Bonus Game, then the base game is going to be the best choice for you.
However, I feel the best way to play the Wheel of Wishes slot is to combine the two, perhaps start your session with the base game and then keep a set amount back in your account to play a set number of Power Mode spins. So for example, if I had £50 to spend playing Wheel of Wishes, I may spend £30 playing the base game at £0.10 per spin (for 300 spins), but then wrap things up by playing 20 Power Mode spins at £1.00 per spin.
That would be my preferred approach to playing the game to get the best out of both game modes.
