Gonzo Goes Mental: Gonzo’s Next Adventure Takes a Crazy Turn

Mark your calendars, slot lovers, because November 19th is a special date. It’s the day a long-anticipated game from an established, legendary developer finally comes out!

We’re talking about Gonzo Goes Mental, the next instalment in NetEnt’s beloved Gonzo series. Once again, we’re diving deep into the jungle to find treasure, and avoiding any crimes like grand theft auto.

Of course, while Gonzo is a rockstar in his own right, not every adventure of his goes to plan. This time around, a wrong step triggers a poisonous dart to hit our hero, resulting in him going a bit cuckoo. Still, with your help and NetEnt’s many features, a 15,000x jackpot is well within your reach.

Big Reels for Big Wins

Gonzo Goes Mental uses a 5×4 playing area with bet ways instead of traditional paylines. The Avalanche feature is also active, so winning symbols disappear from the grid, making room for new icons. This can result in multiple wins in a single spin. Each Avalanche also bumps up the multiplier by one, up to 5x.

Watch out for Colossal Symbols, which can be 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4 sized. In addition to making wins more likely, Colossal Symbols can also expand the playing area if they land partially visible. With a bit of luck and the right placement, the grid goes from a 5×4 playing area to a 5×8 monstrosity, a huge upgrade from Gonzo Quest and its 5×3 grid.

If Gonzo Goes Mental were just these bonuses and a 96.04% RTP, it’d already be an interesting slot. However, NetEnt has stuffed this game with countless other features, which we’ll explore in the following section.

Calamity Wilds and Wild Frames

There are two types of Wilds present on the reels: regular Wilds and Calamity Wilds. Regular Wilds can transform Colossal Symbols into Wilds and can substitute for any icon except for Scatters or Calamity Wilds.

If Calamity Wilds take part in a win, they’ll add between 2-5 regular Wilds before any reels expand, and the next Avalanche is played.

Wild and Calamity Wild wins leave a Wild Frame on the winning position. Regular icons that occupy that position afterwards split in two, and yes, this applies to Colossal Symbols and Scatters as well. Split symbols result in more ways to win being added for that turn. Wild Frames disappear at the end of the round.

Free Spins and Bonus Features

A bonus counter beneath the reels lights up whenever a Scatter appears. Players need to collect at least three Scatters in one spin to activate the Free Spins feature, but gathering six or nine unlocks more spins. While Free Spins are active, Avalanche multipliers can climb higher, and expanding reels don’t reset.

On top of that, you can unlock additional bonuses by collecting Scatters. Every three Scatters on the reels during Free Spins will reveal a Special Feature spot, which spins to reveal one of seven bonuses:

• Frame Burst adds between 3 and 5 Wild Frames.
• Frame Lock adds 2 Wild Frames that remain in place until free spins end.
• Calamity Wild randomly places a Calamity Wild on the grid.
• Locked Calamity Wild has the same effect, but the Wild stays in place for the rest of the free spins.
• Broken Wheel increases the Avalanche multiplier.
• Locked Wheel prevents the multiplier from resetting until the feature completes.
• Enhanced Wheel increases the multiplier steps by one after each Avalanche.

The Special Feature spot may appear empty, which awards no special features. However, you can raise your chances with these extra bonuses or guarantee them by buying special features via NetEnt’s Elevate.