Gargantoonz – Play’n Go – Online Slot Review & Rating

Gargantoonz Game Details

Software Provider:

Play’n Go

RTP:

96.20

Volatility:

High

Type of Casino Game:

Slots

Reels:

Paylines:

Cluster Pays

Minimum Bet:

0.10

maximum bet:

100

maximum payout:

7,000x

wild:

YES

scatter:

YES

Bonus Game:

YES

Free Spins:

YES

Multiplier:

YES

INTRODUCTION

Over the many years of its existence, Play’n GO has created many beloved series and brands. In fact, we would say that few casino software providers can boast the kind of illustrious slot catalogue that Play’n GO can. Ractoonz is among the most recent such brands, emerging in the 2020’s as the definitive gamified modern slot. Ractoonz included the kind of feature-heavy design approach that players love nowadays. Not to mention Cluster Pays, which seem to be growing in popularity by the minute.

You can find out more about the original Ractoonz slot in our review of the game. Needless to say, it was a smash success, spawning multiple sequels and spin-offs. One of the more memorable spinoffs was 2021’s Gigantoonz. It introduced the idea of making the titular little aliens bigger, which introduced new depth to the already dynamic gameplay of Ractoonz.

In 2023, Play’n GO took yet another swing at the Toonz. This time they decided to go even bigger and better – the gigantic Gigantoonz are now gargantuan Gargantoonz! To be frank, though, this game has a wildly different approach to making the aliens bigger. It’s fundamentally different to Gigantoonz in several ways. The core of the game remains the same, though, so you’ll probably enjoy it if you liked any of the previous entries to the series. If you want to find out what makes the Gargantoonz slot game so special and how it differs from its predecessors, our review can help you.

Before we dive into the more important differences, we’ll start off by noting that the game looks slightly better than Gigantoonz. It’s mostly subtle differences, by the cute little aliens that are so crucial to the brand are just a bit cuter, crisper, and better defined. The sounds were also updated with a new synth-y soundtrack.

gargantoonz Media Gallery

HOW TO PLAY GARGANTOONZ

Like Ractoonz and Gigantoonz before it, Gargantoonz uses a system of Cluster Pays. It was an innovative idea back when it first appeared, though many slot games these days use similar math models. That said, Gargaoonz is more similar to the original as it takes place on a 7×7 grid and you need only 5 symbols in a cluster to win.

In contrast to traditional reels and rows, the objective in Gargaoonz is not to form winning lines, but rather to create clusters of symbols. This means that symbols of the same kind can be connected both vertically and horizontally on the 7×7 grid. However, a minimum of 6 matching symbols is required to receive a payout.

It is important to note that the volatility of Gigantoonz is exceptionally high. Whenever there are winning symbols, they explode and allow new symbols to cascade from the top of the grid. As is common with slot games of this nature, this can lead to substantial winning streaks. Conversely, individual payouts are relatively small.

Also, Play’n GO Gargantoonz features several types of Wild symbols, one of which is the Gargantoon itself. Most of them work like all wilds in slots and simply substitute any regular type of symbol, but they’re also tied to some of the special features we’ll talk about below.

Special Features

Innovative features are one of the defining points of the Toonz series, so our expectations were high. Thankfully, Gargantoonz delivers by both borrowing earlier ideas and introducing some new ones.

For starters, most of these features are not tied to bonus rounds. They affect all spins throughout your time with the game, which is a big plus.

Fluctuation – In every round, one type of one-eyed alien (low-paying symbol) is randomly selected. All instances of that symbol start to glow faintly. If any of these Fluctuation symbols win, 1 or 2 Quantum Wilds
Discharge – Any spin that results in no wins can have 4-8 Wilds randomly added to the grid

Experiment Charger

Making consecutive winning combinations in a single round charges up the Experiment meter, which you can see to the right. Generally, you’ll have to see at least a few cascades to fill the whole thing because it takes 20 symbols in total. That said, it doesn’t matter how many combinations it took to reach the 20-symbol mark.

Once it charges up, one of three so-called Experiment features triggers. Each of these comes with a special type of wild. Apart from different looks, this matters because only this special type of Experiment wild can charge up the Experiment meter while an Experiment is ongoing. Luckily, each is designed to take at least a few symbols with it, so re-triggering the feature is easier than it sounds. It takes 40 symbols to do so. Charging up 80 symbols overcharges, which means you play another Experiment and get +1 multiplier for the Garganoonz feature.

The experiments include:

Gamma Ray Burst – Spreads 7-9 Wilds randomly across the grid. Winning wilds remove all instances of their cluster’s symbols from the grid. Then, Wilds leave the grid to charge the Experiment charger.
Black Hole – Spreads 4-6 Wilds around the grid, which stick to their positions until a win happens. Once cascades end, the Wilds collect all symbols in a 3×3 square around them.
Supernova – Spreads 3-5 Wilds around the grid, and they remain on the board even if they’re part of winning clusters. They move around diagonally for every cascade. Once cascade ends, they collect all symbols in 8 steps in any direction.

Gigantoon Bonus Round

The Gigantoon himself can be seen lounging to the right of the game table. He’ll mostly snooze away quietly until you’re able to trigger all three Experiments. Overcharged experiments add a +1 win multiplier to the feature, up to a maximum of 4x. Once the third and final experiment ends, the Gigantoon awakens. This bonus round has three basic steps.

Firstly, 8 Gigantoon Wilds are spread around the grid. All Wilds that are part of winning clusters merge into bigger versions. Firstly, they merge into a 2×2 version. Two winning 2×2 Wilds can merge into a 3×3 version if they’re both part of winning clusters. This happens after wins are calculated but before the next cascade.

Casino Bloke Best tips for Gargantoonz

1Whenever an Experiment Wild wins, it charges up the Experiment Charger using all of the symbols in its winning cluster. This means collecting 40 of them is easier than collecting the 30 needed to trigger the first Experiment.
2Considering you can hit many clusters in a single round, the win tracker to the left is quite useful. It records all of your wins and explains them in a neat, presentable way.