Opal Fruits (Big Time Gaming) Slot Review

Opal Fruits: Slot Overview 

Opal Fruits, developed by Big Time Gaming, is a dazzling, retro-infused slot that boldly departs from the developer’s popular Megaways template. Released as a love letter to 80s arcade gaming and childhood nostalgia, the game introduces a proprietary mechanic called Triple Reaction, trading quantity of features for fast-paced simplicity and enormous win potential. 

While other BTG titles like Holy Diver or The Final Countdown leaned into elaborate features and storytelling, Opal Fruits returns to basics—but does so with a unique flair. With 6 reels, 3 rows, and a total of 5,625 ways to win, it sets itself apart through minimalism, clever design, and gameplay mechanics that are both familiar and fresh. 

Boasting a 96.75% RTP, high volatility, and a maximum win of 36,600x the stake, Opal Fruits proves that you don’t need a crowded feature list to deliver a thrilling and explosive slot experience.

Design and Graphics 

Visually, Opal Fruits is a radiant tribute to the neon-soaked style of 1980s video games. Its title is a playful pun on the classic UK candy “Opal Fruits” (rebranded as Starburst), and the game embraces the theme wholeheartedly. The backdrop is a cosmic swirl of glowing purples and pinks, evoking arcade cabinets and interstellar showdowns. The reels are suspended within a translucent arcade portal, with each spin shooting symbols across a neon-lit display. Symbols consist of brightly-colored fruits—grapes, watermelons, pears, plums—accompanied by glossy royal card icons from 9 to A. The graphical style leans into a retro-futuristic vibe, with high contrast and glowing animations bringing every win to life. 

Despite its simplicity, Opal Fruits is one of BTG’s most visually charming slots, especially for players with a fondness for the 80s aesthetic.

Gameplay Mechanics 

While it doesn’t use the Megaways engine, Opal Fruits plays with a fresh BTG innovation: the Triple Reaction system. The 6×3 reel layout is flanked by two horizontal reels—one above and one below reels 2, 3, 4, and 5—which introduce additional symbols with each spin. These extra reels boost the number of possible combinations to a fixed 5,625 ways to win. 

The symbol configuration for every spin looks like this:
3-5-5-5-5-3, and every winning combination must start from the leftmost reel and proceed consecutively to the right. 

The reaction mechanic is key to the slot’s dynamic pace. Winning symbols are blasted off the reels and replaced by new symbols that cascade from above and from the sides. Reactions continue as long as new wins are formed, allowing for powerful chain combinations. 

This setup supports frequent mini-bursts of wins, and the layout means players are never far from an opportunity to connect multiple high-paying symbols in a single spin.

Sound and Music 

The soundtrack is one of the standout aspects of Opal Fruits, especially for retro game lovers. The 80s synthwave audio feels like a cross between a dancefloor track and a vintage arcade machine boot-up theme. According to developer interviews, the sound effects even incorporate samples from classic arcade titles like Robotron and Defender. 

Each spin is accompanied by sci-fi bleeps and bloops, while wins and reactions escalate in sonic intensity. Free Spins launch with a rising tone and a glittery chime, keeping you engaged and locked in. This isn’t just slot ambience—it’s a character of its own, and a key part of the nostalgic charm.

Bonus Features 

x3 Multiplier Wilds 

In the base game, x3 Multiplier Wilds appear on the extra reels (top and bottom). These wilds multiply each other if more than one is involved in a winning combo. For example, landing four x3 Multiplier Wilds in a single combination can produce a staggering x81 multiplier (3x3x3x3), not including potential win line multipliers. 

This multiplier mechanic delivers explosive win potential even before reaching the Free Spins. 

Free Spins Feature 

The Free Spins round is triggered when you spell the word F-R-E-E on the reels using specially marked scatter symbols. This unlocks 10 free spins, starting with a x1 win multiplier. Each reaction increases the multiplier by +1. 

A particularly exciting feature is the re-trigger system: 

Every time the win multiplier reaches a multiple of 10 (x10, x20, x30, etc.), you are granted 5 additional spins. 

If you trigger the Free Spins with an extra scatter symbol, your starting multiplier is boosted to x5. 

Each subsequent scatter beyond the fourth increases your starting multiplier by +5 and adds another x10 multiplier threshold for triggering extra spins. 

This creates the potential for virtually unlimited free spins, provided players keep hitting multiplier milestones and stacking reactions. The multiplier can climb into astronomical figures with enough momentum.

Betting Options and Payouts 

Opal Fruits accommodates a wide player base with a minimum stake of €0.10 and a maximum of €20.00 per spin. Though the betting range may not be tailored for extreme high-rollers, the 36,600x max win more than compensates for that, especially given the game’s high volatility. 

Key Stats: 

Reels: 6 

Rows: 3 (plus two extra horizontal reels) 

Paylines: 5,625 fixed ways to win 

RTP: 96.75% 

Volatility: High 

Max Win: 36,600x the stake 

Paytable Highlights: 

Grapes are the highest paying symbol: 6 of a kind yields 50x the stake. 

Other premium fruit symbols (plums, pears, melons) offer medium-to-high payouts. 

Low-paying symbols (9-A) pay more modestly but hit frequently. 

Regular Wilds substitute for all symbols and appear during base and bonus rounds. 

Multiplier Wilds (x3) only appear on the extra reels and multiply wins exponentially. 

The balanced yet potent payout structure ensures that players are constantly teased with high-reward potential without the experience feeling grindy or unproductive.

Conclusion 

Opal Fruits is a shining example of how Big Time Gaming can reinvent its formula without relying on its usual Megaways crutches. Rather than layering on complexity, BTG strips things down to a sleek, exhilarating core—reactions, multipliers, and free spins with infinite potential. 

Its dazzling 80s aesthetic, punchy sound design, and strategic simplicity make it a refreshing alternative for players tired of bloated feature sets. It’s fast, fun, and unashamedly retro, delivering a nostalgic arcade feel in a format that still feels modern and responsive. 

What Opal Fruits lacks in innovation it makes up for in clarity, pacing, and intensity. And that’s the point. As BTG’s CEO Nik says, “We could’ve overcomplicated it, but we just wanted a pure, unmistakable game that you feel genuinely entertained by.” 

If you’re a fan of high volatility, cascading wins, and retro slot vibes—without the Megaways overload—Opal Fruits might just be the juiciest pick in BTG’s fruit basket.