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Despite being available for many years in online slots, mystery symbols are now the in-thing in the online casino world. Any online casino player who has tried their hand at a variety of games over the years will know all about these icons. These types of symbols have never been received as well as they are right now, though, and that is thanks in part to the recent MegaWays slot craze. 

The Return of Mystery Symbols

Mystery symbols aren’t a new feature in the online casino world. They have been around for quite a while. In fact, the oldest instances of these icons can be found in games which are now over nine years old. However, the symbols have never been overly popular, which is why aside from a few of Playtech’s DC progressive jackpot slots, and NetEnt’s Vikings, so few major slots offered them until very recently.

Like everything in the world of online slots, symbols and features come in crazes and cycles. Mystery symbols are hugely popular right now in part because of the MegaWays slot. These Big Time Gaming developed games frequently feature the symbols, and as many other developers acquire the license to the engine and create MegaWays slots of their own, the mystery symbol feature which is naturally worked into the engine’s design, is spreading like wildfire.

The Mystery Behind the Icons

For any player who hasn’t yet played a game which contains them, mystery symbols are in many ways quite like wild icons. The symbols can appear anywhere on the screen and will often be special icons. Once one of these symbols appears, it will transform into another, which may or may not include wilds and other unique icons. 

However, while that gives it the same purpose as a wild, there is another element to mystery symbols. Any other instances of them on the reels will also transform into the corresponding icon. This potentially allows players to fill the reels (or at least good portions of them) with the same symbol, promoting big wins.

Casino Crazes Seldom Last

Players are likely to have a new appreciation for mystery symbols as they flood their way across the net in the ever-popular MegaWays games. However, the same has also been true of other types of wilds and special features in the history of online slots. Expanding wilds, walking wilds, spreading wilds, and recently, overlaying wilds have all been popular at one time or another, as the latest online slot crazes. While none ever truly fall out of favour in casino games, they do tend to lose a bit of popularity when the next significant feature comes along. There is no reason to suggest that this won’t be the case with mystery symbols, too.

The Salisbury Journal encourages readers to gamble responsibly. For advice and information, please visit the BeGambleAware website here for free, confidential help.