Evolution Lightning Storm Live Big Wheel

Lightning Storm from Evolution launched July 2024.

What sounds like the code name for a military offensive is actually another live big money wheel game. It joins Evolution’s ever growing family of Lightning multiplier games.

At the centre of the game is Evolution’s DigiWheel – a physical wheel and flapper with a circular video wall incorporated within, allowing for dynamic content presentation. DigiWheel made its first appearance on Funky Time.

On Lightning Storm, the wheel is divided into 39 segments:

• 20 number segments, and
• 19 leaf segments

Lightning Storm bets

Above is the bet map that accompanies the Lightning Storm wheel. Your bet options are:

• Number (1-20): if your number comes up you get to play one of the 5 bonus games
•  bet spot covering 19 segments: fixed 1:1 payout (19/39 chance)
• All Odd: covers 10 odd numbers
• All Even: covers 10 even numbers
• Storm Chaser:
  – automatically places a bet on the bet spot with a Lightning Storm Bonus symbol
  – costs x2.7 your bet amount
• X Chaser:
  – automatically places a bet on each bet spot that receive a multiplier during the initial spin
  – costs x7.8 your bet amount

Lightning Round

After bets close the DigiWheel comes into its own and randomly allocates the following bonus game symbols to each of the 20 number segments:

• Lightning Storm (allocated to 1 number)
• Hot Spot (allocated to 4 numbers)
• Fire Ball (allocated to 4 numbers)
• Battery Charger (allocated to 5 numbers)
• Monster Mash (allocated to 6 numbers)

Each of these segments can also have a multiplier (2x up to 50x) applied. This will multiply the resulting bonus round multiplier accordingly.

In the above example, should the flapper stop on number 16 where a Hot Spot symbol has been allocated, the Hot Spot game will commence and the resulting multiplier will be further multiplied 15x. If your chip covers 16, either straight up or via an All Even bet, you’re in the game.

The Lightning Storm Bonus Games

As we’ve come to expect from Evolution, the bonus games are quite elaborate and beautifully presented with real and virtual environments seamlessly merged. Clearly another big budget affair.

As always, each bonus game no matter how elaborate, has a single purpose…to arrive at a multiplier value.

Lightning Storm

• Highest possible multiplier: 20,000x
• Outcome generation: RNG
• Player decision required: Yes
• Description: This is the game with the highest possible payout, and the lowest chance of being triggered. If you win through to this game, you’re invited to select one of three lightning strike positions. Lightning then strikes and a final multiplier is generated for each position.

Hot Spot

• Highest possible multiplier: 10,000x
• Outcome generation: RNG
• Player decision required: Yes
• Description: Players are asked to choose a tile on the Hot Spot wall before hidden multiplier values for each tile are revealed. The multiplier values for 9 of these tiles are then doubled when a 3×3 zone finds its resting place.

Fire Ball

• Highest possible multiplier: 10,000x
• Outcome generation: Physical ball drop
• Player decision required: No
• Description: Nothing to do here but watch the fire ball (a physical ball) drop into an enclosure filled with 149 multiplier pockets. The multiplier value of the pocket the ball comes to rest on applies.

Battery Charger

• Highest possible multiplier: 10,000x
• Outcome generation: RNG
• Player decision required: No
• Description: Another game where you have no decisions to make. 1 of 10 batteries, each assigned a multiplier value will be chosen by the game’s mini wheel.

Monster Mash

• Highest possible multiplier: 10,000x
• Outcome generation: RNG
• Player decision required: No
• Description: Another watch and see situation. The Monster Mash machine randomly combines the monster’s head, torso, and legs. A multiplier is assigned to each and they sum to produce the final multiplier.

Return to Player and best bet strategy

Your best bet on this game is the boring even money leaf bet with an RTP of 97.54%. This beats the return you’ll get playing European Roulette (97.30%).

The downside of taking this bet is that you never get to participate in any of the bonus games – a conveniently presented dilemma.