Grand Melee (Thunderkick) – Review & Demo Play

The Grand Melee Slot Game

If you’ve played Thunderkick before, Grand Melee looks modest yet tidy. A crowd lines the bottom of the screen, with tents under trees and a blurry castle setting the medieval scene. The reels sit slightly raised and the soundscape hums with spectator chatter. The palette is colourful, but the controls and displays stay clear. It runs smoothly on mobile and desktop in my sessions, with no clutter getting in the way of the action.

Symbols and Payouts in Grand Melee

Grand Melee uses 10 regular and 4 feature symbols, all on theme. The low pays are 10, J, Q, K and A stamped on shields, paying up to 1x, 1.1x, 1.2x, 1.3x and 1.5x for six of a kind. The premium set is Blue, Green, Purple, Red and Golden Knights, worth up to 3x, 3.5x, 4x, 5x and 10x for six. Payouts scale with stake, so wins reflect the current bet.

There is no standard wild here. Instead, feature symbols can land during sticky sequences. Symbol Upgrade turns all current sticky icons into a higher-paying version. Symbol Expansion can adopt the current sticky symbol and grow to fill the entire reel. Game Area Expansion becomes sticky and adds a new row at the bottom, up to seven high. The golden crown with two swords is the scatter and it sets up the bonus rounds when five or more appear.

Grand Melee Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	6	x10
	5	x5
	4	x2.5
	3	x1
	6	x5
	5	x2.5
	4	x1.5
	3	x0.8
	6	x4
	5	x2
	4	x1.2
	3	x0.7
	6	x3.5
	5	x1.7
	4	x1
	3	x0.6
	6	x3
	5	x1.5
	4	x0.8
	3	x0.5
	6	x1.5
	5	x0.7
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.3
	6	x1.3
	5	x0.7
	4	x0.4
	3	x0.3
	6	x1.2
	5	x0.6
	4	x0.4
	3	x0.2
	6	x1.1
	5	x0.6
	4	x0.3
	3	x0.2
	6	x1
	5	x0.5
	4	x0.3
	3	x0.2
	Scatter

Grand Melee Slot Bonus Features

Your path to the 5000x max win runs through Sticky Respins and the bonus spins. When Sticky Respin triggers, a random regular or scatter symbol is shown above the reels. Land five or more of that symbol and they lock. New matches also lock while the rest respin. The feature ends when no new sticky symbols appear. Wins can build across connecting pay ways as the cluster of locked positions grows.

During Sticky Respins, three enhancers can land. Symbol Upgrade converts every current sticky icon into a higher-value sticky. Symbol Expansion can take the role of the selected symbol and extend vertically to cover the entire reel. Game Area Expansion becomes the picked sticky and adds a fresh bottom row of random symbols. The grid can stretch from the default four rows up to seven, creating more lanes for adjacent connections.

Free Spins start when five or more crowns hit in one sequence, either in the base game or during Sticky Respins. If the Bonus icon is the selected symbol above the grid, every new crown stays sticky and the respins keep rolling until none arrive. A meter beneath the reels fills to trigger or retrigger the bonus. In my tests, that meter reset between game rounds, and any active modifiers cleared once the bonus began.

How to Win at Grand Melee Slot

Grand Melee plays on 6x4 reels with up to 1193 connecting pay ways as rows can expand. Wins land with three or more matching symbols on adjacent positions from the leftmost reel. Stakes range from 0.10 to 100 per spin, which suits most budgets. I like to spin manually, though Autoplay offers custom rounds and limits. The menu lets you tweak settings, while the trophy icon shows rules and the paytable. A demo helps you practise without risk.

Grand Melee Slot RTP & Volatility

Grand Melee has high volatility, leaning towards sessions with frequent but smaller hits and the odd spike when features line up. The default RTP sits at 96.17 percent, which is solid for this studio. The max exposure is 5000x your bet, reachable through stacked sticky wins, expanded reels, and bonus rounds. Bankroll swings can be sharp, so I pace wagers and look for feature pressure building rather than chasing every drop.

Note that the game ships with several RTP settings. Besides the 96.17 percent model, operators can select 94.18, 92.15, 90.15, or 87.15. That choice does not change the features, only the return profile over time. I always check the info panel before I start so I know which model is live. It helps set expectations around session length and the value I might squeeze from a bonus.

The Final Thoughts on Grand Melee

In my view, Thunderkick aimed for a medieval tournament vibe that lands more through the backdrop than the symbols at first glance. The crowd murmur, tents and distant castle sell the scene. What matters is flow. The layout is clean, the reels feel responsive, and I never struggled to track selected symbols during sticky bursts. Even with the colourful palette, the interface keeps bets, wins, and key buttons easy to spot.

The game revolves around Sticky Respins, with Symbol Upgrade, Symbol Expansion, and Game Area Expansion adding proper momentum. Hit free spins off five or more crowns and those sticky waves can turn a modest board into a tidy payout ladder. It’s simple to learn, pacy when the grid grows, and capped at 5000x. I rate it as a solid pick when I want connecting pay ways without a maze of rules or menus.