Merge Up (BGaming) – Review & Demo Play

Merge Up Slot Overview

As soon as I loaded Merge Up, the 6x6 cascading grid and cluster pays setup clicked with me. Wins land with four or more matching gems in a cluster, then part of the group upgrades to the next level while the rest drop away and new symbols tumble. That keeps chains ticking over and pushes values higher as you go. The gemstone look is clean and readable, and with a max win of 5000x the bet, the base game already carries proper punch.

Merge Up Slot Information

Merge Up runs on six reels and six rows with cluster pays, and stakes stretch from 0.20 to 50 per spin. The maths profile is bold with high volatility, an RTP of 97.25%, a hit rate of 32.89%, and bonus entry averaging roughly once in 276 spins. I found the pace lively in the base game thanks to frequent clusters, while the bigger stretches came when I chased the bonus round on higher bets. The layout suits mobile and desktop equally well.

The symbols are all gemstones. Lower pays are orange, red, green, and dark blue, while higher pays are yellow, light blue, red heart, and purple. Hitting 12 or more of a kind in one cluster pays between 5x and 50x. The Scatter shows an S and sits as the ninth level of the Merge Up track. There is no Wild symbol. The nine merge levels progress as Orange, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Light Blue, Red, Purple, then Scatter.

Merge Up Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	12+	x50
	11	x20
	10	x15
	6	x2
	5	x1.5
	4	x1
	12+	x40
	11	x15
	10	x10
	6	x1.5
	5	x1
	4	x0.8
	12+	x30
	11	x10
	10	x8
	6	x1
	5	x0.8
	4	x0.6
	12+	x25
	11	x8
	10	x6
	7	x0.8
	6	x0.6
	5	x0.5
	12+	x20
	11	x6
	10	x5
	7	x0.6
	6	x0.5
	5	x0.4
	12+	x15
	11	x5
	10	x4
	7	x0.5
	6	x0.4
	5	x0.3
	12+	x10
	11	x4
	10	x3
	7	x0.4
	6	x0.3
	5	x0.2
	12+	x5
	11	x3
	10	x2
	7	x0.3
	6	x0.2
	5	x0.1
	Scatter

Merge Up Slot Features

Features are kept tight and focused. You have Merge Up as the core mechanic, plus Free Spins, Chance X2, and a Bonus Buy. The grid uses cascades, so any win clears part of the cluster and drops new symbols from above. That can chain repeatedly on a single stake. I like how the feature set works together without clutter, giving you steady cluster action in the base game and a clear path to extra power when the bonus round lands.

Merge Up itself triggers whenever you form a cluster. Some winning symbols are removed, while others step up to the next level, increasing their value. New symbols drop to fill the grid and can create fresh clusters. There are nine levels linked to the gem ladder, and payouts track both the level reached and the size of the cluster. On hot sequences, you get a proper chain reaction that climbs the ladder and sets up bigger returns before the tumble stops.

Free Spins in Merge Up

Free Spins arrive when four or more Scatters land anywhere. Four Scatters award 15 spins, five give 18, and six give 20. The round can retrigger, and the retrigger values are five, eight, or ten spins for landing four, five, or six Scatters again. I rate the entry numbers as fair for a high volatility setup. The base game keeps you in the hunt, and when the round pops, you get a clear step up in momentum.

During Free Spins, every winning cluster marks its positions for the rest of the feature. If a marked cell forms part of another win, that cell gains a 2x multiplier applied to its symbol value. Each time the same cell joins another win, the value doubles again, up to 128x. Marked cells stay in place through the round. Multipliers apply to the combination they are part of, and values across winning cells are summed before the win is paid.

In practice this adds real weight to placement. I have had rounds where early marks in the centre keep connecting, and the doubling stacks fast. The stated average entry is about one in 276 spins, so the dry spells can bite, yet the ceiling on those cell multipliers gives the feature teeth. When a marked path lights up, the payoff feels earned rather than random, especially when it pairs with a high-level merge late in the sequence.

Chance X2 in Merge Up

Chance X2 is a side toggle that raises your stake by 0.25x of the current bet and increases the odds of hitting Free Spins. I flick it on when I want to tilt the session toward bonus hunting, and off when I prefer slower roll play with longer base game spells. It does not change the bonus itself, just the entry rate. On balance, it is handy if your bankroll can handle the extra draw.

Bonus Buy in Merge Up

The Bonus Buy costs 100x the stake and starts Free Spins immediately with four to six Scatters, which means 15, 18, or 20 spins. I use it when the base has felt cold for a stretch and I want straight access to marked cells and doubling. It is a high ticket, so variance jumps, but it saves time when testing how the grid behaves under pressure. As ever, weigh the cost against your budget and goals.