Lightning Storm
Lightning Storm is the biggest game show Evolution has built, with a 39-segment DigiWheel and five separate bonus games behind it. Where Crazy Time has four bonuses and Dream Catcher has none, this one is built almost entirely around them. It is the most complex show on the floor and worth ten minutes with the rules panel before you bet.
The wheel and how bonuses are triggered
You bet on numbered segments of the wheel. During each spin the digital wheel generates 20 bonus game symbols and assigns them at random to numbered segments.
Landing on a leaf segment pays out instantly. Landing on a numbered segment you have backed, where a bonus symbol has been assigned, takes you into that bonus game. So the bonus you get is not something you choose — it is whichever symbol happened to land on your number that round.
The spin can also carry a multiplier boost of between 2x and 50x, applied on top.
The five bonus games
- Hot Spot — a 9×12 wall of multipliers where you choose tiles, with a 3×3 area able to double what you select. Up to 10,000x.
- Monster Mash — three reels assemble a monster from body parts, each carrying a multiplier that either adds to or multiplies the others. Up to 10,000x.
- Battery Charger — ten batteries carrying multipliers drop onto a charger, and a mini wheel decides for each whether it is won or overcharged. Up to 10,000x.
- Fireball — a ball is launched into a 149-pocket grid, and landing on a double multiplier relaunches it. Up to 10,000x.
- Lightning Storm — the headline round. You pick one of three lightning strikes hitting a billboard grid of 11 multipliers. Up to 20,000x.
What the ceilings actually mean
Those maximums are the top of the distribution, not a target. A 20,000x ceiling describes the most extreme outcome the round can produce, and it is extreme precisely because it almost never happens — a game with five bonus rounds and ceilings that high is high variance by construction.
Practically, that means the base game is quiet and the bonuses carry the game. A balance that only covers a handful of spins may never see a bonus at all, and the bonuses are the reason to play this rather than a simpler show.
Where to start instead
If five bonus rounds sounds like a lot, it is — Dream Catcher is the same category with none of them, and Crazy Time sits between the two with four. Funky Time runs on the same DigiWheel technology.
Everything settles in rand. Set a round limit before you start — see staying in control.
Frequently asked questions
How many bonus games does Lightning Storm have?
Five: Hot Spot, Monster Mash, Battery Charger, Fireball and Lightning Storm. Which one you get is not a choice — the wheel assigns 20 bonus symbols to random numbered segments each spin, and you play whichever landed on your number.
What is the maximum multiplier?
The Lightning Storm round reaches up to 20,000x and the other four up to 10,000x, with a separate 2x to 50x boost possible on the spin itself. These are the top of the distribution rather than a target, and they are that high because they almost never happen.
How many segments does the wheel have?
Thirty-nine. It is a DigiWheel, meaning a digital wheel rather than a physical one, which is what allows bonus symbols and multipliers to be generated fresh on every spin.
Is Lightning Storm high variance?
Yes, by construction. Five bonus rounds with ceilings up to 20,000x means the base game is quiet and the bonuses carry the payout. A small balance can run out before a bonus ever triggers, and the bonuses are the point of the game.
18+. Gambling involves risk and can be addictive. Play responsibly. National Responsible Gambling Programme 0800 006 008.