Slot vs slot
Light & Wonder’s new Netflix-licensed Squid Game sequel has gone down a storm with players, which makes it high time to pose a hard question about branded slots based on blockbuster movies and hit TV shows.
Do such sequels actually improve on the originals with better mechanics, higher win potential, or fresher features, or do they sometimes feel like cash grabs that dilute the magic?
compares seven pairs – originals versus sequels
VegasSlotsOnline News compares seven pairs – originals versus sequels – looking at RTP*, volatility, features, max wins, player appeal, and overall “stack up” factor.
Branded slots often prioritize immersive themes over raw mathematics, but in some cases sequels up the volatility ante, add jackpots, or refine bonus structures.
Our VSO News slot vs slot review starts with an all-time great slot that defined one of the most cluttered narrative-driven genres of all, Ancient Egypt.
1. The Mummy vs The Mummy: Books of Amun Ra
While only film geeks can recall the stars or the director of Universal Studio’s 1999 blockbuster The Mummy, the horror-adventure movie remains unforgettable.
UK online gaming and sports betting software giant Playtech released its Universal-licensed The Mummy slot in 2014 with 5×3 reels, 25 paylines, RTP of 96.8%, and medium volatility.
Like the movie gripped audiences from the get-go, Playtech wowed players with brilliant sound effects graphics and animation in the skippable intro alone. The evergreen Ancient Egyptian adventure slot game itself is packed with movie clips, expanding wilds, free spins, strong thematic integration, and nine bonus rounds unlocked via a Lost City Adventure.
Cinematic and feature-stuffed for its time, The Mummy continues to provide solid entertainment value today.
The sequel The Mummy: Books of Amun Ra dropped in 2021 on a 5×3 grid, with ten paylines, RTP of 95.97%, high volatility, and a max payout of 10,000x.
While the graphics are branded around Universal’s The Mummy Returns, Playtech’s focus this time round was on the “Book of” mechanic, which offers five different free spins options plus expanding symbols.
VSO’s Verdict: The sequel stacks up well for high rollers chasing big swings and Book-style kicks, while the original’s features are more consistent and the slot offers a slightly better RTP. While today’s players will prefer the Books of Amun Ra’s volatility, The Mummy wins for its accessibility and variety.
2. WWTBAM Megaways vs WWTBAM Megapays
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’s Chris Tarrant’s “call a friend” catchphrase became a universally understood way of asking for advice in a pressure moment when the TV game show franchise originally first aired in the UK in 1998.
Australian iGaming studio Big Time Gaming released Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Megaways in 2018 with 100 paylines, an RTP 96.24%, high volatility, and a max win potential of up to 50,000x.
While there is no progressive jackpot, it’s still possible for players of this slot to become millionaires, which one anonymous winner from Europe did in 2023, pocketing €1,036,049.65 ($1,204,454.34) from a €0.60 spin.
Big wins like this, plus the show’s iconic hot seat, game-show tension, free spins, multipliers, makes WWTBAM Megaways a genuine Big Time Gaming standout.
The sequel, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Megapays, dropped in 2021, with an RTP of 96.38%, high volatility, and a max win potential of 72,000x-plus. WWTBAM Megapays, however, added four progressive jackpots and free spins, with the core gameplay spruced up with a jackpot overlay.
VSO’s Verdict: WWTBAM Megapays stacks up like a dream with the jackpot overlay introducing massive millionaire-making potential without taking away from the fun of the base game. Add the slight RTP edge and it’s a clear win for Megapays if jackpots float your boat.
3. Breaking Bad: Cash Collect & Link vs Mega Fire Blaze: Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad – AMC’s TV series about high school chemistry teacher Walter White turning his RV into a meth lab to make money for his family after he learned he had terminal cancer – is dark, all-time great television that first aired in 2008.
Breaking Bad: Cash Collect & Link was a 5×3 slot released in 2023 with 30 paylines, and RTP of 95.6%, medium-high volatility, and a max win of 5,000x. Playtech brilliantly executed the TV series branding, with wilds, free games, cash prizes, jackpots, and its Heisenberg Collect & Link mechanic capturing the edginess of the show perfectly.
The sequel Mega Fire Blaze: Breaking Bad dropped in 2024 with an RTP of 95.87%, high volatility, a max win range of 2,000-4,000x+ including jackpots, bonus wheel, and emphasis on the Mega Fire Blaze hold-and-respin feature to boost the intensity for bigger swings.
VSO’s Verdict: Mega Fire Blaze: Breaking Bad stacks up for adrenaline junkies with its higher volatility and Fire Blaze mechanics, while its predecessor feels more balanced thanks to Breaking Bad: Cash Collect & Link’s collect features. Both are solid and nail the Breaking Bad vibe, but players after big highs will prefer the sequel, and casuals the original because of its accessibility.
4. The Goonies vs The Goonies Return Jackpot King
Fans of Stranger Things and those lucky enough to be teens in the 1980s will know Warner Brothers 1985 hit The Goonies defined the romp/fantasy genre, with 80s accents of its director Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones films and eerie similarities to Stephen King’s 1986 novel It.
The UK-based Blueprint Gaming rolled-out The Goonies in 2018 with a 5×3 reel, 20 paylines, an RTP of 96%, medium-high volatility, and a massive max win of 250,000x.
Stuffed with nostalgic features, multipliers, and movie vibes, Blueprint’s original remains a cult favorite that players keep coming back for.
The sequel, The Goonies Return: Jackpot King, dropped in 2022 with an upgraded layout, an RTP of 95.5-96%, medium volatility, and a 50,000x win potential that pushes the needle higher with jackpots. The slicked-up graphics, extra features, and Blueprint’s Jackpot King mechanics added progressive excitement.
VSO’s Verdict: Jackpot King stacks up excellently as a sequel and feels like a genuine evolution. Despite better visuals and an added jackpot layer, the sequel retains the nostalgia of the 80s film and Blueprint’s original without losing any of its charm. A win for the sequel if you like progressives, The Goonies if pure, classic fun slots are your thing.
5. The Walking Dead vs The Walking Dead 2
Released in 2010, AMC’s blood-spattered, emotionally gripping The Walking Dead TV series based on Robert Kirkman’s comics is the highwater mark of quality zombie television, complete with a cinematic feel and languidness that fits its Atlanta, Georgia setting to a T.
Playtech stayed faithful to the series’ white-knuckle intensity when it released The Walking Dead in 2021, with five reels, 50 paylines, an RTP of 95.73%, medium volatility, and max win of 2,000x.
While cast imagery, zombie re-spins, expanding reels, free spins rounds created a tense, immersive slot, as a VSO game reviewer put it at the time, the original slot is “solid but not revolutionary.”
The Walking Dead 2 debuted in 2022 with an upgraded ambience, RTP of 95.84%, medium volatility, 1,024 ways to win or 25 paylines variance.
Staying true to the original slot with refined features and better hit frequencies, it is a worthy sequel that levels-up the undead experience.
VSO’s Verdict: While The Walking Dead 2 stacks up nicely with a slight RTP bump and atmospheric tweaks, both deliver on the zombie horror theme, with the sequel feeling more polished. A tie, or the sequel edging it by a whisker for fans of the original who want more of the story.
6. Wheel of Fortune on Tour vs Wheel of Fortune Triple Spin
Wheel of Fortune is one of the US’s most loved game shows ever since it first aired in 1975, and has featured legendary hosts including Chuck Woolery, Pat Sajak, and now Ryan Seacrest steering the brand.
It is also one of the US’s most iconic slot brands, first created by IGT in 1996 and celebrating its 30th anniversary this month. IGT released Wheel of Fortune On Tour in 2017 with five reels, 30 paylines, an RTP of 96.6%, and low-medium volatility. IGT delivered heart-pounding yet accessible game-show energy via this slot’s level-up system of miles, interactive bonuses, and travel-inspired wheel spins.
The sequel, Wheel of Fortune Triple Extreme Spin, rolled out with a variable RTP of 92-96%, medium volatility, while triple spins, multiple wheels, big multipliers, and big jackpot potential of 250,000x adds to the original’s happy chaos.
VSO’s Verdict: Triple Extreme Spin stacks up with higher ways to win and spin variety for high-rolling thrill-seekers, while On Tour offers steadier, journey-based progression. Triple nails it for wheel-spinning frenzy but On Tour offers relaxed play – ultimately, it’s down to player preference.
7. Squid Game Red Light, Green Light vs One More Game
Netflix released the instant cult hit South Korean dystopian survival thriller series Squid Game in 2021, with audiences around the world gripped by the tale of 100s of financially desperate contestants risking their lives in a secret tournament involving deadly children’s games for a massive cash prize.
Light & Wonder released One More Game in 2025 on a 5×3 grid, with 243 paylines, an RTP of 95.97%, medium high to high volatility, Hold ’N Spin focus, fixed jackpots, and a Double Grand prize while building on the TV show’s survival theme with collection and escalation, and betting range of $0.22 minimum to a max of $60.88, and max win potential of 3,500x.
Squid Game: Red Light, Green Light dropped this week on the same grid as the original, ten paylines, an RTP of 95.7%, medium-high volatility, random Jackpot Mini Bonus payouts from 10x to 2,500x, and a max win of 10,000x.
The sequel’s bespoke and tense Red Light mechanic, piggy bank scatters, and mini-bonuses, gives it a bigger feature-rich punch than its predecessor, with engaging, immersive gameplay that mirrors the Netflix show’s high-stakes drama.
VSO’s Verdict: The sequel nails One More Game’s tension and brilliantly captures the high-stakes jeopardy of Squid Game’s iconic first episode. High rollers, however, might wish for a higher than $10 max bet ceiling despite Red Light, Green Light’s much higher max win potential and slightly lower volatility, while casual players could find the Red Light mechanics daunting. Again, the final choice is down to player level and preference.
VSO’s Overall Verdict
In most cases, sequels do stack up well or even better by adding modern mechanics (think Megaways to Megapays) while preserving beloved themes. Sequels also have the benefit of hindsight and cater to evolving player tastes, with higher volatility, bigger max wins of 5,000x–50,000x and progressive elements spicing up the originals. The RTP needle hovers at 95-96.5% across the board, which is standard for movie or TV-franchise-branded slots.
make them feel like genuine evolutions rather than repeats
Sequels also bring enhanced graphics, more ways to win, jackpot potential, and refined bonuses to make them feel like genuine evolutions rather than repeats, especially when they improve gameplay like The Goonies Return: Jackpot King.
The only potential downsides to sequels are lower RTP, higher volatility, or reliance on the license over innovation, giving the original slots a more balanced, nostalgically pure feel for players who prefer their slots that way. Ultimately, playing a demo of your favorite movie or TV show slot sequel or original first, will make your mind up for you.
*VegasSlotsOnline News note: RTP can vary by jurisdiction.
