Lightning Storm is an exciting live game show that blends dynamic gameplay with swift payouts. The title transports players to a world where spins on the revolutionary DigiWheel can yield bonuses and huge winnings, reaching 20,000x their bet. With its launch billed for the 31st of July, 2024, Lightning Storm is expected to perform excellently like other popular Evolution wheel games like Dream Catcher and Crazy Time. Although the game is yet to debut, I'll walk you through the gameplay and innovative bonus rounds in this detailed review.

The first thing I noticed about this live game show is the absence of preset bonus round segments. With the new DigiWheel technology, bonus games are added to the wheel as it spins, and you can place a wager on any number. If you're lucky, the game's mechanic can add a bonus to that number, allowing you to win decent to substantial amounts. 

Another design feature I fancy on Lightning Storm is the statistics section in the bottom right corner of the gaming screen. Here, you'll find the results of previous wheel spins. For context, you can discover if the wheel landed on a number, a leaf, or a number with a bonus in previous spins. However, you won't see the multiplier from bonus rounds. Nonetheless, this feature will come in handy to help you place informed bets when Evolution's Lightning Storm finally becomes available in your top online casino.

Although Lightning Storm videos and reviews don't shed light on a live chat functionality, I expect the game show will feature one when it debuts. This function is the norm on most Evolution live game shows and allows you to chat with other players and throw friendly jabs as gameplay progresses.

During the betting round, you'll find a card showing 1-20, the leaf (portrayed by Evolution's logo), All Odds, and All Evens. That said, there's a unique Bonus Catcher bet on the right side of this card. This wager activates a bonus if the wheel stops on a numbered segment featuring any of the game's five bonus games. However, note that this bet costs 11.4x your default bet value.

Once you've understood the diverse betting segments on Lightning Storm’s digital wheel, place bets on your preferred sections. Thankfully, the betting limits provide great entry points for regular and high-rolling players. For context, the minimum bet is $0.10, while the maximum wager is $1,000.

Immediately after the betting round ends, the presenter steps up to the wheel and spins it. As the wheel turns, bonus rounds will appear in random “numbered” sections of the wheel. That said, you'll also notice multipliers placed under some bonuses. These multipliers can range from 2x to 50x, increasing the bonus payout value if the wheel stops on its unique section.

After the wheel has spun for a while, it'll stop at a particular numbered section or leaf (Instant Win section). If the wheel stops on an Instant Win area, all winnings will be paid out immediately. The same applies if it lands on a numbered section without an accompanying bonus. However, note that if the Lightning Storm wheel lands on a numbered segment with a bonus, the bonus round starts, and you’ll receive a multiplier.

Before you get started on the Lightning Storm live game show from Evolution, here is some vital information to know:

Return to Player

A game’s Return to Player (RTP) percentage states the theoretical amount you're likely to get after a preset number of spins. Note that the RTP value on Evolution's Lightning Storm depends on your bet. For example, the Bonus Catcher and numbered bets have a 95.12% RTP. On the flip side, leaf bets RTP is high at 97.44%.

Payout

This table shows the Lightning Storm payout for each bonus round or section:

Note that Lightning Storm has a 20,000x maximum payout you can get through a Lightning Storm bonus round. However, the maximum win you can earn from this game is $500,000, mirroring other Evolution game show releases.

These are the bonus rounds available on Lightning Storm:

Hot Spot

When a Hot Spot bonus is active, the game moves to an area featuring a large and interactive 9x12 multiplier wall with multipliers grouped according to their values. After some time, these multipliers are closed and shuffled. Your job at this point is straightforward – choose a tile and hope it hosts the biggest multiplier. You've got a specific timeline for selecting a tile. Once you've chosen, a 3x3 spot starts hovering around the gaming screen. If it covers the tile you've chosen, the multiplier value is doubled. The maximum payout on the Hot Spot bonus is 10,000x your stake.

Monster Mash 

The Monster Mash bonus round takes place on the right side of the wheel. This bonus game automatically builds a version of Frankenstein using three body parts – head, torso, and legs. These monster body segments have different multipliers. 

Once the round commences, the reels start spinning. Then, the multiplier-themed body parts are assembled from the legs to the head and multiplied together. That said, if the wheel segment the Monster Mash bonus appeared on has a multiplier, it'll also be added. For example, if you get 10x multiplier legs, a 15x torso, and a 5x head, you'll have a 750x multiplier. If the segment with the bonus game had a 3x multiplier, your 750x Monster Mash multiplier is calculated as 3x, resulting in a 2,250x multiplier. So, if your initial wager was $5, your total win will be $11,250.

Battery Charger

The Battery Charger bonus game features a conveyor belt with ten different batteries passed along to a battery charger. While nine of these batteries hold a multiplier, one unique battery hosts a global multiplier. When the live host turns the conveyor level anticlockwise, a battery will fall into the Battery Charger. If the section wheel underneath turns red, the battery will blow up. However, if the wheel lands on green, the battery will get charged, and you'll receive the associated multiplier.

That said, if the battery has a global multiplier and is charged by the Battery Charger, its multiplier will impact all the other batteries on the conveyor belt and you'll receive the multiplier reward on the next charged battery. The Battery Charger bonus round concludes when a battery (besides the one with the global multiplier) gets charged or only one battery remains on the conveyor belt. This bonus game has a maximum payout of 10,000x your stake.

Thunder Ball

Of all the five bonus games on Lightning Storm, the Thunder Ball bonus round is the only true casino live game. This round happens on a table featuring 149 pockets hosting double (x2) or regular multiplier. Once it starts, a ball falls onto the table and moves through these pockets. If the ball lands on a double, all the multipliers within the table are doubled, and another ball drops. The Thunder Ball bonus game ends when the ball falls into a regular multiplier, and participants receive a payout reaching 10,000x their bet.

Lightning Storm 

The Lightning Storm bonus round is the summit of all bonus features on this game show. Once the wheel lands on a numbered segment featuring this bonus, the live host enters an elevator that takes them to the rooftop, where there's a giant billboard with different multipliers. 

When the Lightning Storm bonus game starts, lightning strikes the billboard and selects one multiplier that can be boosted by one of the three global multipliers on the board. For each lightning strike, you have a timeline to accept or decline that multiplier. Note that lightning strikes occur three times. If you don't accept the first two multipliers, you'll settle with the last struck multiplier. Once you choose a multiplier, it's applied to your bet, and the game will pay you out once the round ends. 

The Lightning Storm round will definitely be a favorite for many once the game show debuts, as it has a maximum payout of 20,000x your stake.

The Lightning Storm game show has yet to be launched. So, I haven't played it at my top live casino. However, I found videos where Todd Haushalter – Chief Product Officer at Evolution – delivered insight into the game's workings. From what I saw in these videos, gameplay mirrors what's obtainable on most Evolution live game shows. However, the twist will be DigiWheel and the fact that you can place the “Bonus Catcher” bet.

Evolution hasn’t released Lightning Storm yet. Because of that, I haven't had the chance to play the game for real money. I'll update this section when I've had a feel of this game at an online casino.

I should also note that, when the title launches, it won't be available as a free casino game. This is because live casino games are played in real-time, so they require that you pay in order to play.

I can't tell you with utmost certainty which casino sites will feature Lightning Storm. However, since the best online casinos on our list feature Evolution’s games, you will most likely be able to find the game on these platforms.

Lightning Storm offers something different from regular game shows. The DigiWheel is intuitive and exciting, with bonus figures randomly placed upon spinning. The betting limits ($0.10 to $1,000 per spin) should suit both regular and high-rolling players. With the “Bonus Catcher” betting option, you can increase your chances of accessing a bonus game and getting rewards up to 20,000x your stake. 

As seen on the Evolution website, Lightning Storm will debut at online casinos on the 31st of July, 2024. So, anticipate smooth gameplay and huge winnings from this live game show.