Burning Desire Review: 243 Ways and Expanding Wild Reels
A Microgaming adjacent-ways design whose free-spin round expands wilds across whole reels. What that does to win frequency and to the ceiling.
Burning Desire pairs two mechanics that reinforce each other, which is less common than it sounds. Most games layer features that operate independently; this one uses a grid whose counting method makes its bonus feature considerably more valuable than the same feature would be elsewhere.
Adjacent ways rather than paylines
Wins are counted by matching symbols on consecutive reels from the left, regardless of which row each sits in. Five reels of three rows produce 243 such combinations, which is where the number comes from. There are no lines to choose and the stake always covers the whole grid.
The immediate effect is on rhythm. An adjacent-ways layout pays more often than a fixed-payline one and pays less per win, because a great many low-value combinations qualify. Base play consequently feels busier and flatter, with frequent small returns instead of long gaps punctuated by larger ones.
Why the wilds matter more here
In the free-spin round, wilds expand to fill the reel they land on. On a fixed-payline grid an expanded wild reel contributes only to the lines that happen to pass through it, which is a partial benefit. On an adjacent-ways grid it contributes to every combination that crosses that reel, which is all of them.
That is the interaction worth understanding. One expanding wild on the third reel does not add one win; it adds a share of every match running through the middle of the grid. Two expanding wilds on adjacent reels compound again. The mechanic is ordinary and the grid makes it disproportionate.
The separation is deliberate as well. Base play uses plain substitutions and expansion is reserved for the round, which means the round is not the base game with a multiplier bolted on but a different set of rules. Games that apply their headline mechanic in both places lose that contrast.
Where the ceiling comes from, and where it does not
The largest outcomes here come from several expanded reels landing in the same spin under the round’s multiplier. Because each spin resolves independently, results cluster more tightly than in a chain mechanic: there is no sequence to build and none to collapse.
Set against Thunderstruck II, which reaches its ceiling through rolling reels and a multiplier that grows only while wins continue, this game has a lower peak and a much narrower spread. Which is preferable is a question about tolerance rather than about quality. A chain mechanic produces the memorable results and the long empty rounds; an independent-spin mechanic produces neither.
What is not stated here
Return-to-player figures and maximum win multiples are omitted, as is the release year. Those numbers differ between operators and between revisions, and no single published figure covers every deployment of a title distributed this widely for this long.
What can be described exactly is the mechanism, and the mechanism is what determines fit: a busy, flat base game on 243 ways, and a round where ordinary wilds become full columns on a grid that rewards columns more than lines. The rest of the catalogue, including the titles built on chains rather than on independent spins, is indexed in the review directory.
How Burning Desire Works, on One Card
A conventional 243-ways base game, and a round where the wilds change shape. On a card:
In the free-spin round a wild fills its entire reel. On a ways grid a full wild column contributes to every combination crossing that reel.
Expansion exists only inside the round — the round is a different rule set, not the base game with a multiplier bolted on.
Wins count as 243 ways: the same symbol anywhere on each adjacent reel from reel 1. Which row it lands on never matters.
The Symbols, and What Each Does
| Symbol | Role | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Wild | Expanding (in the round) | Fills its whole reel during the multiplied free spins; substitutes normally in base play |
| Theme symbols | Paying symbols | 243-ways matches on adjacent reels from the left, any rows |
What the design buys, and what it costs
In its favour
- Expanding wilds on an adjacent-ways grid contribute to every combination crossing the reel
- 243 ways pay more often than fixed lines, so base play is busier
- Expansion is reserved for the round, so the round is a different set of rules, not a bonus multiplier
Against it
- Frequent small returns come at the cost of size: adjacent-ways wins pay less each
- There is no line decision and the stake always covers the whole grid
No score is given. Nothing on this page was play-tested, and a number would imply testing that did not happen.
Gambling content, for entertainment only. Outcomes are determined at random and no strategy alters them. Play within limits that can be afforded, and consult the support services available in your jurisdiction if play stops being enjoyable.
Common questions
What does an expanding wild actually do?
It fills every position on the reel it lands on, so instead of substituting in one place it substitutes in three. On an adjacent-ways grid that turns a single symbol into a full column of matches, which is why one expanding wild can pay across many more combinations than an ordinary one.
Why does an adjacent-ways layout suit expanding wilds?
Because wins are counted by adjacent-reel matches rather than along drawn lines. A whole wild column contributes to every combination passing through that reel, where on a fixed-payline grid it would only contribute to the lines that happen to cross it. The two mechanics compound.
Does the base game have expanding wilds too?
No, and that separation is the design. Base play uses ordinary substitutions, and expansion is reserved for the free-spin round, which is what makes the round feel like a different game rather than the same game with a multiplier attached.
How does this compare with a rolling-reels mechanic?
Rolling reels remove winning symbols and refill, building a multiplier across consecutive wins, so the outcome depends on a chain holding. Expanding wilds resolve within one spin and do not depend on what came before, which produces a narrower spread of results.
Is 243 ways better than 25 paylines?
Neither is better; they behave differently. Adjacent-ways layouts pay more often and less per win, and remove any decision about line count. Fixed paylines pay less often and more, and make the paytable easier to read. The choice is about preferred rhythm.
Published