Big Bass Bonanza Slot Review
Big Bass Bonanza is a slot game that managed to pick up a fair amount of popularity: so much so, in fact, that it gave rise to a sequel entitled Bigger Bass Bonanza. So, there are certainly players who would be willing to put in a good word for it, perhaps even hail it as one of the best slots casino games available online. Is it really as good as its reputation suggests, particularly now that it has a souped-up sequel and other Pragmatic Play slots to compete with? What novelties in terms of symbols and bonuses does it have to offer to distinguish it from all of the other slot games on the marketplace? Can it be played well on a mobile, or is it the sort of game that lends itself to desktop-only play? Once you have read our Big Bass Bonanza slot review, all of these questions and more will have been answered.
Theme
Big Bass Bonanza is one of those games that strives to put a new spin on slot machines by mixing their mechanics with the iconography of another pursuit: in this case, fishing. Although the symbols on the reels include a few generic playing card-derived icons (K, Q, J, A and 10) they are joined by symbols depicting a number of specifically fishing-themed items: a box of fishing equipment, a lure, a fishing rod and so forth. The central character, who appears on the Wild symbols, is a bearded fisherman. The game’s interface is designed so that the reels are located underwater, with coral and seaweed on either side of the screen and columns of bubbles dividing each reel. Playing in the background is cheery, calypso-style background music that appears to have been inspired by “Under The Sea” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The special symbols and bonus events are accompanied by an animation which, although nothing special, does add a little to spice up the game. While the sequel Bigger Bass Bonanza gives the game a graphical overhaul and looks more polished on the whole, the original game has a pleasing visual style where the cartoonish mingles with the more realistic.
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How to play Big Bass Bonanza
Our Big Bass Bonanza slot review can confirm that the game has ten paylines, three rows and five reels. The symbols are all chunky and colourful, ensuring that they stand out from one another and can be read without difficulty; a welcome quality at any new slots casino. You need only three identical symbols in a row to score, but spinning four or five in a row will naturally get you even more points. There are a few special symbols, which will be discussed in detail later in this review. The following information can be seen onscreen during play:
- Current credit
- Current bet
- Automated spin options
- List of “Wild” symbols scored (will appear and disappear)
- Icons for sound, information et cetera
If you have decided to place the game in automatic play, it is possible to choose how many spins it should run through before manual control is returned. An on-screen timer will show you the number of auto-spins remaining. As is often the case with Pragmatic Play slots, all of this is designed so that it can be understood quickly and simply at a glance, even if you are playing on the small screen of a mobile device.
Big Bass Bonanza Symbols and Bonus features
The best slots casino games tend to follow some general ground rules while offering a few novel variations of their own. Big Bass Bonanza is no exception: if you have ever played a modern online slot game before, then you will be right at home with the general layout of the game; but there are nonetheless a few unusual elements that will require some description. Allow our Big Bass Bonanza slot review to talk you through the different symbols and the related bonus features…
Playing card symbols
There are five playing card symbols in all, as noted: K, J, Q, A and 10. Each of these has equal value and is collectively worth less than the fishing symbols. To tell the truth, these symbols rather disrupt the fishing theme, but it seems that even new slots casino games are beholden to pay some sort of homage to their roots in classic table games.
Fishing symbols
Four of the symbols in the game represent the tools of a fisherman’s trade. The box of equipment and the dragonfly-shaped fishing lure have equal value. The next step up is the fishing rod. The highest-scoring symbol is the fishing float: all of the best slots casino games need a sought-after symbol for the players to chase throughout the game, after all.
Scatter
The scatter symbol is an image of a fish being reeled from the water, with the word “scatter” written underneath to ensure that you do not miss it. Getting a row of Scatters will earn you free spins: you get 10 free spins for three Scatters, 15 free spins for four Scatters, and a hefty 20 free spins if you get the full five in a row.
Wild symbol
The wild symbol shows the fisherman proudly holding his catch of the day. As is typically the case with wild symbols, it substitutes for all symbols except Scatter. It appears during the free spins rounds. So far, this may seem like the typical Wild symbol to be found at countless other Pragmatic Play slots and games from rival developers, but there is a twist that comes into play when we consider the next type of symbol…
Money symbol
Although the above symbol types will be standard fare familiar to anyone who has played at an old or new slots casino, Big Bass Bonanza does have an innovative element in its money symbol. This is depicted as a green fish, while its monetary value is chosen randomly with each spin (and visually signified by the size of the fish). The value of each money symbol is shown beneath the fish. When you roll a fisherman symbol, all of the onscreen fish will be “reeled in” to add to your score. At certain random points in the game, animated sticks of dynamite will fly into the screen and explode, converting various randomly-chosen symbols into fish-bearing money symbols.
Big Bass Bonanza Odds and Payouts
The game’s basic paytable allows you to win up to 200x your stake for a combination of five symbols. Once you factor in multipliers and other bonuses, it becomes possible to win up to 2,100x your stake in a single spin. This is a very high payout rate when we consider that Big Bass Bonanza is, outwardly, the sort of straightforward and simple slot game that typically offers far more humble payouts.
Big Bass Bonanza RTP and Volatility
Big Bass Bonanza has a high RTP of 96.71%, a very generous return rate. Offsetting this somewhat is the game’s high level of volatility (by the standards of a typical new slots casino) which means that you will likely be scoring fewer hits than you would prefer. You could still score big hits in small periods of time, however: whether or not the risk is worth taking is up to you.
Who Made the Game?
Big Bass Bonanza was made by the Reel Kingdom for Pragmatic Play, one of the biggest names in online slot games. Any online slot enthusiast will know all about this developer, and once you have finished our Big Bass Bonanza slot review you might like to check out our coverage of the other slots from this provider that can be found at your preferred choice of online casino. Some of the better-known Pragmatic Play slots include:
- Wolf Gold
- John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen
- Mystic Chief
- Fruit Party 2
- Starlight Princess
- Empty the Bank
- Buffalo King
- Gates of Olympus
If you have ever played at any of the best slots casino sites, you will doubtless recognize many of the above titles of Pragmatic Play slots.
Can Big Bass Bonanza be Played on Mobile?
Yes, Big Bass bonanza adapts well to the small screen. Provider Pragmatic Play prides itself on its commitment to games that can be played on mobile devices, and so like most of the games to be found at a new slots casino, Big Bass Bonanza loses nothing in the transition to the small screen. The design of the layout, with its clean divisions and large, chunky icons, can be easily understood at a glance. In fact, Big Bass Bonanza may well be one of the best slots casino games for playing at a reduced size: nothing at all is lost when the playing screen is shrunk down in scale.
Big Bass Bonanza Slot Review : Our Take
Allow us to conclude our Big Bass Bonanza slot review by saying that the game’s reputation as one of the best slots casino titles is well-deserved. The core gameplay does not stray far from the basics of slot machine mechanics and will be accessible to both experienced and novice slot gamers. The fishing theme adds an amusing visual aesthetic, but more than that, it does have an impact on the gameplay. The presence of the fish-themed money symbols, which are visually “reeled in” by the fisherman on the Wild symbol, brings something of the satisfaction of a successful fishing trip to the game and helps to distinguish it from its rivals in the ranks of old and new slots casino games. All in all, Big Bass Bonanza is another triumph from the world of Pragmatic Play slots and has plenty to offer even with competition from its own sequel, Bigger Bass Bonanza.
