Reel In Big Wins With Big Bass Bonanza
Fishing-themed pokies are nothing new to online casinos. Indeed, they are among the most popular machines found anywhere. Big Bass Bonanza is a fishing pokie from Reel Kingdom and powered by the giants that are Pragmatic Play.
Any fishing game immediate draws comparisons to the Fishin’ Frenzy and rightly so. Fishin’ Frenzy is the daddy in that regard. But there is more than enough room for another fishing title. Is Big Bass Bonanza a prime catch or does it deserve throwing back into the sea?
Big Bass Bonanza Fundamentals
Big Bass Bonanza runs on a standard 5×3 layout that so many other pokies use. The background is made to look like you are under the sea but it is void of life, which is a shame. Even the bubbles are static; this strikes us as lazy on the artists’ part.
All the symbols are well-drawn, clear, and colourful but, again, limited animations. In an age where pokies are immersive, this is a significant negative on the part of Big Bass Bonanza.
Away from the dry graphics, the game comes with a medium-to-high volatility model and a 96.71% Return To Player. The RTP is slightly above average for online pokies. However, the maximum payout is capped at 2,100x which is very low for a game like this. Hitting the maximum win at the lowest stakes ($0.10) awards $210, with $525,000 the most ($250 stakes). Those betting $250 a spin want the chance to win more than that.
Those of you who like dozens of win lines need to look elsewhere because there are ten in Big Bass Bonanza.
Big Bass Bonanza Symbols
All the best paying Big Bass Bonanza symbols are fishing related, with royals making up the lower-value symbols. The royals all pay the same 0.50x, 2.50x, and 10.00x for landing three, four, and five respectively.
The fishing float is the most valuable symbols on the board. It pays 0.50x for matching two, but a cool 250x for landing five. It should not be surprising to learn this symbol is rare.
| Symbol | Three | Four | Five |
|---|---|---|---|
| Float | 5.00 | 20.00 | 200.00 |
| Fishing rod | 3.00 | 15.00 | 100.00 |
| Dragon fly & Tackle box | 2.00 | 10.00 | 50.00 |
| Fish | 1.00 | 5.00 | 20.00 |
| Tens-Aces | 0.50 | 2.50 | 10.00 |
The games comes with three other symbols: a Wild, money symbols and a Scatter. A fisherman represents the wild with a caught fish the scatter. Reel Kingdom made the bold, if slightly weird, decision to have the wild only appears during the free spins round. The money symbols are fish with a monetary value attached. They become very important during the free spins feature.
What Are The Game’s Bonuses and Features
Big Bass Bonanza is void of features in its base game. Indeed, it is the free spins round that the game revolves around. Having three, four, or five scatters in view awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins. The fisherman wild comes into play during the free spins round, and plays an important role.
First, the wild symbol collects all the value from the money symbols. This often leads to large payouts and is what made Fishin’ Frenzy popular. Each wild is collected until the end of the round. Each fourth wild retriggers the free spins round with another 10 free spins; it also increases the money symbol multiplier. First, it is 2x, then 3x, and finally 10x. It is only possible to retrigger the round three times.
The game’s information section clearly states the maximum possible win is 2,100x. The game ends and the remaining free spins are forfeited if a 2,100x win occurs.
Conclusion
We enjoyed and still enjoy Fishin’ Frenzy so found Big Bass Bonanza solid fun, too. The RTP is decent and the free spins bonus round leads to moments of genuine excitement. However, the lack of visual stimulation is a problem for some. As is the capped 2,100x win for a medium-to-high variance machine. Is the juice worth the squeeze, as they say?
You can play Big Bass Bonanza and more than 400 other pokies at Excite Win casino. The casino accepts Australian customers and gives them a $750 bonus plus 200 free spins.
