Big Bass Bonanza is the original Big Bass game in a series which has gone on to spawn countless sequels. It’s no exaggeration to say this is one of the most popular and successful slot series in the industry, and much of that success is down to the free spins round.
The collection mechanic it uses was an instant hit, and the game has toyed with it in many ways since Bonanza came out, but for many players, the original is still the best, which is why – despite coming out in 2020 – it is still widely played many years after it was first released.
You will find a full list of free spin offers you can use to play one of the Big Bass Bonanza series of slots below:
Big Bass Bonanza Free Play
Game Features
With 5 reels, three rows, and 10 paylines, Big Bass Bonanza doesn’t sound all that interesting on the surface. It’s a fairly ordinary set up, albeit with a nice chilled soundtrack to listen to.
However, Bonanza isn’t really about the base game, it’s about the free spins, which we will come onto shortly.
In terms of symbols, as well as the regular J, Q, K, A symbols, you will be looking at a fishing rod, a tackle box, a dragonfly, a float, and different size fish. The fish also carry cash amounts, but these are not relevant in the base game, although the fish symbols can still form winning combinations.
On top of this you have the big bass being hooked as the scatter, and a fisherman as the wild, although the wild only shows up during the free spins round.
Already you can see that it’s a bit different to your regular 5 reeler.
The standard RTP is 96.71%, but be aware that casinos do have the ability to set this at a different level, so do check your casino before playing. The max win is 2,100x your stake, but remember this is the absolute ceiling, not the norm.
The Free Spins Round
This is where the cash values on the fish symbols come in. If a wild lands on the reels during free spins, all cash amounts on fish symbols that have also landed will be collected by the fisherman and added to your winnings pot. The pot keeps growing like this until the round ends.
First though, you need to trigger the free spins round in the first place, and in order to do that, you will need to land at least three scatters on a single spin. This will get you 10 free spins in the bonus round. However, if you land more scatters, you get more spins as follows:
- 3 scatters = 10 free spins
- 4 scatters = 15 free spins
- 5 scatters = 20 free spins
The more free spins you have, the more chances to have to build you winnings pot. You can also earn more free spins during the round. For every 4 wild symbols that land, you will get another 10 free spins, plus a multiplier amount that will be added to all wins each time:
- 4 wilds = 10 more free spins and a 2x multiplier
- 8 wilds = 10 more free spins and a 3x multiplier
- 12 wilds = 10 more free spins and a 10x multiplier
So a $20 fish becomes a $40 dollar fish after 4 wilds, a $60 fish after 8 wilds, and a $200 fish after 12 wilds. This is why the round can become so exciting – if you manage to keep it going long enough.
It can be disappointing if a wild lands when no fish symbols are present, but if this happens, there is a chance the game will add fish symbols to the reels. It’s a small, random feature, but a very welcome one when it happens. On the flip side, if lots of fish land with no wild, those cash amounts simply spin away on the next spin.
Verdict
Big Bass Bonanza works so well because it’s main feature is easy to understand but also very entertaining to play. There is a lot of potential to hope for, and just enough additional features to keep things interesting without overloading the player.
The downside is the base game is fairly pedestrian. The whole thing is about the free spins really, so until you get there, it’s mainly churn. Even then, you could have a disappointing bonus round, but if the game goes on a bit of a run during free spins it really is a lot of fun.
There is no question that Big Bass Bonanza is a top quality game with lots to enjoy. It’s really a question of how you personally handle volatility.
Other Big Bass Games to Try
With so many sequels, if you like Bonanza but wish one or two things were different, Pragmatic have probably answered that with one of these alternative titles:
Bigger Bass Bonanza
The first major follow up gives the fisherman an extra row of reels to work with and raises the maximum win to 4,000x your stake. There’s also an elusive goldfish in the free spins round carrying that full 4,000x value.
Big Bass Splash
Splash keeps the same basic free spins idea and adds a random selection of modifiers before the round begins. These can put more fish or fishermen on the reels, add spins, or start the bonus at a higher level. It also raises the maximum win to 5,000x your stake. If you like Bonanza’s bonus but want more variation each time you trigger it, this is the natural next game to try.
Big Bass Bonanza 1000
This version takes the original idea in a more extreme direction. Fish money symbols can carry values of up to 1,000x your stake, and the game’s maximum win rises to 20,000x.
Big Bass Blast
If your main complaint about the original Bonanza is that nothing much happens before the free spins, Big Bass Blast is a good one to try. The fisherman can appear during the base game and collect the cash values on any fish that land with him. Wilds on reels one and five can also carry a random multiplier of up to 10x. There’s still a free spins round to chase, but you don’t have to reach it before things get interesting.