Big Bass Return To The Races

If you're like me and have lost count of all the Big Bass Bonanza games, I looked it up – this one marks the 24th entry in the series. And mark my words, we’re not even halfway through. There’s still plenty of franchise milking left to do.

With Big Bass Return to the Races, Reel Kingdom, as the name hints, returns back to the horse racing theme first introduced in early 2024 with Big Bass Day at the Races. But if you’re expecting a sequel, a true continuation with expanded mechanics, you might want to lower your expectations. Take a peek behind the curtain, and you’ll find the exact same gameplay formula used in Secrets of the Golden Lake edition.

Sure, the core mechanics of Big Bass games hardly ever changed, they were always about catching money fish in the free spins, but we’ve seen occasional tweaks and twists – like Big Bass Splash with its random upgrades, or Big Bass Bonanza Hold & Spinner with its streak-style respins, or the already-mentioned Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake with its second type of free spins. This one? Nuh-uh. It simply follows the well-trodden path, blending the visuals and gameplay of two existing Big Bass titles.

As always, we find ourselves at a 5-reel, 3-row grid, where there are 10 fixed ways for the symbols to create winning combinations across. Traditionally, they pay from left to right, from 3-of-a-kind and more, except the highest one, which also pays for two. In order to spin the reels, players need as little as €0.1, and stakes up to €250 are accepted.

The numbers behind the Big Bass Return to the Races online slot also stick to the common values. The volatility is rated 5 out of 5, and the max win is capped at 5,000x the bet. In true Big Bass fashion, there are three different RTP settings available, which are 96.07%, 95.07%, and 94.07%.

Big Bass Return to the Races Features

If you are familiar with Big Bass games, and especially the Secrets of the Golden Lake version, you know the gimmick. It’s all about the free spins where you are able to collect additional cash prizes. Here there are two of those features, as well as a bonus bet and two corresponding bonus buys.

Money Symbol

Jockeys are money symbols, displaying random values between 2x and 5,000x the total bet. In the base game, they don’t act like ones though, as you can take advantage of those cash values only in the free games. Instead, they pay like the regular symbols – 1x, 5x, or 20x your bet for combinations of 3, 4, or 5, respectively.

Free Spins

When you land 3, 4, or 5 Scatter symbols simultaneously on the reels on a base spin, you get access to the Big Bass Return to the Races free spins round, with 10, 15, or 20 initial spins, respectively.

Before the round starts, players are presented with a selection of 12 face-down cards. Your objective is utterly simple – pick one in order to determine the type of the bonus round. There are 10 cards that can reveal regular free spins and two cards that can award the Golden Cup free spins.

Before we proceed to the free spins bonuses, it’s also worth mentioning the two random scatter assist features that can help you achieve the desired combination. These are entirely random and can trigger when you land only two Scatter symbols on the reels.

During the regular free spins, Wild symbols are added to the roster. First, they substitute for any other symbols in winning combinations. Secondly, and more importantly, they act as cash collectors – whenever one lands along with at least one money symbol, the displayed value is collected and paid out. Money values are collected separately for each Wild symbol in view.

Wild symbols also contribute to the special progress meter. For every 4th symbol, you get a retrigger, which grants another batch of 10 free spins with an increased Wild multiplier – 2x for the second level, 3x for the third, and 10x for the fourth and final tier.

In the Golden Cup mode, a different, special set of reels is used. All regular symbols are removed, and only blanks, money symbols, and Wilds are available. That’s it. Money values are paid when respective symbols form combinations or when collected by Wilds.

Available during any type of free spins, there are three random modifiers that can pop up on any spin, as follows:

1When there are Wild symbols on the reels but no Money symbols, at the end of that spin, Money symbols can randomly appear.

2When there are Money symbols on the reels but no Wild symbols, at the end of that spin, a lasso may pull a random reel up to bring a Wild symbol.

3When there are Wild symbols on the reels but no Money symbols, at the end of that spin, all symbols except Wilds can be changed to other random symbols.

Bonus Bet & Bonus Buys

By default, it takes approximately 113 spins to trigger the free spins round. If you are willing to speed this up, you can do so via the bonus bet function, which, for a 50% increased stake, provides a ‘naturally higher chance’ to activate the bonus. No specifics, however. Additionally, when playing with the bonus bet enabled, there’s a chance that 3 Scatter symbols will be added to the reels randomly at the end of the spin.

If you want to skip the grind entirely, you can opt for the buy features and purchase access to the free spins immediately. For the cost of 100x the bet, you get a spin with at least 3 guaranteed Scatters. You get from 10 to 20 free spins and pick a card to reveal the type of the bonus. For the cost of 270x the bet, you get a spin with at least 3 triggering Scatters, which gets you between 10 and 20 spins, but it’s always the Golden Cup type, no card selection.

Theme & Graphics

Big Bass Return to the Races slot machine deviates completely off-course from the fishing theme the series is known for. Set against the backdrop of a horse racing track, the game swaps fish and familiar boats, rods, tackle boxes, etc. for jockeys, beer, champagne, and binoculars. The visuals are clean and colorful, with a cartoonish charm typical of the Big Bass series, but there's absolutely no sign of bass or fishing. It’s an odd fit for the franchise, honestly.

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