PRAGMATIC PLAY
When a studio has already developed successful fishing-themed slots, they might need to get creative to make a new release stand out. In the case of Pragmatic Play, they've replaced the highest paying float symbol with a big-wheeled truck in their latest game, Big Bass Splash. It might sound strange at first, but it actually fits the theme perfectly. In Big Bass Splash, you're loading up your gear into a Mega-truck and heading to the water's edge to cast off. This means players get to experience the excitement of Big Bass Bonanza with the added thrill of monster trucks, a new scatter assist feature, and even greater potential for big wins.
There have also been some visual changes to the game. For those who aren't fans of deep-sea fishing, you'll be glad to know that the action in Big Bass Splash takes place closer to the shoreline. You can actually see the shoreline at the top of the screen, just a short paddle away. The game grid is still underwater, with 5 reels, 3 rows, and 10 paylines for landing regular line wins. While there have been some minor visual tweaks, the game maintains the same fishing atmosphere as previous games in the Big Bass series, reminiscent of Fishin' Frenzy.
Big Bass Splash keeps the same default RTP (Return to Player) as the non-Megaways versions, which is great news for players, sitting at a healthy 96.71%. In terms of volatility, it earns a 4 out of 5 rating, making it quite volatile, but it also boasts the biggest potential of the series, even surpassing Big Bass Bonanza Megaways. The stake range remains unchanged, allowing players to bet anywhere from 10 p/c to $/€250 per spin, and they can enjoy the game on any device they prefer while trying to hook some pixelated fish.
To score wins, players need matching symbols to land from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel. Most of the symbols remain the same, except for the highest value one, which is now a Mega-truck worth 200 times the bet for five of a kind. Following closely are fishing rods, dragonflies, tackle boxes, and various fish symbols, with payouts ranging from 100 down to 20 times the stake for five symbols. At the bottom of the paytable are the 10-A playing card symbols, with payouts ranging from 5 to 10 times the bet for five symbols. Unfortunately, there's no help from wild symbols in the base game; they only appear during the bonus round.
The real excitement in Big Bass Splash starts when the bonus round is triggered. This happens when you land 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols, awarding 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. In an interesting twist, if you get 2 scatters, there's a chance a random feature could bring another scatter onto the reels. If the 2 scatters can move down a position without falling off the grid, they do so, and the reels without scatters respin. Alternatively, a hook might pull one of the reels up to try to land the third scatter.
During the free spins, the wild fisherman symbol can appear on all reels. He serves two purposes: first, he substitutes pay symbols to help form winning lines. Second, if he lands at the same time as fish symbols, he collects their cash value and awards it to you. Wilds are also collected above the reels. Every time you collect 4 wilds, you get an extra 10 free spins and a multiplier is introduced. This multiplier applies to any cash values won from the fish money symbols, with levels 2, 3, and 4 having multipliers of x2, x3, and x10 respectively. Once you reach level 4, you can't trigger more free spins.
Two more random features spice up the bonus round. If a wild lands with no fish money symbols in view, there's a chance fish symbols will appear in random cells on the reels. Similarly, if there are fish symbols but no wild, a wild symbol might randomly appear to collect their values. And for those who can't wait for the bonus round, there's the option to buy it for 100 times your bet.
Feature | Big Bass Splash | Reel Fishing | Fishing Frenzy | Fishin' for Gold |
---|---|---|---|---|
Description | Fishing-themed slot | Fishing-themed slot | Fishing-themed slot | Fishing-themed slot |
RTP | 96.3% | 95.8% | 95.5% | 96.0% |
Volatility | Medium | Medium-high | Medium | High |
“Big Bass Splash” takes players on a high-speed police chase through the neon-lit streets. Picture vintage cop cars, flashing lights, and adrenaline-pumping action. The game’s premise? A group of daring robbers has just stolen a bank’s fortune, and it’s up to you – the vigilant cop – to catch them and claim the loot.
If you're feeling like Pragmatic Play is really squeezing every last drop out of the Big Bass/Bigger Bass Bonanza series, you're not alone. But hey, let's give credit where it's due. The formula has been a massive hit, and there's hardly a quicker way to churn out a 'new' slot than by giving it a samey reskin, tweaking a feature or two, and voila, you've got something fresh to throw out there. We're not trying to be snarky here - most of the changes in Big Bass Splash are pretty minor. Sure, there's the new two-scatter feature, but like swapping out the highest paying float symbol for a Mega-truck, it's hardly a major overhaul.
So if you're not into big trucks or fishing closer to shore instead of out at sea, what's the appeal of Big Bass Splash? Well, for one thing, there's now a bonus buy option available. But the real draw here is definitely the max win potential. Not that the 2,100x win available in the original slot was disappointing for the many players who loved snagging those fish money symbols. We were also hoping for more than the 4,000x offered in the Megaways version. This time around, Pragmatic Play has relaxed the win cap, letting it climb as high as 5,000x the stake, making Big Bass Splash even more enticing. It might not be mind-blowing compared to some other slots out there, but in the world of Big Bass Bonanza, this max win is pretty impressive.
Aside from the chance to reel in a bigger catch than ever before, Big Bass Splash is pretty much business as usual. Can't deny that. So if you're excited about the idea of another fishing-themed slot with the potential for bigger wins, this one should pique your interest. But if you're feeling a bit seasick at the thought of yet another one of these games, you might want to steer clear.