Being a wholly randomised game, it’s always quite difficult to gauge which slots are the best for players to play. So, as a general rule, players tend to follow the other players. It’s why the tabs at online casinos for their most popular games tend to be the first port of call for regular slot spinners as if people win on slots they’ll usually keep coming back to them later.
Over the years, we’ve seen several trends vault certain games to the top of these popular charts. Starburst, for example, was the king of slots when low volatility with regular pays but for smaller sums was seen as the best. This was when the theories of “loose” online slots were prevalent. Then, the baton passed to Book of Dead with its single mighty feature that emphasises its high volatility. Now, Big Bass is on top of the slot gaming world.
The Fundamentals of a Hit Slot
Whether it’s the low volatility chart-topper Starburst or the high volatility mega hit Book of Dead, the common theme is that they have one central, straightforward feature. Big Bass Bonanza, released in late 2020, ticks this box and then some. Much like Starburst and Book of Dead, too, it also popularised a way for the feature to work within the framing of free spins.
Starburst offered respins when hitting the Starburst symbol, and Book of Dead brought about the randomised symbol to become an expanding symbol within the feature. Fishin’ Frenzy technically created the fishing free spins feature, but Reel Kingdom and Pragmatic Play tweaked it to make it the sensational feature that underpins Big Bass Bonanza.
The feature itself is very clear-cut: you see the fish with cash values on them in the base game but get to catch them in the feature if you hit a wild fisherman on the same spin. You reel them all in, which often makes some rather hefty wins. Plus, this winning combination can also enhance the feature. So, you need to complete the same combinations, but with the Big Bass fishing feature, more catches means more free spins and bigger multipliers.
Big Bass Bonanza launched right at the end of 2020, just missing out on the slots award season. That year, Pragmatic Play had another hit, with the Zeus-centric slot Gates of Olympus taking the prestigious Game of the Year title at the EGR Operator Awards. The Greek mythology game certainly hung around the top ranks for some time, but Big Bass Bonanza and its sequels have proven to have more longevity.
That series now features over 20 games. Such is the popularity of the fishing feature and the demand for Big Bass games, Pragmatic Play has explored all kinds of different themes and additional twists to the core experience. Perhaps their most out-there addition so far has been Big Bass Day at the Races, which mixes in horse racing. However, while the original remains wildly popular, Big Bass Splash has since taken the top spot for many.
Big Bass Bonanza has been a trail-blazing hit in online slot gaming, replacing Book of Dead and Starburst before that as the most popular game going. Key to its rise has been the straightforward but high ceiling feature, as well as its developer’s efforts to expand the series and appeal to more preferences.
