North American animal slots are plentiful, and Big Time Gaming has chosen to give Big Bad Bison a somewhat old-fashioned look that calls to mind their instant classic Bonanza Megaways. We’re not sure if this was intentional, as their default style and interface has remained relatively unchanged over the years. The game features a good variety of animal symbols on the dynamic Megaways grid, set against a large desert mountain backdrop. It might have been more interesting if the Australian developer had created a game inspired by the wildlife and nature of their own country, given the lack of kangaroo and Crocodile Dundee-inspired games. The game includes multiplier wilds up to x5 in all stages, and the bonus round involves increasing the minimum Megaways level, which also provides extra spins. The potential 67,640x win seems unlikely, and more transparency about the maximum win rate of BTG games would be appreciated. The premium animal symbols offer payouts between 1.5 and 25 x your stake for 6 of a kind wins, with the Bison being the top symbol. Wild symbols substitute for any pay symbol to help achieve and/or increase wins, and also include multipliers up to x5. Each wild multiplier is applied if more than one is involved in the same win, and wilds can only appear on reels 2 to 5. The Bonus Round is activated by 3 scatters, providing 12 free spins. Landing 2 scatters on the same free spin grants an additional 4 spins, and also increases the number of minimum win ways. The default minimum number of win ways is 64, but this can increase up to 117,649 Megaways per free spin. The Win Exchange feature allows players to use winnings of 25 to 50+ x their stake to purchase or gamble for 12 free spins, although this feature is not available everywhere, including the UK. If a player wins 25-49x their stake, they can gamble their winnings on a wheel with red and green segments, with the red segment signifying a loss of winnings. Non-UK players can also purchase the bonus round directly for 50x the stake. At first glance, Big Bad Bison seems subpar for a developer like Big Time Gaming. There’s something about the static backdrop that feels amateurish, and the glossy royal symbols seem dated. BTG’s standard setup, user interface and visuals need a major revamp, and a turbo spins option would be a welcome addition. The soundtrack is a high point though, especially the Ghost Riders In The Sky instrumental during the bonus round. Multiplier wilds are available in all stages, but are typically scarce and often only offer the x1 multiplier. The 50x bonus buy indicates the average win, although a theoretical win of 67,640x your stake is possible. It’s not easy to climb the minimum win ways ladder, and you’ll likely need to reach near the top to score big.
