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Big Bass Xmas Xtreme Review
Slot clones dressed up for the holidays have become a bit of a Christmas tradition, and this year the developers have decided to give Big Bass Amazon Xtreme a festive makeover. However, don't expect an over-the-top Christmas explosion with this one. Unlike some of the previous Xmas versions in the Big Bass series, Big Bass Xmas Xtreme is a bit more subtle in its holiday theme. You won't find Santa hats on the fish symbols, for example. Instead, the bearded fisherman is ice fishing seemingly close to the North Pole, with a cozy Xmas-decorated house barely visible in the background.
The 5x3 game grid sits below the icy surface, and you'll be aiming to land matching symbols across the 10 paylines to reel in some wins. Speaking of wins, you can cast your line with bets ranging from €0.1 to €250 per spin. The higher paying symbols include fishing gear like floaters, rods, and backpacks, which can award up to 200x your stake for 5-of-a-kind. Every now and then, all fish prizes in view can be collected and boosted by a random multiplier of up to 50x.
As usual, the main attraction is the fish collection bonus round. This is where the fisherman wild symbol comes into play. He can appear on any reel, and each time he does, he'll collect all fish prizes in view. Above the game grid, you'll notice the familiar multiplier upgrade trail. As you collect fisherman wilds, you'll progress along this trail, upgrading the fish prize multiplier up to x50 at best. And for each upgrade, you also get +10 extra free spins to keep you going.
To top it all off, the Bonus Round features 4 different modifiers that can randomly trigger to help you reel in even more money fish prizes. While the game boasts a decent RTP of 96.07 % and a max win of 10,000x your stake, remember that this is a highly volatile game scoring 5 out of 5 on the in-game scale. The 11.72 % hit rate is a bit below average, so expect plenty of dead spins and smaller top-up wins in the base game. On the plus side, the bonus round triggers around every 148 spins, a hit rate well above average according to our stats.
Big Bass Xmas Xtreme Features
If you're familiar with the original game, Big Bass Xmas Xtreme has the exact same features. However, we’ll run through everything anyway, to refresh your memory or familiarize new players.
Ante Bet (not UK)
If eligible, you can turn on the Ante Bet feature to increase your bonus round chances by an unspecified amount. This means you’ll be paying 50 % extra per spin.
Money Symbols
The Fish Money Symbols land with cash prize values between 0.2x and 1,000x your stake, which the fisherman may collect at random times in the base game. When the fish prizes are collected, the total sum will be boosted by a random multiplier between x1 and x50.
Big Bass Xmas Xtreme Free Spins
The Bonus Round triggers when 3, 4, or 5 scatters land anywhere in view, awarding 10 free spins. Landing 2 scatters can sometimes trigger a respin which nudges the 3rd scatter in place, or a Narwhal can turn a random symbol into the crucial 3rd scatter. When you trigger the free spins round with 4 or 5 scatters, 1 or 2 Xmas presents are already opened.
The pre-bonus pick game is where you get to unwrap Xmas gifts that reveal your bonus round extras and modifiers. You get indefinite picks until you reveal a boot, which ends the pre-bonus game. Here’s an overview of what you can get:
- Extra Free Spins - adds 1 to 3 additional free spins to your counter up to 6.
- Guaranteed Fish - each +1 Fish revealed guarantees a fish prize per free spin, with up to 3 guaranteed fish being possible.
- Already Collected Fishermen Wilds - can start you off with up to 3 fisherman wilds already collected in the multiplier and extra spins trail.
- Remove Lowest Fish - removes the x2 money fish symbol, then the x5 money fish symbol if revealed a second time.
The Fisherman Wild symbols appear only in the bonus round, substituting for regular pay symbols while also collecting all fish money symbols in view. The fisherman wild is then collected in the Progression Trail, with every 4th collection upgrading the fish prize win multiplier and awarding +10 extra free spins. The multiplier starts at x1, and increases to x2, x3, x10, x20, x30, x40, and finally x50, and reaching the x50 level means no more retriggers are possible.
There are 4 random modifiers that can help you out during the free spins feature, and these work as follows:
- Random Money Symbols - adds money fish prizes to the reels if a Fisherman Wild is present with nothing to catch.
- Hook - may pull up a Fisherman Wild if there are money fish prizes present without a symbol to collect them.
- Waterfall - may turn all present symbols except Fisherman Wilds into something else, but only if there are no money symbols present.
- Random Hook - can pull up both fisherman wilds and money symbols if none are present.
Big Bass Xmas Xtreme Bonus Buy (not UK)
Eligible players who want a shortcut to the main attraction can check the Bonus Buy menu on the left-hand side. The price is 100x your stake to trigger the feature with at least 3 scatters on the spin that follows. The bonus round has an organic hit rate of 1 in 148.43 spins.
Pros and Cons of Big Bass Xmas Xtreme
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Random money fish collection w/ up to x50 multiplier | Beware of customizable RTP ranges |
| Pre-Bonus Pick Game w/ 4 different upgrades | Ante Bet benefit not specified with stats |
| FS w/ extra spins and fish prize multiplier trail up to x50 | |
| 4 different random bonus round modifiers | |
| Max win of 10,000x (1 in 14.3m spins) |
Our Verdict
Big Bass Amazon Xtreme holds a special place, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the developers opted for a more understated Christmas theme this time around. In fact, Big Bass Xmas Xtreme is versatile enough to be enjoyed year-round. The cool color scheme of the underwater backdrop might even offer a refreshing escape during those hot summer nights. Speaking of the backdrop, it features an intriguing array of colors reflected in the ice, with a structure in the distance that could be Santa's workshop or, more likely, the fisherman's cabin. While the soundtrack is certainly pleasant, neither it nor the overall theme strongly evokes that classic Christmas nostalgia.
You could even argue that the Christmas elements are a bit too subtle, especially for players seeking a truly festive fishing experience. If that's what you're after, Christmas Big Bass Bonanza might be a better fit. However, Big Bass Xmas Xtreme boasts a far superior math model, which is a major draw. One thing that sets this installment apart is the potential for significant fish prize wins in the base game. This keeps things interesting and avoids the tedious grind that can sometimes plague other Big Bass games. With a random multiplier that can boost wins by up to x50 and fish prizes reaching as high as 1,000x, you might just have an early Christmas with a bit of luck.
However, the 100x price tag for the bonus buy feature highlights the average returns you can expect, which aren't particularly impressive. In my view, the developers should consider incorporating a super bonus round that triggers less frequently but offers significantly higher average returns for a much steeper price. Take a page from another playbook and give high rollers and daredevils a chance to chase truly massive wins. This would add a thrilling new dimension to the series.
While the 10,000x max win is certainly respectable, a bonus round with a higher probability of reaching those impressive numbers would catapult this series to the next level. The current system of building the fish prize multiplier and earning extra free spins is undeniably effective, but the series could truly reach new heights with a more spectacular feature to attract a different segment of players. With so many similar installments, something drastic is needed to truly stick out, although I get the ‘why change a winning team’ strategy.
