Big Wild Buffalo Pokie Review

 

Big Wild Buffalo is the latest online pokie release from Belatra. As you may have guessed, the game’s theme is all about the large bovine known as the buffalo that once dominated the American landscape.

There are 25 paylines to wager on, as well as multiple bonus rounds. If you’d like to know more, please continue reading my slot review.

Finding Big Wild Buffalo

In order to try this game, you’ll first have to track down an Internet casino featuring games from Belatra. If you happen to live in Australia, then I suggest giving Katsubet a try. They have a number of top-notch promotional offers for newcomers, as well as more than 1,750 games from over 30 providers.

Big Wild Buffalo Paytable

The following is a rundown of the symbols and potential payouts on the game. These prizes are based on a wager of $25 per spin, but this can rise or fall based on what you’re willing to risk.

  • Jack and Queen – These poker symbols pay $5 for three matches, $10 for four and $50 for five.
  • King and Ace – These poker symbols pay $5 for three matches, $20 for four and $50 for five.
  • Ram and Elk – These symbols pay $10 for three matches, $50 for four and $100 for five.
  • Owl – Pays $20 for three matches, $80 for four and $150 for five.
  • Wolf – Pays $25 for three matches, $100 for four and $200 for five.
  • Buffalo – Pays $25 for three matches, $150 for four and $250 for five.

Wild Buffalo Symbol

The buffalo symbol is wild, meaning that it substitutes for all other icons in the game. This is also a massive symbol, and it can easily cover an entire reel when it lands just right.

When the symbol only partially covers a reel, it moves in order to fill the reel. For each spot that it moves, the symbol’s win multiplier increases by x1.When multiple wilds are present during a spin, their multipliers add together to determine the final payout.

Free Spins Round

The scatter symbols can appear on reels one, three and five. When this occurs, the game triggers the bonus round and awards the player eight free games.

During the bonus, the player also has a chance to add more spins to their total. Two scatters earn them another spin (up to 100 times), while three scatters award three (up to 100).

Majestic bison grazes on the prairie.

Global Multiplier

This is an important element during the free spin round. At the beginning of the bonus, the global multiplier starts at x1.

During these spins, keep an eye out for a magical portal. When one of these appears, a bison will emerge and increase your overall multiplier by one.

If you’re lucky enough to get wild symbols on the reels during the bonus round, that’s when your winnings can skyrocket. The wild buffalo multiplier adds to the global multiplier to determine the payout.

Hold and Win Bonus

This bonus triggers when six or more credit symbols (which looks like a blue ball of energy) land on the reels. The bonus reels contain four types of symbols:

  • Credit Symbol (blue ball)
  • Donor (looks like sun)
  • Magnet (red swirl)
  • Moon

The player receives three spins on the mini-reels. If at least one new credit, donor or magnet has fallen out after a rotation, then the player gets a new series of three. If only the moon icon has fallen out, then the spin counter is reduced by one.

This bonus continues until either all respins are exhausted or the reels can hold no additional symbols. When either of these occurs, the game awards a payout and returns the player to the base configuration.

If the credit symbols manage to fill an entire line, then you’ll collect one of the following bonus amounts:

  • Credit Symbols Fill One Line – Mini Bonus (at least 20x wager)
  • Two Lines – Minor Bonus (at least 100x wager)
  • Three Lines – Major Bonus (at least 500x wager)
  • Four Lines – Grand Bonus (at least 1,000x wager)

Final Thoughts

Big Wild Buffalo has some sizable payouts for basic symbol combinations. The overall theme is passable, even though it sometimes runs the risk of being somewhat generic.

My biggest complaint with the game is the lack of a posted return-to-player percentage. While it’s likely in the 94% to 96% range, there’s really no way of knowing. That may not seem like a big deal to some, but I find it to be a major oversight.