Big Bass Christmas Bash is a video slot by Reel Kingdom (released by Pragmatic Play) that combines the excitement of fishing with a festive Christmas atmosphere. The game takes place beneath a frozen lake, with Christmas decorations and snow-covered scenery adorning the reels. Symbols on the reels reflect the theme, including fishing equipment (tackle boxes, rods), winter wildlife (dragonflies), and Christmas cheer (bulldozer with Santa Claus). The slot features a classic layout with 5 reels and 10 paylines.
While the base game offers standard winning combinations formed by matching symbols on paylines, the real thrill lies in the free spins round. Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols (fish) triggers 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. During free spins, wild symbols appear in the form of fisherman characters. These wilds substitute for other symbols to complete winning combinations. More importantly, fisherman symbols act as collectors, gathering cash values displayed on special fish symbols that land on the reels. The value of each fish symbol is collected and added to the player's total win if a fisherman symbol is present on the screen.
Before the free spins round begins, players have the opportunity to choose from up to 5 modifiers that can enhance their bonus experience. These modifiers include:
- More Fish: Increases the number of fish symbols appearing on the reels.
- More Fisherman: Increases the number of wild fisherman symbols appearing on the reels.
- Start from Level 2: Starts the free spins round with a 2x multiplier for collecting fish cash values.
- +2 Spins: Awards 2 additional free spins at the start of the round, with 2 more added on every retrigger.
- More Dynamites, Hooks, and Bazookas: Increases the chance of triggering random features during free spins.
These random features add another layer of excitement to the free spins round:
- Dynamite: If a fisherman symbol lands without any fish symbols, dynamite can be thrown onto the reels, potentially adding fish symbols in random positions.
- Bazooka: If a fisherman symbol lands without any fish symbols, a bazooka can be fired, transforming all other symbols on the reels (except wilds) into new symbols, potentially creating new winning combinations.
- Hook: If fish symbols land without a fisherman symbol, a hook might appear and pull one of the reels, revealing a wild fisherman symbol.
The chance of triggering the free spins round can be increased by activating the optional ante bet, which adds a 50% cost increase to the regular bet but places more scatter symbols on the reels. Additionally, players can opt to buy the free spins round directly for a cost of 100x the total bet.