Buffalo Goes Wild

Buffalo Goes Wild is set against the backdrop of the North American prairies, featuring a visually appealing representation of the region's wildlife. The atmosphere is one of serene wilderness, punctuated by the powerful presence of the buffalo, the game's central motif. The slot's imagery aims for realism, depicting animals such as eagles, wolves, moose, and bears, alongside lower-paying symbols represented by playing card royals (A, K, Q, J). The buffalo itself serves as the main character, symbolizing strength and abundance, reflecting a common interpretation of the animal in Native American culture.

Core Game Mechanics

Buffalo Goes Wild employs a standard 5×3 reel structure with 20 fixed paylines. Wins are awarded for matching symbols appearing consecutively from left to right on an active payline. The betting range is relatively low, extending from a minimum of 0.2 to a maximum of 20 credits per spin. The game utilizes a left-to-right payline system, meaning that symbols must align consecutively from the leftmost reel to the right to form a winning combination. This is a common mechanic in online slots.

Unlike many slots, there are no free spins in the base game. The core gameplay revolves around landing winning combinations of regular symbols and activating the bonus game feature, described below. The RTP (Return to Player) is stated as 95%, a figure that is below the industry average. The stated volatility is medium. This means that while substantial wins are possible, they occur with moderate frequency.

Bonus Features: A Detailed Breakdown

The game's primary feature is the Jackpot Bonus Game, triggered by landing six or more Coin and/or Jackpot symbols anywhere on the reels. This triggers a Hold & Win-style bonus round.

• Triggering the Jackpot Bonus Game: The appearance of at least six designated Coin or Jackpot symbols initiates the bonus round. All triggering symbols remain locked in their positions.
• Respin Mechanism: The bonus game begins with three respins. Each new Coin or Jackpot symbol that lands during the respins resets the respin counter back to three. This continues until no new symbols are added, or all positions on the grid are filled.
• Jackpot Awards: The Jackpot symbols award different jackpot prizes depending on the number collected:
  • Two Jackpot Symbols: Mini Jackpot
  • Three Jackpot Symbols: Minor Jackpot
  • Four Jackpot Symbols: Major Jackpot
  • Five Jackpot Symbols: Grand Jackpot

• Coin Symbols: These symbols act as the secondary trigger for the bonus round. They also carry their own individual multiplier values, ranging from 1x to 10x the bet. These multipliers are only applied during the Jackpot Bonus Game.
• Wild Symbols: The Buffalo acts as a Wild symbol. It substitutes for all regular pay symbols but not for Coin or Jackpot symbols. Wild symbols can appear in 1×1 and 2×1 sizes, with the larger size carrying a 3x multiplier, and the smaller 1×1 size carrying a 2x multiplier. These multipliers apply to any winning payline that includes the Wild symbol. The Wilds themselves also have set payouts in the base game, independent of their multiplier function.
• Buy Bonus Feature: The game offers a Bonus Buy feature allowing players to directly purchase entry into the Jackpot Bonus Game for a cost of 40x the bet. This bypasses the need to organically trigger it through base game play.

A notable aspect of Buffalo Goes Wild is the interplay between the Wild symbols and the Jackpot Bonus Game. The Wild's multipliers enhance potential winnings during the bonus round, significantly boosting the overall payout potential. This synergistic relationship between the base game's Wilds and the bonus game's jackpot structure is a distinguishing feature of this slot. The design creates a potentially high-variance outcome, allowing for both frequent small wins and infrequent, potentially significant jackpots.