Christmas Bonanza Review
If the slot’s title puts you in mind of that iconic Big Time Gaming slot Bonanza Megaways it’s with good reason. Remember how right at the beginning we set out all our festive slot wishes? We weren’t asking for much really, just an innovative game with free spins, cascading reels, increasing multipliers with no upper limit, and the Megaways mechanic.
It turns out that Big Time Gaming has checked all the boxes with Christmas Bonanza, apart from one. This isn’t anything new after all – it’s Bonanza Megaways with a scattering of snow and presents replacing the gemstones. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but we thought we ought to get that out there.
Design
Everyone who’s played Bonanza – and that’s everyone, surely? – will recognise this slot from the moment it launches. There’s the little hut to one side of the reels and that familiar water wheel. Even the reels and the mine carts are exactly the same, including the dynamite Wilds on the top reel.
The only difference is that the entire scene is blanketed in snow, with snowflakes gently falling as you spin the reels. The premium game symbols have also been repackaged as presents. But apart from that, nothing much has changed at all – not even the banjo-inspired soundtrack!
Gameplay
Everything in Christmas Bonanza plays out exactly the same as in Bonanza Megaways. The dynamite Wilds only appear in the mining carts above the central reels but are a substitute for any other game icons, other than gold bar Scatters.
Land four Scatters to activate 12 free spins, but every additional Scatter in view adds another 5 to the total. During the feature, landing 3 more Scatters awards 5 more free spins, whilst 4 Scatters gives you 10 more – and there’s no upper limit!
Win Potential
The free spins bonus round is where you’ll find yourself with the chance of landing the max sin in Christmas Bonanza, and it’s all thanks to the increasing multiplier. Starting at 1x when your free spins commence, +1 is added with every winning reaction. Just like the free spins, there’s no limit to how high it can climb, although only a tiny minority of players will experience the top 26,000x payout.
Big Time Gaming has added a Buy the Bonus feature to Christmas Bonanza, although this is only available in some jurisdictions, and unfortunately, the UK isn’t one of them. When enabled, you have the option to purchase the free spins round for 90x your current wager.
Our Verdict
Even the Grinch wouldn’t turn down the chance to play some Christmas slots, especially something created by Big Time Gaming. And all the features we’ve come to know and love from the developer are here, so we couldn’t ask for more – could we?
If you love Bonanza Megaways and have always dreamed of a special Christmas edition, this is definitely going to be right up there with your favourite slots.
But for us, we couldn’t help feeling just a tiny bit cheated – rather like being given a replica of a present that you received a few years ago. It’s nice to have, certainly, and we don’t want to sound in any way ungrateful. It’s just that we were hoping for something brand new – but that’s probably just us. Try it for yourself and let us know what you think!
Marianne's interest in slots was sparked by a win on a one-arm bandit at an old-fashioned seaside arcade. These days she's turned her back on classic games, and has made it her mission to track down the most exciting slots offering innovative bonus features - and a great soundtrack!
Learn more about Marianne here