We’ve said it before, but it’s a rule of thumb worth repeating. If you’re going to make a copycat effort, make your version the obvious choice (or at least improve upon the original to stand out). This is exactly what Blueprint has done with Bison Bonanza, as all the core concepts are lifted directly from Pragmatic Play’s sugar-laden smash hit,Sweet Bonanza. The visuals are kind of bland, and not up to par with Blueprint’s best work.
The Scatter Pays system means that symbols pay anywhere in view, but everything essentially revolves around the bonus round. It comes with 3 options in this game (plus a mystery option), and multiplier symbols up to x500 far exceeds what’s possible in the candy-infused source of inspiration. The10,000x win capseems more realistic than the usual 50,000x you get from Blueprint, and it’s alsocapped at £1,000,000instead of the usual £250,000.
You can turn on/off theBison Bet featurebetween base game spins, and it thus costs25 % more per spinto double your bonus round chances. You need8 to 12+ matching symbols anywhere in view to win, and the animal premiums pay 10 to 50 x your stake for 12+. All winning symbols are removed via theCascading mechanic, making room for new and/or existing symbols to fill the gaps. This goes on indefinitely as long as you keep winning.
The Bonus Round triggers when you land4 bonus scattersanywhere, and you win3x, 5x or 100x your stakeup front if you land4, 5 or 6 scatters, respectively. You can choose from the following options with regards to number of free spins and possible multiplier symbols:
The multipliers symbols will boost the total cascading win they appear in. If you land more than one multiplier symbol in the same cascading sequence, the multiplier values are added together before being applied. Landing3+ scattersin the same cascading sequence awards+5 extra spinsduring the feature.
Non-UK players, and anyone eligible, may take advantage of theBonus Buy option. You can pay100x your stakefor a bonus round trigger (RTP of96.6 %), and this guarantees4 bonus scatterson the spin that follows. You can also purchase aBison Wheel Spin(RTP of96.82 %) for248x your stake. This 3-tiered wheel awards 10-20 free spins, and it also gives you an x2-x10 minimum multiplier, as well as an x100-x500 maximum multiplier.
You get to see a minute or so of the base game, before we purchase a spin on the Bison Wheel. This gave us the maximum of 20 free spins, combined with a multiplier symbol range of x6 to x200. Not a bad start at all, and we got plenty of extra spins as well. The highlights video is therefore almost 10 minutes long this time, so you might wanna brew yourself a cuppa before it starts.
The visuals are nothing too special in this Blueprint release, and we know they can do better. Bison Bonanza is also very similar to Sweet Bonanza, down to the scatter pay system and the all-important multiplier symbols in the bonus round. Decent top-up wins can come from the cascading sequences in the base game, but doubling your bonus round chances by paying 25 % more per spin seems like a tempting option.
What makes Bison Bonanza stick out however, is the potentially massive multiplier symbols you can land, up to x500 each at best. The mystery choice is tempting in that regard, and it’s basically a Bison Wheel light option. Too bad said Bison Wheel cannot trigger organically, as it could have been implemented via some kind of symbol collection system to reward patient players. Anyway, fans of Sweet Bonanza style action will probably enjoy this enhanced version, and we hope Blueprint drops their “standard” advertised potential, like they’ve done here.
Pros
Cons
Sweet Bonanza- is Pragmatic Play’s smash hit, and the candy theme has spawned many copycats together with the core concept. You get scatter pays in this game also, and up to x100 multiplier bombs may drop in the bonus round. The advertised potential of 21,000x belongs to a different era in Pragmatic’s history however, so we would take that with a grain of salt.
Buffalo Rising Megaways- is a visually and thematically similar release from Blueprint, but this one comes with BTG’s licensed dynamic reels engine. This gives you up to 117,649 win ways, and mystery symbols spice up the base game. You get 4 options when the bonus round triggers, each with a progressive multiplier for payouts up to 10,000x your stake.
Beasts of Fire- takes a supernatural and cataclysmic approach to the animal theme, and this Play’n Go release comes with a Meteor Respins feature that expands the grid. The buffalos are upgraded with twice the value as they become fire beasts in the bonus round, and this can lead to 10,000x payouts. If you’re looking for more impressive visuals, give this one a try.
