Big Bass Xmas Xtreme (Pragmatic Play) Slot Demo & Review

Christmas is nearly upon us… or, well, it’s still about 10 weeks away, but that hasn’t stopped some eager slot developers from rolling out festive-themed releases early. Leading the charge is Pragmatic Play, a studio that many might rank near the bottom in terms of creativity when it comes to holiday gifts. Imagine that uncle who gives the same present every year, with no effort or thought – just a fresh layer of wrapping paper. Rather than coming up with something new, Pragmatic and their partner in crime, Reel Kingdom, have put some Christmas tinsel over an old title and called it Big Bass Xmas Extreme, which is just Big Bass Amazon Extreme with a festive twist. It is a 5×3 slot with 10 paylines, a 96.07% RTP, and a 10,000x the stake maximum win. 

If there’s any credit to be given, at least they picked one of the better Big Bass slots to clone. Big Bass Amazon Extreme scored a strong 9 out of 10 in our review. It offers a larger maximum win than most in the series and pulls together the best features from previous Big Bass releases. That said, unless you want a few Christmas decorations on your reels, there’s not much reason to play it over the original. The bonus features include Fish money symbols worth up to 1,000x the stake and a free spins bonus with a Picking Game that adds modifiers like extra spins, low-value Fish Money removals, and guaranteed Fish or Fisherman symbols. Plus, that bonus has a progression trail, granting 10 additional spins at each new level while boosting a Fish Symbol win multiplier from 1x up to 50x.

If you’re after a surprise (ok, not so much of one) Christmas gift, you can power up the Big Bass Xmas Extreme slot demo below.

Surely we’re at a point now where the Big Bass series has run its course? When we’re just served up clones or new slots with barely any changes from previous releases, it’s bordering on ridiculous and almost as if Pragmatic and Reel Kingdom are just laughing at us at this point. There have been some good titles in the series over the years, such as the original Big Bass Bonanza, and follow-ups, such as Big Bass Bonanza Keeping it Real and Big Bass Bonanza Megaways, but it’s clear ideas have run out, and it feels like Pragmatic Play is cloning slots just to back up their boast of releasing 8 new slots per month. 

Rant over and onto the paytable on Big Bass Xmas Extreme. The Fishing Fly has a top return of 200x the stake when five line up along a payline, the Penguin has a top reward of 100x, and the Fishing Rod and Backpack both pay up to 50x. The Ace and King are top of the lower pays and can deliver up to 10x, and the Queen, Jack, and Ten return 5x for five-symbol combinations. 

We end this section with the stake selection, where the betting range is substantial on Big Xmas Extreme, with players able to wager as little as €0.10 per spin and as much as €250.00.

There is a 5-reel, 3-row, and 10-fixed payline configuration in play on Big Bass Xmas Extreme, and winning combinations form when three or more of the same regular symbols line up across a payline starting from the leftmost reel. 

Money Symbols

Money symbols holding cash values of between 2x and 1,000x the stake can appear on the reels. At the end of a spin, there is a random chance that you’ll receive all of those values paid to your balance. Adding to that, when that happens, a random multiplier of between 1x and 50x is applied to the total prize amount collected.

You’ll need to land three or more scatter symbols anywhere in view during the base game to trigger the Big Bass XmasXtreme free spins bonus. 

Second Chance Scatter Features

On occasions when two scatters appear, there is a random chance that one of the following features triggers to give another chance to receive a third scatter:

• Re-Spin: A re-spin can trigger if both scatters have at least one position below them. The scatters on the playing grid move down one position while all other positions receive a fresh spin. Further re-spins occur until the scatters fall off the reels or additional scatters land. 
• Narwhal: Will randomly change a random symbol into another scatter. 

Free Spins Feature

In return for three triggering scatter symbols, you’ll receive 10 free spins with picks in a Pick me feature that adds certain modifiers to the free spins bonus. However, if four or five scatters land, one or two, respectively, modifiers are already randomly chosen and awarded before you start your picks. 

When picking the Gift boxes under the Christmas tree, you continue picking until a Boot is revealed. The modifiers you can win are:

• Extra Free Spins: You receive between 1 and 3 additional free spins up to a capped maximum of 6. 

• Guaranteed Fish Symbols: You can receive between 1 and 3 guaranteed fish money symbols on every spin. 

• Collected Fisherman Wilds: You start the game with the progression meter above the reels, having already collected up to 3 Fisherman symbols.

• Remove Lowest Value Fish: Pick this once, and all 2x Fish Money symbols are removed from the reels. Pick it a second time, and now the 5x values are also removed. 

The Fisherman Wild Collect symbol is added to the reels for the free spins bonus. You receive the values of all Fish Money Symbols present whenever the Fisherman lands on the same spin. Furthermore, each instance of that symbol is collected in the progression meter above the reels.

Each time you collect four of the Fisherman, you’re given an additional 10 free spins, while each new re-trigger unlocks a Fish Money win multiplier through levels 2x, 3x, 10x, 20x, 30x, 40x, and 50x. 

During the free spins bonus, it’s also possible for the following random features to trigger:

• Random Money Symbols: At the conclusion of a free spin, if Fisherman symbols are present without any Money symbols, there’s a chance that Money symbols will be randomly added to the reels.

• Hook Feature: When Money symbols are on the reels, but no Fisherman symbols are in sight, a hook might appear at the end of the spin, lifting a reel to reveal Fisherman symbols.

• Waterfall Animation: If Fisherman symbols are present but Money symbols aren’t, a waterfall effect can trigger at the end of the spin, turning all non-Fisherman symbols into different ones.

• Random Hook: After a free spin, a hook might randomly show up, pulling up a reel to unveil both Fisherman and Money symbols.

Ante Bet & Bonus Buy Option

If you want to access that free spins bonus quicker, you have two options to consider:

• Ante Bet: For 50% on top of your current spin bet, you can spin with an increased chance to trigger the free spins bonus. 
• Buy Bonus: You can purchase the free spins bonus outright for 100x your current spin bet.