The Bison Spirit is a 5-reel, 25-payline slot machine game developed by NetEnt, a renowned Swedish gaming company. Released in 2019, this slots offers an immersive experience inspired by the Great Plains of North America during the 19th century. In this review, we’ll delve into every aspect of the Bison Spirit, exploring its theme, design, symbols, payouts, bonus features, free spins, RTP (Return to Player), volatility, betting range, max win, and more.
Theme
The game’s theme is centered around the majestic bison, a symbol of strength and resilience in Native American culture. The backdrop depicts a serene savannah landscape Bison Spirit demo with towering trees and rolling hills, while the reels are framed by intricate wooden carvings, evoking a sense of tribal authenticity. As players navigate through the game, they’ll encounter various wildlife characters, including wolves, eagles, and deer, all set against the vast open plains.
Design
Visually, the Bison Spirit is an outstanding achievement in terms of graphics and sound design. The developers have crafted stunning animations that bring the symbols to life, complete with subtle lighting effects, foggy mist, and realistic water reflections. The title logo features a bison’s head, while the game’s buttons are laid out neatly across the bottom, including options for auto-play, quick start, and settings.
Symbols
The reels feature a range of colorful symbols inspired by nature:
- Low-value icons: Aces to 10s (paying up to x50)
- Medium-value icons:
- Wolves
- Eagles
- Deer
- Cattle
- Bison calves
High-paying symbols include the male bison, female bison, and the mighty buffalo itself.
Payouts
The payout structure is relatively standard for a NetEnt game, with wins triggered by combinations of three to five matching symbols. The maximum win per spin amounts to 10,000 coins, although it’s worth noting that some winning combinations can award higher payouts via the game’s various bonus features (more on those later). To get an idea of what you might expect from a real-money play session, we’ll discuss RTP and volatility below.
Wilds
The female bison serves as the wild symbol in Bison Spirit. As expected, it substitutes for all standard symbols to create winning combinations, except for scatter and bonus icons (more on those shortly). If two or more wilds appear horizontally adjacent to each other, they will expand into larger areas of 2×2, 3×3, or even 4×4 grid size, depending on the number present. Expanded wilds can greatly increase winning chances, especially when appearing during free spins.
Scatters
The bison’s head serves as a scatter symbol in this game. Scattering at least three of these on consecutive reels from left to right will unlock the Free Ride bonus feature (also known as Bonus Wheel). As we’ll explore below, landing three or more scatters has different implications depending on your current spin count.
Bonus Features
Two primary bonus features make up Bison Spirit’s winning mix:
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Free Spins : These can be triggered in one of two ways:
- Landing 3-5 scatter bison symbols anywhere in view.
- Achieving a ‘Lucky Spin’ status via the Free Ride mode (more on this shortly). Players are awarded an initial set of free spins, but it’s also possible to retrigger additional free rounds. Throughout these sessions, wild reels may be added or existing ones expanded for increased payouts.
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Free Ride : A sub-feature within Free Spins that can randomly unlock Lucky Spin status when landing the required scatters (usually between 2 and 5 bison heads).
Free Spins
Free spins offer a highly exciting experience with expanding reel wilds, higher chances of bigger wins, and the potential to trigger Lucky Spins. When playing these rounds, look out for expanded reels as they can result in high-paying combinations.
RTP (Return to Player) Volatility Bison Spirit’s theoretical RTP is 96%, slightly above average compared to other games on this market.
In terms of volatility, we categorize Bison Spirit as medium-high. The base game offers an acceptable winning frequency without guaranteeing immense payouts, but free spins can significantly increase potential winnings thanks to expanded wilds and enhanced reel combinations.
Betting Range
Players can adjust the bet level (1-10) in increments between €0.25 and €250 per spin. Using this flexibility is key when managing bankrolls for extended sessions with varying odds of encountering major hits during Free Spins or Bonus Wheel rounds.
Max Win As mentioned earlier, maximum possible payouts reach up to 10,000 coins on any standard winning combination or in bonus mode through Lucky Spin status triggering higher-tiered free spins awarding significantly increased amounts.
Gameplay
Players have the option for two playing modes:
- Quick Start : Allows for immediate gameplay without opening settings menu.
- Auto-Play : Can be set with customizable parameters for a more hands-off experience when engaging in consecutive play sessions or observing the game’s performance over extended periods.
Throughout each session, players can pause gameplay to assess winning patterns and monitor coin balance. Keep an eye on your bankroll at all times while balancing bets per spin according to available budget limits established initially upon entering any betting range selected beforehand within Bison Spirit settings.
Mobile Play
Developers ensured cross-platform compatibility by optimizing the game for mobile devices (iOS, Android) as well as desktop computers running various operating systems like Windows or macOS. This is fantastic news since you can access this immersive experience anywhere where an active internet connection exists!
Player Experience While participating in each spin cycle and every subsequent bonus event within Bison Spirit offers engaging experiences for its target audience.
Our analysis concludes that the bison-themed slots features robust soundtracks complementing serene visuals depicting wildlife roaming across expanses of American savannah lands – even though many users have reported having mixed opinions on NetEnt’s use of this theme throughout several games like this one & other similarly themed ones reviewed prior.