Big Bass Mission Fishin’: Slot Overview

Well, look what’s drifted in. Not a mangled whale carcass or a giant jellyfish, but yet another Big Bass title from Pragmatic Play’s Reel Kingdom team. And after, what, roughly 12 thousand Big Bass launches (more or less), the idea of wading through another one might sound about as tempting as catching rays beside a blood-smeared whale body crawling with maggots. Still, plenty of players can’t get enough Big Bass action—so if that’s you, it’s time to push off.

The “mission” theme in Big Bass Mission Fishin’ is, admittedly, a bit of a reach. It really only clicks once the bonus is activated, where you have to choose your “mission” from the two available rounds—free spins or Stack the Cash. Beyond that, Reel Kingdom has shifted things into a nighttime setting (because, presumably, shadier stuff happens after dark) and sprinkled in a few pseudo-secret-agent touches to certain symbols. Otherwise, Big Bass Mission Fishin’ is familiar Big Bass territory that anyone who knows the series will recognize instantly.

Floating among the bubbles are 5 reels with 3 rows of symbols, and wins are worked out across 10 paylines. With stakes ranging from 10 c to $/€250 per spin, the default RTP sits at 96.5%. Enabling the Ante Bet increases the stake by 50% to make more scatter symbols appear on the reels. In terms of volatility, it’s rated high, at 5 out of 5.

Card symbols from Ten through Ace make up the low pays, returning 5 to 10 times the bet for a 5 matching symbol winning line. Above them are fish Money symbols, tackle boxes, harpoon guns, dragonflies, and boats. These award 20 to 200 times the bet for 5 OAK. The fish Money symbols are the key special symbols, each receiving a random value of 2x to 5,000x the bet on every spin. Money symbols can be collected during the free spins feature once the wild fisherman symbol appears on the reels. The wild also substitutes for all symbols except Money or scatter.

Big Bass Mission Fishin’: Slot Features

As a flagship entry in the fishing-slot dynasty, most players will already know the Big Bass routine of the fisherman wild collecting fish Money symbols. This time around, though, Big Bass Mission Fishin’ also includes a Stack the Cash feature, which can be selected when the bonus round is activated.

Scatters

Landing 3 or more scatters starts the bonus feature where players can choose between free spins or Stack the Cash. In the base game, if 2 scatters land, there is a chance the third one gets pulled onto the screen by a hook or via respins, during which the scatters on the screen can drop down one position without leaving the grid.

Free Spins

Triggered by 3, 4, or 5 scatters, the feature awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. Before the spins begin, players select files on the screen to uncover modifiers until a boot appears, including:

• More Fish – more fish are present on the reels.
• More Fisherman – more wild fisherman symbols are present on the reels.
• More Dynamites, Hooks, and Bazookas – pretty self-explanatory by now.
• Start From Level 2 – the progressive feature starts on level 2.
• +2 Spins – the round starts with 2 extra free spins, and any retrigger benefits from +2 spins.

In free spins, each wild symbol collects the values of all visible Money symbols. Wild symbols are collected as well. Every 4th wild collected grants +10 more free spins and applies a multiplier to collected Money symbol values of x2 for the second level, x3 for the third level, and x10 for the fourth level. Once the fourth level is reached, no further retriggers are possible. On top of that, the bonus round includes these effects:

• Dynamite Spin Feature – randomly, when there are fisherman symbols on screen, but no fish, at the end of a free spin, fish money symbols may appear in random positions.
• Hook – can randomly bring fisherman symbols into the screen if there are fish but no fisherman in view at the end of a spin.
• Bazooka – randomly, when there is a fisherman present but no fish, at the end of the spin, all symbols but fisherman symbols are transformed into something else.

Stack the Cash

If you choose this option, the standard symbols disappear, leaving only Fish Coins symbols and blanks to land. The Fish Coin can appear on all reels and carries a value of 1x to 25x the bet. Under each reel is a robo-crab. The feature begins with 4 respins, and whenever a Fish Coin symbol lands, it remains on the reels and the respins are reset to 4. When a reel is full of Fish Coins, they are removed and their values are held by the robo-crab. Each time a new Fish Coin symbol lands, a bomb drops onto a random reel, doubling the values of all Fish Coins on that reel and the robo-crab beneath it. When the respins end, the round pays out the values stored by all robo-crabs.

Buy Free Spins

Players can purchase entry to the bonus round for 100x the bet, and it carries an RTP of 96.5%. After buying the bonus, players can choose between free spins or Stack the Cash.

Big Bass Mission Fishin’: Slot Verdict

At this point, you could practically time Big Bass releases, because another one seems to arrive every few minutes. This is the latest, and sure—it’s fine; there’s nothing so offensively dreadful that you’d rather down a bucket of fly-covered chum instead. Reel Kingdom has at least tried to inject a touch of freshness with a lightly “mission” styled hook. Credit where it’s due: it works to a degree, but it also doesn’t change the fact that Big Bass Mission Fishin’ is, at its core, very much the same familiar formula as a pile of other Big Bass slots.

It does come with a hold ‘n win-style game attached, which isn’t something you often see bolted onto a BB slot—though we sort of got it in Big Bass Secrets Of The Golden Lake and Big Bass Bonanza Hold & Spinner. Stack the Cash is also a fairly basic take on the mechanic, without much in the way of exciting fishy flair. The main twist (if you can call it that) is how completed reels dump their coins into the robo-crab for end-of-round collection, opening up space to potentially land more Coins. The Bomb element may add a bit of interest too, so it’s not a disaster—just not exactly a standout.

In short, Big Bass Mission Fishin’ is essentially Big Bass Splash with a streak respin mission added on. Like BB Splash, it comes with the same 5,000x the stake win cap to chase. In theory, you can get there by landing a single 5,000x fish Money symbol. Best of luck with that. Big Bass Mission Fishin’ doesn’t exactly push the BB franchise far along the evolutionary ladder, but it’s still enough for fans to pick up the virtual rod and reel and have another go.