Bison Battle: Slot Overview

Although they’re celebrated in plenty of online slots today, buffalos – or bison, as they’re also called – were once pushed to the brink of extinction by hunting. In 16th-century North America, bison numbers were estimated at more than 30 million. By the late 1880s, that figure had collapsed to fewer than 100. One reason was how easily they could be targeted: when a bison was killed, others in the herd would often gather around, making them simple pickings for hunters. The good news for bison fans is that their population has recovered, both in the real world and across the slots landscape.

These heavyweight animals are put to strong use in Bison Battle, a North American wildlife-themed slot from software provider Push Gaming. Here, they show up as wilds (standard and sticky) and also appear on dedicated feature symbols – more on those shortly. For now, take in the sweeping canyon panorama, which shifts to a lush, greener look during the Green Valley feature, or flips to a wintery scene in the Ice Park feature. The seasonal transitions are a neat touch, and the production values are solid, with a few Native American-themed objects scattered around to add some cultural flavour.

Highly volatile (no surprises there) and playable on any device, the bison showdown begins with bets from 10 p/c to $/€100. It’s also worth noting the slot is released with multiple RTP configurations, with the main one set to 96.4%. That’s the default RTP, in any case. As outlined below, it increases to 96.58% when purchasing the Green Valley feature, or 96.69% when buying the Ice Park feature.

The action takes place on a 5×5 game panel with 20 paylines. All symbols, apart from the eagle, need at least three matching icons landing left to right starting from reel 1 to pay. Eagles only require two to connect. At the lower end are four card suit symbols – hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds – each paying 2 times the bet for five of a kind. Above those are cougars, wolves, bears, and eagles, which return 10 to 50 times the stake for five of a kind. Also found on the reels is the golden Wild Bison symbol, which substitutes for all standard paying symbols.

Bison Battle: Slot Features

Seeing buffalo go head-to-head in real life would likely be pretty intimidating. In Bison Battle, though, you’ll be hoping for exactly that, because when they collide, the features begin to fire.

Special Symbols

This can sound a bit tricky when described, but it’s actually easy to follow once you see it play out. If you’ve played the NetEnt classic The Invisible Man, the general idea will feel familiar:

The Blue Bison and Green Bison symbols act as scatters and appear only on reel 1, while Red Bison symbols can land on reel 1 and reel 5.

• If a Green Bison lands on reel 1 and a Red Bison lands on reel 5 in the same row to clash, the Green Valley feature is triggered.
• If a Blue Bison lands on reel 1 and a Red Bison lands on reel 5 in the same row, the Ice Park feature is triggered.

On top of that…

• Red Bisons that land on reel 1 show an Instant Prize value of 5x, 10x, 25x, 50x, 100x, 250x, 500x, 1,000x, or 2,500x. However, if it lands on reel 1 without a Red Bison on reel 5 in the same row, it moves one reel to the right on each spin until it drops off.
• Red Bison symbols on reel 5 carry multipliers of x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, or x10. If one lands without a Red Bison on reel 1 in the same row, it shifts one reel to the left on each spin.

Ice Park Feature

The Ice Park feature is a streak respin style bonus that begins with 3 free spins. In this mode, coin symbols or blanks can land on the middle three reels (2, 3, and 4), while Bisons with multipliers or blanks may appear on reels 1 and 5. When coin symbols hit, they lock in position and reset the spin count. When Bisons hit, they also reset the spin count and charge across their row, multiplying any coin symbols on that row by the value they hold.

Green Valley Feature

When this bonus activates, it awards 8 free spins. Throughout the feature, wild symbols appear only on the middle three reels and become sticky when they land. Red Bison symbols can appear on reels 1 or 5 with multipliers of x2 to x10 and grant +1 free spin. Additionally, if a Red Bison lands on a row that already has sticky wilds on it, it charges across and adds its multiplier to all sticky wilds in that row.

Bison Clash Feature

In the base game, whenever Red Bison’s land on reels 1 and 5 in the same row, the Bison Clash feature activates. The two symbols come together on the reels and pay out the Instant Prize value multiplied by the Multiplier.

Bonus Buy

If you’d rather kick off the stampede right away, players in eligible regions can purchase either bonus. The Green Valley feature costs 75x the bet, while the Ice Park feature has a price tag of 95x the bet.

Bison Battle: Slot Verdict

Much like a real stampede, Bison Battle started fast during our test run. Not long in, we bought the Ice Park feature and jumped from underwhelming to a 1,300x+ hit in just a few moments. The bonus gave off some Relax Gaming Chip Spin vibes. You know that big win clip where the purple sniper chips hammer the lone green chip, doubling it repeatedly until it rockets to the win cap almost instantly? Ice Park can create a similar feel, since Red Bisons can seriously ramp up coin symbols with multipliers. That is, when they decide to show up in the right way. Of course, you won’t get fireworks every round.

As noted earlier, the way symbols clash and “battle” also brings a bit of an The Invisible Man atmosphere. While it’s a proven classic approach, it can also test some players’ patience. Over and over in the base game, Bison symbols would land on the first or fifth reel, then wander across the grid without ever meeting their counterpart. A little baiting is part of the deal, naturally. Still, the ultimate dream is a 2,500x Bison colliding with an x10 Bison. It’s a unicorn spin, sure, but after seeing Fat Drac dish out 50,000x from a single bubble prize, it doesn’t feel completely out of reach.

The Green Valley feature can be just as exciting. Initially, it didn’t seem quite as impressive, mainly because the paytable didn’t really spell out that Red Bisons add their multiplier to sticky wilds. So when it suddenly started happening during the review, it was a genuinely nice surprise. Picking a clear favourite is tough because both bonuses bring something different, but the upside is that either feature can be massively fun when it really gets going. So much so, the maximum win is capped at 50,000x the bet with a stated chance of 1 in 4,830,920. Those are decent odds, all things considered.

Overall, there’s plenty to like about Bison Battle. With its familiar reel layout and theme, it might not instantly demand attention the way some of Push Gaming’s more out-there slots can. Even so, it’s well worth seeing what Bison Battle can deliver. Strong stats, smart feature design, and a brisk tempo combine for an exciting Chip Spin/Invisible Man hybrid with a higher risk/reward profile.