Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch: Slot Overview

When something lands well in online gambling, it’s no surprise to see a quick return. Push Gaming has taken that route with Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch, a sequel that follows on from Fish ‘n’ Nudge, which arrived roughly two years earlier, give or take. The first game felt like a mash-up of Big Bass, Fishin’ Frenzy, and Razor Shark, offering players ways to hook Instant Prizes that weren’t always straightforward. Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch keeps that idea, but changes up the free spins multiplier approach and introduces a few fresh special symbols to the reels.

Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch drops you back under the waves, into a watery scene filled with weeds and drifting bubbles. Still images don’t fully sell it, yet the motion is impressively fluid, and the shift from the blue-toned base game to the purple-hued bonus round looks solid on a larger display. At this point it feels very close to the original Fish ‘n’ Nudge, but the numbers and mechanics are where the two titles start to separate.

For this release, Push Gaming has eased off the volatility, moving from the previous game’s medium profile to a low setting in Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch. The top RTP edges up to 96.44%, while the bet range stays at 10c to $/€100. The playfield is unchanged too, with symbols landing on a 5×4 matrix across 20 paylines. Push Bet returns as well, and by paying an extra 20% on top of the stake, players get an improved chance of setting off free spins.

The paytable features three seashell symbols and two hook symbols, followed by Fish, fishing rods, fishing boxes, and light houses. A 5 OAK win with these symbols returns 1x to 20x the bet. The Fisherman wild can appear on any reel, pays the same as the lighthouse, and substitutes for all base-game symbols except scatters or Nets.

Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch: Slot Features

Players familiar with the first game will notice some adjustments, as Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch brings together Net, Fisherman, and Fish symbols, Instant Prizes, free spins, Boat and Boost symbols, plus bonus buys.

Net, Fisherman & Fish Symbols

• Net symbols – overlays that mark symbol positions in stacks of 4 and can show up anywhere in the base or bonus game. In the base game, once wins are checked and the spin button is hit, Net symbols nudge down one spot as the reels spin, repeating until no Net symbols remain on the reels.
• Fisherman symbols – Fisherman symbols may land at any moment. In the base game, the Fisherman symbol acts as a wild, substituting for all standard pay symbols. In the base game and free spins, if the Fisherman lands inside a Net symbol, it gathers all Instant Prizes on the reels, whether those prizes sit in a Net or not.
• Fish symbols – Fish symbols can also appear carrying Instant Prize values from 0.5x to 100x. That Instant Prize is paid when a Fish symbol lands in a Net symbol, regardless of whether a Fisherman is present. If Fish symbols and a Fisherman symbol both land in a Net symbol, the Fish symbol Instant Prize is still awarded even after the Fisherman has collected it.

Free Spins

Landing 3 or more scatters in the base game activates the free spins feature. If free spins are triggered with 4 or 5 scatters, the round begins with a starting reel multiplier of x5 or x10, respectively. During free spins, only Fish, Fisherman, Boat, Boost, and blank symbols can land. Also, each reel has a Lock Meter and a Multiplier Meter positioned above it.

The feature begins with reels 2 and 4 filled with Net symbols, and all 3 lock positions on the relevant Lock Meters are filled. With every spin, one lock on the meter is removed. Once all locks are gone from a meter, the Net symbols on that reel nudge down 1 position each spin. Free spins keep running for as long as Net symbols remain on the reels, and additional Net symbols in stacks of 4 can land. Fish symbols don’t form line wins, but their Instant Prizes are collected when they land in Nets and/or by the Fisherman. Reel multipliers affect Fish symbols on their own reel, and are applied before Fish symbols in nets are collected by the Fisherman.

Boat and Boost Symbols

These symbols are exclusive to free spins. Boost symbols raise the reel multiplier shown on the Multiplier Meter above that reel by +1 step before wins are calculated. When a Boat symbol lands, what it does depends on the Net symbols and whether the Lock Meter is active. If the Lock Meter is inactive and there are no Net symbols, the meter is activated with 3 active locks, and the reel fills with Net symbols. If the Lock Meter is inactive and Net symbols are already present, the meter is activated with 3 active locks, and the rest of the reel fills with Net symbols. If the Lock Meter is active, it resets back to 3 active locks.

Feature Buy

Players can purchase free spins starting with Reel Multipliers of x1, x5, or x10 for 68.6x, 209.5x, or 359x the bet, respectively, or choose random free spins for 180x.

Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch: Slot Verdict

With ‘Big Catch’ in the name, it was easy to expect a bigger, more ambitious sequel than the original, and feature-wise there is definitely more going on. What’s surprising is that Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch has been softened mathematically, shifting from medium to low volatility, while the win potential has been reduced significantly. It’s a curious choice, and not automatically a negative one—maybe it reflects player feedback. Still, a smaller max win rarely tops a gambler’s wish list. To remove any doubt, the 10,000x max win available in Fish ‘n’ Nudge has been scaled back to 3,094x the bet.

The revised free spins multiplier setup is also a bit of a head-scratcher. Having multiple multipliers that only impact specific reels isn’t an obvious upgrade over the earlier global multiplier, which boosted all Instant Prizes no matter where they landed. That’s especially true since in Fish ‘n’ Nudge every free spin increases the global multiplier, while here you must hit Boost symbols to raise a reel’s multiplier. The RTP is a touch higher, so the math should even out over time, but Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch can feel tougher to build momentum in than its predecessor, with a smaller reward at the finish line for those who get there.

With these adjustments in mind, it’s difficult to call Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch a clear step up from the original. Even so, Push Gaming still delivers a polished, well-constructed slot. On the plus side, Fish ‘n’ Nudge Big Catch could suit gamblers looking specifically for a low volatile fish slot, although getting Fisherman symbols to land in Net symbols can be tricky. At the very least, it adds another fishing-themed option to the mix, and having more choice is never a bad thing.