Sweet Bonanza Xmas (Pragmatic Play): Overview

The original Sweet Bonanza felt like a bit of a curiosity when Pragmatic Play launched it earlier this year. It came with some unusual mechanics, some of the most sugary-looking symbols and gameplay around, and a seriously chunky top payout. It clearly did the job for the studio, because now there’s a seasonal spin-off to try: Sweet Bonanza Xmas. Reviewing it is slightly awkward, as it’s essentially the same as the original apart from a few visual tweaks. In other words, if you liked (or hated) the first one, you’ll feel the same here—unless you’re obsessed with Christmas, in which case it’s likely to hit the spot. To keep things as objective as possible, it’s best to look at it as if it stands alone. And if it’s been a while since your last dentist visit, too much Sweet Bonanza Xmas might be the nudge you need.

One difference is obvious the moment it loads: a lively Christmas track jingling away in the background. The visuals have also been adjusted. The fantasy candy-land backdrop has been swapped out for a proper winter wonderland filled with snow, snowmen, and festive decorations. The grid remains unchanged, as do the symbols. There are 9 base game symbols. Five fruit—bananas, grapes, watermelons, plums, and apples—make up the lower tier. The higher tier contains four candies—blue, green, purple, and red.

The game uses its 6 column, 5 row layout in a non-standard way. Rather than reels spinning, the full grid drops into place at the start of every spin. There are no traditional paylines either. Instead, wins are paid based on how many matching symbols appear on screen. You need at least 8 of a base game symbol to get paid, while 12+ of the red heart candy returns 50 times the stake. The RTP sits between 96.48% and 96.51%, depending on whether the Ante Bet feature is switched on. Total bets run from 20 p/c up to $/€125 maximum, and the medium volatility tends to deliver a regular stream of wins—usually on the smaller side—until the features start doing the heavy lifting.

Sweet Bonanza Xmas (Pragmatic Play): Features

The main mechanic driving the gameplay is the Tumble feature. Whenever a winning cluster lands, those symbols disappear so new ones can drop in, potentially creating a chain of wins from a single spin. It’s a hugely popular mechanic right now.

Free Spins are available and are triggered by landing at least 4 swirly lollipop scatters. The bonus begins with 10 free spins, and landing 3 or more scatters awards an extra 5 spins added to what’s left. In free spins, multiplier symbols become active. When one lands, it stays visible while wins continue to tumble, and once the sequence ends, all multipliers showing are totalled and applied to the overall win. Multipliers start at x2 and can reach up to x100. The scatter symbol also pays 3x, 5x, and 100x for landing 3, 4, or 5 anywhere on the grid.

If you don’t want to wait around for the bonus to arrive naturally, you can purchase immediate entry. This costs 100 times the wager and guarantees that at least 4 scatters will appear on the next spin. The button beneath the reels on the left is used for this. There’s also an Ante Bet option. By paying 25% extra per spin, you get double the chance of hitting scatters. It’s worth a look, since the biggest payouts are expected to come from the bonus round. If Ante Bet is enabled, players cannot pay the 100x to activate the bonus game.

Sweet Bonanza Xmas (Pragmatic Play): Verdict

With a clone this direct, it’s hard to avoid the “seen it all before” feeling. Almost everything is unchanged apart from the background art and the soundtrack. Even the buy feature and Ante bet are still here. The Christmas theme gives it a slightly different atmosphere, but at its core it’s the same experience.

So why bring it back? Clearly, it’s a push to capitalise on festive hype. You could say Christmas has long since become heavily consumer-driven anyway, so what’s one more attempt to squeeze the season? Oddly, it’s easier to forgive how shamelessly similar Sweet Bonanza Xmas is because it doesn’t pretend otherwise. Like a Christmas buffet, take what you like and ignore the rest.

There’s one headline number fans of the original Sweet Bonanza will be desperate to hear: the max win. Yes—it’s unchanged. Tis’ the season to be jolly, and a potential of over 21,100 times the stake would certainly help with that. It’s undeniably huge, but how realistic is it? Nobody is challenging the figure, yet there’s not much online proof of monster hits from the original Sweet Bonanza. Still, as they say, Christmas is the season for miracles.

If the first game was already too sickly-sweet for you, there’s no reason to boot up the Xmas edition. It’s the same Sweet Bonanza, just dressed up with snow and candy canes. Sure, it’s an easy festive cash-in—but if you’re in the mood for Christmas-themed play with big upside potential, it may be worth a spin.