Release the Bison Review
Hey there, players! Ready for a lesson in gaming history? Let’s turn back the clock to 2020 when Pragmatic Play unleashed Release the Kraken, followed by its sequel, Release the Kraken 2, a couple of years later. Fast forward to early 2024, and Pragmatic Play has introduced a game of a completely different breed: Release the Bison. This time, instead of sea monsters, we’re diving into the wild with these majestic creatures, accompanied by some technical tweaks.
Compared to its predecessors, Release the Bison bears the closest resemblance to Release the Kraken 2—not in theme, of course. This time, players are transported to a picturesque outdoor setting, surrounded by mountains, meadows, and trees. It’s quite the scenic view, albeit interrupted by a cast of oddly expressive animal symbols on the reels. But fear not, these quirky critters won’t deter players from enjoying the game. However, it’s the technical aspects of Release the Bison that may temper the excitement.
But fear not, as the RTP remains solid at 96.54%, and volatility is on the high side, catering to those who prefer a riskier ride. With betting options ranging from 20 cents to $/€240, there’s something for every gambling appetite. For an extra 50% stake, players can activate the ante bet, increasing their chances of triggering free spins. Release the Bison features a standard 5-reel, 3-row layout with 20 paylines.
The symbols in Release the Bison include the usual 10-A card ranks as lower-value symbols and four animal characters as the higher-paying ones. Wins range from 0.5 to 1.5 times the bet for five identical royals and 2 to 10 times the bet for five high-paying symbols. Bison symbols serve as wilds, appearing on all reels and substituting for regular symbols, with a top payout of 12.5 times the stake for five wilds.
In terms of features, Release the Bison introduces wild respins, guaranteed wins, free spins, and feature buys, similar to Release the Kraken 2 but with some adjustments.
During the base game, landing at least four wild symbols triggers the respin mode. In this mode, wild symbols move to random positions on the reels after each respin, with each new wild awarding another respin and increasing the win multiplier by +1. Scatter symbols collected during this feature can trigger free spins if at least three are collected by the end.
Additionally, non-winning spins in the base game may randomly transform into wins worth 10x to 40x the bet.
Free spins are triggered by landing three or more scatter symbols, with the number of spins and the multiplier determined by a wheel spin based on the number of triggering scatters. Wild symbols collected during free spins award extra spins and increase the multiplier, with a maximum of 10 wilds possible.
Players can also buy the free spins feature at different costs depending on the number of triggering scatters, with corresponding RTP values ranging from 96.51% to 96.57%.
While not as fearsome as battling krakens, Release the Bison offers a tamer gaming experience compared to its predecessors. Pragmatic Play has made adjustments to the features and win potential, resulting in a game with lower excitement levels. Despite some technical changes, the overall gameplay fails to match the thrill of previous releases. It seems like Pragmatic Play may have missed the mark with Release the Bison, leaving players with fewer reasons to get excited.
Release the Bison Slot Information
Title: Release the Bison
Developer: Pragmatic Play
Reels: 5
Rows: 4
Paylines: 20
RTP: 97.49% | 96.54% | 95.48%
Hit Freq: 1 in 3.45
Free Spins Freq: 1 in 262
Max Win: 3,000x
Max Win Probability: 1 in 16,129,000 (freq)
Volatility: High (5/5)
Min/Max Bet: 0.20/240
Release Date: April 25, 2024