Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Catch

Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch: Slot Overview

Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch is another instalment in the Fishin' Frenzy franchise that's been reeling in players for years. Several developers under the Blueprint Gaming umbrella have tinkered with the format, releasing their own versions, and countless other providers have made use of the collection feature in various ways. Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch comes courtesy of the studio that started it all, Reel Time Gaming, and follows the original in almost all regards, except for an addition made to the free spins collection system.

The same friendly smiling fish greets players when Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch loads; what's a little bit different is a new soundtrack jazzing up the home screen. The music cuts out when players get to the game, though a brief jingle plays whenever the five light blue reels spin. It's all very familiar; Reel Time has decided not to interfere much, leaving the empty reef and blue sky background of the original intact. Even the old school payline indicators on the side of the reels remain. Until free spins trigger, there's not much to warrant the 'Big Catch' term in the title.

Played using 5 reels and 10 paylines, little has changed mathematically either, where players get a medium volatile game, producing a theoretical return value of 96.12%. Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch may be played on any device, offering stakes of 10 to $/€100 per spin, and while the stated max win in the help files is massive, realistic wins are closer to what the original was capable of churning out.

Hauling in a line win occurs when matching symbols land left to right across the grid, starting at the first reel. Most need at least three of a kind to do so, such as the 10-A card symbols, tackle box, lifesaver, and fishing rod. However, pelican symbols are the sole exception, paying out when two or more of them land. Five of a kind premiums offer rather good values starting at 50 times the stake, rising to 200x the bet for five pelicans. Fish make up the rest of the pay symbols, turning into collectable instant cash prizes when free spins are enacted.

You can't have a fishing game without a fisherperson, who can do several things in the game. One, the fisherman symbol is wild and substitutes for all other symbols to complete win lines. Two, combinations of 2 to 5 fisherman trigger payouts of 0.1 to 500 times the stake, and lastly, his angling skills are put to use during the free spins bonus game.

Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch: Slot Features

Like the rest of Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch, Reel Time hasn't altered the features much either, though the fish collection system during free spins has a new rule. To unlock the bonus game, you'll need 3, 4, or 5 boat scatter symbols to land, awarding 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. In free spins, the fish symbols appear with cash values highlighted on them worth 2 to 50 times the stake. When these symbols land at the same time as the fisherman symbol, he reels them in and collects their values for you.

What's new is when the fisherman symbol hits, it is now collected on a meter displayed to the left of the reels. For every 4 fishermen collected, the lowest fish symbol values are upgraded, and +5 additional free spins awarded. If pushed to its limit, only the 50x fish appears on the reels. Scatters do not land in free spins, so if the fisherman collection does not elongate the round, free spins cannot be retriggered.

Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch: Slot Verdict

It would be easy to sling criticism at Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch for not being overly innovative, offering just a minor twist to the fish collection feature during free spins. Then again, it's unlikely many players will be expecting to find a locus of originality in anything carrying on the Fishin' Frenzy tradition. The range is famous for being a stubborn retro outpost in a sea of modern slots vying to be the next big thing. Reel Time Gaming's having none of that, catering instead to players who appreciate a slight rule change to justify a trip back in time.

The new rule is quite fun too if you manage to collect a number of fishermen tiles to upgrade the instant prize symbols. If not, then you barely notice the difference to free spins; certainly, the base game hasn't changed. Does the fish symbol upgrade affect potential? Hard to tell since only the standard max win cap of 50,000x/$250,000 is mentioned. The first Fishin' Frenzy wasn't exactly renowned as a big win slot, with rewards maxing out around 2,000x the bet, which seems a more realistic target for Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch.

Blueprint might call the new feature the 'Cod's Scallops!', yet Fishin' Frenzy The Big Catch is too similar to what's been done in the past to get massively enthusiastic about it. Sure, players after old fashioned gaming with a slight renovation or those who need no encouragement to bust out the virtual rod' n reel might be keen for another zip around the bay. But if the original Fishin' Frenzy doesn't get you wild, there's no way The Big Catch will either.