Wild Wild Bass 2

Wild Wild Bass 2: Slot Overview

Folks, folks, ever sat down to enthusiastically feast on a seafood meze that, after countless dishes, has you hating the sight of fish by the end of it? No, neither, but this scenario could be used as a metaphor to describe the current state of the fishing segment of the online gambling industry at the moment. A bunch of developers have fallen head over reels for creatures of the sea, bass in particular, and are churning out fish-themed slots with wild, reckless abandon. Here's yet another one, this time from developer Stakelogic, going by the name of Wild Wild Bass 2. What makes Wild Wild Bass 2 harder to stomach is that it is almost exactly the same as Wild Wild Bass mechanically, except with a bonus buy tagged on the side.

It's hard not to think that Wild Wild Bass and its follow-up release only exist because their maker was desperately trying to latch onto the Big Bass Bonanza bandwagon. The original Wild Wild Bass slot must have successfully found an audience, though, because here we are reviewing a sequel. Like before, a transparent 6-reel gaming grid floats about beneath the surface of the water while fish dart about in the background and bubbles bubble away. It's a fishing slot; what else is there to say? Not the most original-looking example of one, but not bad either. Let's slither along.

Baiting up in this fish game means picking a stake of 10 p/c to $/€200 per spin and deciding whether or not to activate the Super Stake feature. When the Super Stake is on, bets are doubled to have more wild symbols in the base game. Since wild symbols are needed to trigger the Big Catch and the Insane Catch, it's something to consider. The RTP has increased, which is nice, coming in at 96.07%, while volatility is high. As before, the 6-reel gaming grid is arranged in a 3-3-4-4-4-4 pattern, starting with 2,304 ways to win. However, the 4 rightmost reels are expandable, creating up to 5,625 ways when grown.

Playing card symbols 9 to A make up the lower paying side of the paytable, worth 1 to 2 times the bet for a 6 OAK winning way. Next up is a tackle box, a life ring, a float, a bird, and a fishing rod, paying 2.5 to 15 times the bet for a 6-matching symbol win. Bass symbols land bearing a random money value that is a multiplier of the bet. Bass symbol values are only awarded during the Big Catch or Insane Catch feature.

Wild Wild Bass 2: Slot Features

Wild symbols are central to Wild Wild Bass 2's features. They appear on the first two reels, and landing 2 of them triggers the Big Catch feature or they activate the Insane Catch when the Insane Catch symbol lands, as well.

Big Catch

When 2 wild symbols have triggered the Big Catch, reels 3, 4, 5, and 6 extend by one extra position. As well as creating more ways to win, all money values on Bass symbols are awarded in addition to normal wins. Reels return to their normal height on the next spin.

Insane Catch

The Insane Catch symbol appears on reel 6. Landing 2 wild symbols and an Insane Catch symbol triggers the Insane Catch feature where 2, 3, or 4 Insane Spins are awarded. For the Insane Catch feature, reels 1 and 2 merge into one multiplier reel. On each Insane Spin, a multiplier value of x1 to x5 is awarded. Reels 3, 4, 5, and 6 change into 20 independent reels. Only Bass symbols, Insane Catch symbols, or blanks can land. Bass money symbols are awarded with the multiplier applied. At the start of each Insane Spin, the grid is cleared. Landing an Insane Catch symbol awards extra Insane Catch spins.

Wild Wild Bass 2: Slot Verdict

It's times like this that it's hard not to question Stakelogic's motto – 'Think Bigger'. How the fudge is taking a slot, keeping most of it the same, but banging on a bonus buy thinking bigger? Even worse, the original was basically a bass fishing version of Pragmatic Play's Wild Wild Riches as well. So, not the most original move, but you would assume Wild Wild Bass 2 arose out of the desire to include a bonus buy option to provide quicker access to the Insane Spins feature. A sound business decision, perhaps, but still, if it all seems a bit much, perhaps it's best just to accept the situation and not think too deeply about it for fear of losing your mind down a deep rabbit hole of catatonic despair.

In that spirit, let's approach Wild Wild Bass 2 as if it's just been freshly served. In this scenario, okay, well, it's still a fishing-themed version of Wild Wild Riches with a few extra bits on the side. Again. At least Wild Wild Bass 2 is no worse than its predecessor, and the Insane Catch phase is quite neat. Not exactly hugely effective, though, even with an x5 locked in place as winning potential in Wild Wild Bass 2 maxes out at 10,000x the bet. This figure applies to the base game as well as free spins and compares favourably against much of the piscine competition out there.

One thing to assume is that Stakelogic might have been responding to players requesting a bonus buy be added to Wild Wild Bass. Fair enough if that was the case, and anyone who wanted this very thing should be happy with the way Wild Wild Bass 2 has turned out. However, it's hard to shake the feeling Wild Wild Bass 2 is redundant if the bonus buy doesn't appeal and goes straight on the towering mound of fish slots already cluttering up the market.