Fishin’ Frenzy the Big Splash

Fishin' Frenzy The Big Splash: Slot Overview

Roll up those sleeves, players, bait your metaphorical hooks and get ready to cast off, once again, with software provider Blueprint Gaming in another rendition of the unstoppable Fishin' Frenzy franchise. This time we get Fishin' Frenzy The Big Splash, and like making sushi, it rolls a bunch of ideas into one spot - some newer, some not so. Angling-minded gamblers get the money collect feature embedded in these games as well as a pick-me element to the bonus round which adds several modifiers that is pretty new for a Fishin' Frenzy game.

What's not so new is the view, and for the next generation of gamblers, this has got to look pretty bad, right? Even those used to the unstoppable Fishin' Frenzy range must be getting a bit tired of the look by now. Not including major hard-core Fishing Frenzy for lifers here, of course. A pretty plain bit of sea makes up the background, with hints of coral on either side of about as retro as it gets looking game board. Technically, those in the middle of the like/dislike spectrum could have a bit of fun if all goes well, but Fishin' Frenzy The Big Splash came across as one of those slots that players either really get fired up about, or they really don't.

Taking centre stage is Fishin' Frenzy The Big Splash's gaming matrix, built with 5 reels holding 3 rows each. You're never left wondering about how many paylines there are (10) as they are numbered along either side of the grid, as they have done now for many a year. A medium volatile slot, Fishin' Frenzy The Big Splash comes with two RTP settings – 95% and 93%; the figure remains the same whether betting 10 p/c to $/€100 on each spin or when buying the free spins bonus round.

Like actually fishing IRL, the more thrilling moments come when the Fisherman pulls in fish money symbols in the bonus round. But the other way of collecting cash is when matching symbols line up to form a win. When five low pay 10-A card ranks hit, they award 5 to 10 times the bet; when five of any fish symbols, tackle box, life ring, fishing rod, or pelican symbols hit, they pay 20 to 200 times the bet. The Fisherman symbol has the same value as the pelican, plus it can substitute for any pay symbol since it is wild, though it only appears during free spins.

Fishin' Frenzy The Big Splash: Slot Features

Fishin' Frenzy The Big Splash casts off when 3, 4, or 5 boat scatter symbols land in the base game to award 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. Before free spins begin, players engage in the Pick A Fish feature. Clicking on one fish reveals a free spins upgrade:

• A Cash Tag may be added to one of the premium symbols.
• +Fish – additional fish are added to the reels.
• +Fisherman – additional Fishermen are added to the reels.
• +Collect – cash values are collected multiple times.
• Re-Spin – all non-Cash and Fisherman symbols are respun. Reels keep respinning until the win is no longer improved.
• +Games – extra free spins are awarded.

During free spins, the Fisherman symbol is active. When the Fisherman lands with fish symbols or any premium symbols with a Cash Tag attached, he collects and awards their values. Fisherman symbols are also collected when they hit. Collecting 2, 6, or 8 Fisherman symbols awards another pick from the Pick A Fish feature, while collecting 4, 8, or 12 Fisherman symbols awards +10 free spins each time, as well as a multiplier of x2, x3, or x10, respectively. The multiplier applies to Fisherman cash collects. Retriggered spins are played when the current set of spins ends.

Fishin' Frenzy The Big Splash: Slot Verdict

From shell necklaces, denim on denim, those chains that went from wallet to jeans, rose-tinted glasses to jorts, fashion trends come and go like the tides. One minute they're 'in', and everyone seems to be doing it; the next minute, they're 'out', and anybody who is anybody wouldn't dare be caught doing them. One trend which has held up surprisingly well in the slot game for a while now, thanks in part to a shot in the arm from Pragmatic Play/Reel Kingdom's Big Bass Bonanza range, is fishing slots. What pretty much started with Fishin' Frenzy way back when is still going strong at the time of writing. And if someone happens to be reading this review in the far distant future where cars can fly, humans have achieved world peace and are heading out to colonise the stars, it wouldn't be a huge shock to find gamblers still playing some version of Fishin' Frenzy. Imagine, Fishin' Frenzy 5000 and the 30-Legged Krakens on the 14th Moon of Calisto Centauri: The Mega Hit. Dunno, just daydreaming out loud here.

Since this isn't the first Fishin' Frenzy slot to be reviewed, there was a bit of daydreaming going on. To be fair, the Pick A Fish feature might be interesting for Fishin' Frenzy enthusiasts, and collecting Fishermen symbols to potentially score retriggers with multipliers attached is a nice touch. Albeit one highly popularised by the Big Bass games. With all these extra tools in the utility belt, it might be a tad disappointing to see a max win ceiling of 250,000 or 4,000x the bet. Pretty comparable to a lot of the competition, but with all the picking, multiplying, and retriggering that is technically possible, a higher figure wouldn't have hurt Fishin' Frenzy The Big Splash's appeal.

The appeal, such as it is then, would appear to be for folk who just can't get enough fishin' games in their lives. Perhaps some gamblers like to bounce between the Fishin' Frenzy, the Big Bass series, and the other one-offs which sneak in, like Golden Catch or 4 Fantastic Fish in Egypt. In that case, there is entertainment of the reeling in kind to be had in Fishin' Frenzy The Big Splash, but it does feel like it's nearing its best by date.