Big Bass Bonanza Megaways review and how the changing ways play

What Big Bass Bonanza Megaways is

This edition takes the rules of Big Bass Bonanza and places them on a Megaways reel set. Instead of 10 fixed lines, each reel shows a different number of symbols on every spin, and the number of ways to win is the product of those heights. The fisherman, the cash fish and the retrigger ladder all return. The published RTP is 96.70%, a hair below the original's 96.71%.

How Megaways ways work here

On a standard payline slot, a win must follow a fixed path. On a Megaways slot, any symbol on adjacent reels counts, starting from the leftmost reel, regardless of its row. Our paylines, ways and clusters guide covers the concept in full; here is what it means in play.

• Every spin the reels change height, so the ways count changes too. In the demo we saw 17,280 ways on one spin, and smaller counts on others.
• A win needs matching symbols on reel 1, reel 2 and reel 3 at least, in any row.
• If a reel holds two copies of a winning symbol, that doubles the number of combinations for that win.

The practical effect: more small hits, more combinations paying at once, and a base game with far more movement than the 5x3 original. The ways count shown for each spin is the one to watch.

How a spin works, step by step

1. Set your stake. Limits are shown in the game rules and depend on the platform.
2. Reels spin and settle at random heights, fixing the ways count for that spin.
3. Ways are evaluated from left to right; the fisherman wild substitutes for regular symbols.
4. Scatters are counted. Three, four, five or six start the free spins.

Symbol values for this edition are listed in its own in-game paytable; do not assume they match the line-based original.

Free spins and the fisherman collection

Scatters decide the length of the round:

During the round, money symbols carry cash values of up to 4,000 times the bet. Each fisherman that lands collects the values of all money symbols on screen. Every fourth fisherman adds 10 spins and raises the collection multiplier to 2x, then 3x, then 10x. With taller reels there is simply more room for fish and fishermen to appear on the same spin.

A worked bonus example

At a 1.00 stake you land four scatters and get 15 free spins.

• Spin 4: one fisherman and fish worth 5x, 10x and 2x. He collects 17x, paying 17.00.
• Spin 9: two fishermen land with a 20x fish and a 5x fish. Each collects 25x, so the spin pays 50.00. With earlier wilds your count now hits four, adding 10 spins at 2x.
• Spin 16: one fisherman with fish of 10x, 10x and 5x. That is 25x at 2x, paying 50.00.

So far that is 17.00 + 50.00 + 50.00 = 117.00 from collections, with 9 spins still to play and four more wilds needed for 3x. If the round had reached 10x, the same 25x collection on spin 16 would have paid 250.00 instead of 50.00.

Note how spin 9 worked: two fishermen on one spin each collect the full set of fish, so the value is counted twice. A double landing like that can happen on any free spin, and it is often what turns an average Megaways bonus into a strong one.

What changed versus Big Bass Bonanza

The bonus logic is the same, so the real choice is about the base game. The original is calm and easy to track; Megaways keeps you busier between features and doubles the top fish value.

Bonus buy and demo testing

Where the platform enables it, the bonus buy costs 100 times your bet, for example 200 at a 2 stake. The exact price and whether the button appears are confirmed inside the game.

Use the demo above to get used to reading ways before playing for money:

• Check the rules screen for the RTP. It should read 96.70%.
• Note the listed minimum and maximum stake.
• Watch the ways counter for a few dozen spins to see how much it swings.
• Compare several bonuses and note how many reach the 2x level.

Keep your stake modest relative to your budget. More frequent small hits do not change the fact that the bonus drives the big results.

Reading your results and who this edition suits

Megaways changes how a session feels more than what it returns. With a 96.70% RTP the long-run figure is almost identical to the original, but the path is different: frequent small combinations keep the balance ticking, while the free spins still decide whether a session ends up or down. When you review a session, separate the two. Add up what the base game returned, then look at the bonuses on their own. That tells you whether a good run came from steady hits or from one strong collection.

This edition suits players who find a 5x3 grid too static and like watching the reels reshape themselves on every spin. It also suits anyone who wants a chance at the 25-spin tier, which only six scatters can unlock. If you would rather follow ten simple lines and focus purely on the fisherman, the original is the calmer choice, and Big Bass Splash offers another route with random pre-bonus modifiers instead of shifting reels.

Big Bass: all editions compared

Where to play Big Bass Bonanza Megaways for real money

Welcome bonus up to 500% on the first deposits18+ · Terms apply · Check that the platform is available in your country

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PaylinePilot editorial team · Numbers on this page come from the in-game rules and paytable, not from press releases.