Big 5 Slot
Big 5 is a very basic game which falls into the category of the classic slots. Developed by Microgaming at the end of 1999, the game has 3 reels and only 1 payline. Although its main theme revolves around African animals, including a lion, a buffalo, a leopard, a rhinoceros and an elephant, there is only one savanna inhabitant depicted on the reels and this is the king of the jungle. The rest of the aforementioned animals are illustrated below the reels of the slot.
The paytable is located on the right side of the screen where you will be able to find out the payout for each symbol. In Big 5, the minimum bet you can place per line is set to €0.25 and the maximum – €25. The total bet you can put each round is €75, providing that you choose to wager the maximum amount per line.
As a traditional online slot which was developed quite a long time ago, this game has no special symbols such as stacked elements, wilds or scatters. Their absence is a feature of this particular game, not evidence that wilds and scatters had yet to be invented. This significantly simplifies the gaming process and make it somehow plain. In almost all retro slots, there is no need to remember the pictures of the scatter symbols or which bonus game they will trigger, since most of them lack such bonus games, including Big 5.
However, if you manage to get one or two cherries anywhere on the reels, you will be instantly paid out which reminds a bit about one of the functions of the scatter symbols. All of the symbols illustrated on the reels are retro ones or in other words, cherries, a bar sign, any bar sign and 5 bars. As mentioned above, the lion is the only animal that is included in the slot and its head is depicted on the reels.
| Symbol | 1 Coin | 2 Coins | 3 Coins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any 1 Cherry | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Any 2 Cherry | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Any Bar | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Bar | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| Cherry | 20 | 40 | 60 |
| Big 5 Bar | 50 | 100 | 150 |
| 3x Lion | 800 | 1600 | 2400 |
Bonus games and features
As you might have gathered, this vintage slot has no bonus features whatsoever. With that being said, most awards require three matching symbols on the centre line, with separate exceptions for one or two cherries shown in the paytable. In order to find out the highest amount that you can win, you should simply look at the payout table that is displayed on the same page where the reels are positioned. The symbol which you should hope for the most is the mighty lion as it offers the biggest payout of 2,400, providing that you manage to get 3 of these. The displayed table lists three lions at 800, 1,600 or 2,400 coins for one-, two- or three-coin bets respectively. Those columns indicate the stake, not the number of lion symbols.
It is worth noting that the only symbol that will always award you is the cherry one. You will be paid out accordingly, regardless of the number of cherries on the reels. Other than that, all winning combinations require three matching elements which should be positioned in the middle of each reel as there is located the only payline.
Conclusion
Big 5 is a classic slot from Microgaming which has an extremely basic gameplay and symbols. If you want to get a feeling of what it was like to play a slot in the old days, then you should probably try this game. Everything in this slot is old-school and you can figure this out straight away by simply looking at its graphics and design. The game was developed quite a long time ago and for this purpose, it doesn’t have much to offer in terms of bonus features, special elements or visual effects.
This game might appeal to the traditional players who wish to keep it simple by playing a very plain classic slot. Perhaps, the good thing about the game is that since it is a lot different than the rest of the modern slots, it gives you the chance to diversify your gambling experience and have a rest from the visual and sound effects all video slots have. Big 5 is certainly not everybody’s cup of tea due to its extremely basic design and gameplay, however, it can be still a good experience since it has decent payouts.
