Introduction to Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link - Bacon Beach
Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link - Bacon Beach is a casino slot from Playtech that takes us away from the usual construction sites to a nice day at a sunny beach. While we enjoy the change of scenery, Playtech seems to have thought that was enough of a change to warrant a release, as this game is nearly a full-on reskin of Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link, which, in turn, was also a reskin, with only a few small changes to the game, such as its paytable. The Big Bad Wolf series started back in 2013 by Quickspin, and quickly became one of the studio’s most beloved series, with a few big releases such as Big Bad Wolf: Megaways and Big Bad Wolf: Pigs of Steel. However, with the release of Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link, we saw a bit of a shift in the formula, moving to typical Cash Collect mechanics rather than the beloved Wild-centric gameplay loop the series already had as a foundation, and this change was met with mixed results. These Cash Collect mechanics are the exact same in this release, and we’re not so sure its new beach-side setting and max win of 2,162X the bet are enough to convince players.
Playtech delivers another Big Bad Wolf release, reskinning Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link, which we saw released earlier that same year.
Theme, Gameplay, & Payouts
Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link - Bacon Beach is a video slot from Playtech with 5 Reels, 3 Rows, and 30 Paylines. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.1 and a Max.bet of 100. Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link - Bacon Beach comes with a lower-than-average RTP of 95.6%, medium volatility, and a low max win of 2,162X the bet.
The titular Bacon Beach is our beach-side setting, and while the game is still themed around the Three Little Piggies fairy tale, it’s mostly for its characters and relations to the House Symbol prizes. In fact, the game doesn’t feel very thematic at all, even less so than its seasonal Christmas release we saw in 2020, which says a lot. You can play the game on most notepads, mobiles, and desktops.
The lower-paying symbols are J, Q, K, and A. Creating a win with 5 of the same symbols will pay out 1.5X the bet. The higher-paying symbols are a rake, a bucket and shovel, the surfer piggy, the sandcastle building piggy, and the relaxing piggy. Landing a win with 5 of the same symbols pays out 2.5X to 6X the bet. We also have a few special symbols, including Wilds, Wolf Collects, Houses, Coins, Free Spin Coins, and Jackpot Coins, but more on these in the next section.
Special Features & Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link - Bacon Beach?
You can win up to 2,612X the bet.
What features are available in the slot Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link - Bacon Beach?
The features are Wild Symbols, Cash Collect, Collect & Link, and Free Spins.
Wild Symbols
Wild Symbols help form winning combinations by being able to substitute for all paying symbols except Wolf Collect, House, and Coin Symbols. Wilds can only appear on reels 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Cash Collect
This feature can be triggered by simultaneously landing a Wolf Cash Collect Symbol on reels 1 or 5 during the Base Game or on all reels during the Free Spins feature, and a House Symbol anywhere on the reels on the same spin. House Symbols come in three tiers, ranging from straw, wood, and brick, with the higher tiers having higher potential for bigger prizes.
During the feature, the Wolf Cash Collect Symbol will blow down all House Symbols, which will reveal one of the following prizes.
Cash Symbol = Awards a random Cash value ranging from 0.5X to 15X the bet.
The Free Spins Coin Symbols = contain values of +3, +4, +5, +7, and +10 Free Spins.
Prize Coin Symbols = award the Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand, which award 20X, 50X, 200X, and 500X the bet.
Collect & Link
By landing a Wolf Collect Symbol alongside a Link or Mega Link Symbol, you will be awarded the Collect & Link with 3 Respins. Once the feature starts, all Link Coin Symbols become Cash Symbols with a random value of 2X, X3, or 5X the bet. All Mega Link Coin Symbols become Cash Symbols with a random value of 5X, 10X, or 15X the bet. If the Mega Link Coin triggers this feature, all purple Cash Coin Symbols can appear on the reel with values of 25X, 40X, and 100X.
Only Coin and blank symbols can appear during the feature. When one or more Coin Symbols land, they are locked in position, and the respins are reset to 3 again. The feature ends when there are no more respins or the grid is filled with Coin Symbols, awarding you the Wolf’s Banquet Grand Prize of 500X the bet, which is applied to the total win.
Free Spins
By landing a Wolf Collect Symbol alongside one or more Free Spins Coin Symbols, you will be awarded the Free Spins feature with spins equal to the total number shown on all Free Spins Coin Symbols. During the bonus game, Wolf Collect Symbols can appear on all reels and will remain frozen in their position for the next 3 spins, with each symbol having its own counter. You can also trigger the Collect & Link feature during the Free Spins, which is played as soon as you trigger it.
Final Thoughts on Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link - Bacon Beach
The Big Bad Wolf series has been somewhat of Quickspin’s lovechild, and in more recent times, we’ve seen its parent company, Playtech, step into the series just a bit more, as seen with the release of Big Bad Wolf: High Steaks. While we welcome these new themes and settings to a beloved series, both of them have sadly ended up being reskins, and Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link - Bacon Beach doesn’t feel very interesting when it’s just a sunnier, and sandier, reskinned version of arguably one of the least favorite releases in the series. But one thing we do want to give the studio is that, even while it’s not very thematic, the game does look quite good, and its visuals are on point, but that may not be enough.
When it comes to gameplay, it’s the exact same we saw earlier in the year, with a gameplay loop surrounding the Wolf Collect Symbols, which in turn can trigger every other feature in the game. At its core, this is a very familiar game because it reminds us of many previous Cash Collect & Link releases in Playtech’s portfolio, making its main bonus game, the Collect & Link, not all that interesting. This is, sadly, a recurring theme with these releases, and while we don’t think the gameplay loop of hunting for House Symbols and their prizes is all that bad, it’s just not very interesting or engaging when it’s the same game with a different theme. While we may sound negative over this release, it’s more just the fact that it feels like a lazy installment than a proper addition to a beloved, long-lasting series. But, even with that said, players who enjoyed the original game, or previous Cash Collect & Link releases from Playtech, will find familiar, and maybe even fun, spins here.
Big Bad Wolf: Cash Collect & Link - Bacon Beach is a reskinned release, just with a new beach setting, of a previous Big Bad Wolf release, with no new features or mechanics, making it struggle to really hook our attention.
