Introduction to Big Bass Christmas - Frozen Lake
Big Bass Christmas - Frozen Lake is a casino slot from Reel Kingdom, once again combining festive spirits with the thrill of fishing and hauling in prizes up to 5,000x the bet. A famous ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, once said that 'you can't step into the same river twice', meaning that both the river and the person constantly change. While that's an intriguing concept, it doesn't apply to the Big Bass slot series, which constantly remakes its existing titles into seasonal releases, applying relatively marginal changes to the visuals only, which results in a nearly identical experience. And so, it does feel like stepping in to the same river, again and again. However, in this case, we're talking about a lake, not a river, and particularly Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake, which was refurbished to match the Christmasy atmosphere. If you played that one, then Frozen Lake won't hold any secrets, offering the usual central cash-collecting feature, which then splits into two bonus rounds.
If you're curious how the Christmas edition compares to the original, you can test it out without limits in the demo we've placed at the top of the page.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Big Bass Christmas - Frozen Lake is a video slot from Reel Kingdom with 5 reels, 3 rows, and 10 paylines. The range of available betting options starts from a Min.bet of 0.20 and goes all the way up to a Max.bet of 250. You can increase that value further by using the Ante Bet feature, bringing it up to 375. The game offers a default RTP of 96.07%, which is on the lower end of the average scale. Additionally, there are two lower variants of 95.07% and 94.07% also available for operators, so be sure to check your version before playing. You can expect wins to occur less frequently but carry more value due to high volatility, while the max win achievable in a single round is 5,000x the bet. The probability of hitting the top prize is, on average, 1 in 3,378,378 spins, while the bonus game activates at an average rate of 1 in 113 spins. The expected base hit frequency sits at 14.28%.
As you may have already guessed, the game's main scene takes place underwater, but this time it's a freezing lake, with the surface covered with a solid layer of ice. The creators infused the scene with a festive atmosphere by adding subtle decorations appearing both outside the reels and on them, and by enveloping the entire setting in an upbeat, merry soundtrack. It's not crammed with Christmas-themed elements like many traditionally designed games, but keeps a tasteful balance between the fishing realm and the seasonal bits. The game's universal, responsive design allows it to be played on a wide range of modern devices, from desktops to smartphones and tablets.
Winning combinations must utilize neighboring reels, starting from the leftmost one, and land on any of the active paylines. At least 3 matching symbols must be involved in any successful sequence. Among the low-value ones, you'll recognize the traditional royals: 10, J, Q, K, and A, awarding between 5x and 10x the bet for a 5-of-a-kind hit. The high-value icons appear as a tack box, a fishing rod, a bird, and a sleigh. Prizes for matching 5 identical premium symbols on a pay line range from 50x to 200x the bet. Wilds depict a fisherman dressed as Santa Claus, while the Scatter takes the form of a fish jumping out of the water. Additionally, there are Money Symbols represented by fish in different sizes, awarding up to 20x the bet for complete paylines of 5.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Big Bass Christmas - Frozen Lake?
You can win up to 5,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Big Bass Christmas - Frozen Lake?
The features are Money Symbols, Respins, Free Spins, Frozen Lake Spins, and Feature Buy & Ante Bet.
Money Symbols
Fish symbols, aside from acting as regular paying icons that can be formed into paylines, also carry cash prizes worth 2x, 5x, 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 50x, 100x, 200x, 500x, 1,666x, 2,500x, or 5,000x the bet. However, those can only be won during free spins when they're collected by the Fisherman Wild.
Respins
Whenever 2 Scatters land simultaneously during the base game, a third one can be brought into the grid by a random event. If there's space on their columns, Scatters can start moving down one position while awarding respins of the remaining reels that don't contain any Scatters. Alternatively, the third Scatter can appear in a random spot.
Free Spins
Once 3 Scatters are on the grid at the same time, you will see a set of 12 cards, from which you must pick one. It will reveal either regular Free Spins or Frozen Lake Free Spins. During the first variant, each Fisherman Wild landing on the grid will collect any cash prizes carried by fish present on the grid during the same spin. Additionally, each Fisherman Wild will be collected in a special meter. Every 4 instances accumulated award a retrigger with 10 additional free spins and an increased multiplier applied to collected cash prizes. The boost will grow to x2, x3, and x10 for each consecutive stage unlocked. After the fourth level is reached, no more retriggers will be available.
Frozen Lake Spins
If a card reveals Frozen Lake Spins, the alternative bonus variant will begin. All regular symbols will disappear from the reels, and only Money Symbols, Fisherman Wilds, and blanks will be available. Core mechanics work identically as in regular Free Spins, with Fisherman Wilds collecting fish prizes whenever they land together, as well as the progression meter being active. Additionally, the round offers a line-up of random features that can trigger on any spin if certain conditions are met.
When Fisherman Wilds are present on the grid but there are no Money Symbols, they can be added in random positions.
When Money Symbols are present on the grid but there are no Fisherman Wilds, a hook may pull a random reel to bring it in.
When Fisherman Wilds are present but there are no Money Symbols, an ice curtain may drop and transform all symbols.
Feature Buy & Ante Bet
For a set price that scales with your current bet, you can activate enhanced base game spins or trigger the bonus round instantly.
1.5x = Ante Bet with a higher chance to trigger the bonus round.
100x = Regular Free Spins.
270x = Frozen Lake Free Spins.
Final Thoughts on Big Bass Christmas - Frozen Lake
If you've been around the online slots block for a while, the appearance of another Christmas-themed Big Bass game around October/November should not surprise you anymore. Much like the other releases that popped up in the previous years, including Christmas Big Bass Bonanza, Big Bass Christmas Bash, and Big Bass Xmas Extreme, this one picks an existing game from the series to convert it into a seasonal treat. That transformation boils down to using the imagery that accompanied the angling saga pretty much from the beginning, and embellishing it with extras like festive hats, candy-cane patterns, baubles, and presents. At this point, it's pretty clear that Pragmatic Play's and Reel Kingdom's strategy is all about the visibility in the casino lobbies, hence the endless stream of Big Bass releases, which hardly ever bring something fresh to the table. If we were to put Big Bass Christmas - Frozen Lake in a vacuum for a moment to judge its design without prejudice, we'd say it's an ok-looking slot that works and plays as a standard product of the genre should, nothing beyond that.
While the theme is sort of forced to change some things around to match the warm and fuzzy atmosphere of December celebrations, nobody expects that from the underlying math model, which does not fall into the same constraints. And so, without pushing themselves into adding anything new, the creators have used the guts of Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake. That, in turn, operates on an overdone line-up of cash-collection mechanics that serve as the base for two free spin rounds, one with a full set of symbols on the reels, and the other limited to fish, fishermen, and blanks. So, if that's what floats your boat, plus you can't resist the charm of the Christmas atmosphere, it might be the one to try out.
Big Bass Christmas - Frozen Lake is a cookie-cutter type of seasonal release, using all the elements that appeared in the series before.
