Introduction to Bonzo's Bananza
Bonzo's Bananza is a casino slot from ELK Studios that strengthens the popular myth of monkeys loving bananas. The entertainment industry has time and time again reinforced that image despite it not being entirely true, and while monkeys can and do eat them, bananas are not the core element of their diet. But, without being too scientific about it, let's put the facts aside for now and check out the cartoony world of Bonzo, a simian who has a weakness for these oblong yellow fruit. Deep in the South American jungle, he guards an ancient Mayan temple packed with riches worth up to 10,000x the bet. If you want to have a shot at grabbing that treasure, arm yourself with bananas to divert his attention, and then embrace the power of Wilds, which stack, stick, nudge, expand, and award respins.
Try the demo mode available at the top of the page to prepare a good plan on how to outsmart Bonzo and enter the legendary temple.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Bonzo's Bananza is a video slot from ELK Studios with 5 reels, 5 rows, and 259 paylines. Before starting your session, you can choose your stake from a range of options, from a Min.bet of 0.2 up to a Max.bet of 100. The game offers a default RTP of 94.00%, which is significantly lower than the industry standards, which oscillate around 96%-96.5%, so be mindful of potential lower long-term returns. The math model combines medium-high volatility, which distributes more value to high wins while making them less frequent, with a max win capped at 10,000x the bet. The base game hit frequency is 24.3%.
Bonzo's world is full of vibrant colours, just as it's full of sharp angles. The pointy design injects the whole scene with plenty of character, while the laid-back monkey, chilling to the bouncy hip-hop beat, further emphasises the vibe with its irreverent attitude. That is, until the bananas come into play and the emotions start running high. This unusual romance takes place in an unknown location somewhere amidst the South American jungles, next to an impressive Mayan temple towering over the natural landscape. It's a pleasant setting, which you can enjoy on any modern device, since the game's responsive design allows it to be played on all desktops, smartphones, and tablets.
Winning in Bonzo's Bananza requires landing at least 3 matching symbols on any of the active paylines. To qualify for a payout, every sequence must begin from the left side of the panel and run rightward along adjacent reels. Three royal card ranks, Q, K, and A, make up the low-paying symbols, awarding from 0.25x to 0.35x the bet for a combination of 5 on a payline. High-paying icons are represented by a kiwi, an orange, and a watermelon. These icons pay from 0.5x to 1x the bet for a complete payline spanning 5 reels. Topping the hierarchy is an image of a bird, awarding 5x the bet for a full line. Additionally, there are Monkey Wilds and Banana Wilds, which substitute for regular icons and Bonus symbols in the form of a treasure chest.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Bonzo's Bananza?
You can win up to 10,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Bonzo's Bananza?
The features are Monkey and Banana Wilds, Combo Nudge, Bonus Game, and Feature Buy (X-iter).
Monkey and Banana Wilds
Every time you land a 5-stacked Monkey Wild partially on the grid, it will nudge to cover the entire column. Next, Bonzo will kick the frame he stands in and award a random multiplier. Following that, a respin will be played out to give you another shot at forming winning combinations. Every Monkey Wild awards one respin, so if you land multiple instances of it at the same time, they will play out one after another.
Banana Wild is a 2-stacked symbol. When it lands, it starts nudging up or down, awarding a respin for every step it takes. It moves one row per respin until it crosses the grid's threshold.
Combo Nudge
When both Monkey and Banana Wilds are present on the grid at the same time, the Banana Wild will further increase Monkey Wild's multiplier on each nudge.
Bonus Game
Landing 3 or more Bonus symbols anywhere on the screen during a single spin awards 5 Free Spins. For 4 or 5 Bonus symbols present, you'll also receive one or two guaranteed Monkey Wilds on the first spin, respectively. Throughout the game, all Monkey Wilds are sticky, holding their position until the end of the bonus and having their multipliers increased persistently whenever Banana Wilds appear.
Feature Buy (X-iter)
Like many other games from ELK Studios, the Bonzo's Bananza slot comes with the X-iter menu, which contains several options for triggering features and bonuses at a set price.
2x = Bonus Hunt with a 3-times higher chance of triggering the Bonus Game.
10x = guaranteed Monkey Wild symbol.
25x = guaranteed two Monkey Wild symbols.
100x = Regular Bonus Game.
500x = Super Bonus Game, with two Monkey Wild symbols present from the start.
Final Thoughts on Bonzo's Bananza
If you're used to ELK's more inventive side, manifesting itself in games like Pirots 4 or Tropicool 5, Bonzo's Bananza may come across as a little plain. There's nothing wrong with straightforward slots, of course, and for casual players, they might be even a better choice, but the studio has gotten us used to its bold ideas and elaborate feature configurations. This time, it's a match made in South American jungles between fully-stacked Monkey Wilds and nudging Banana Wilds. Their tropical dance on the reels is pretty much the only thing you'll look forward to, as whenever both are present on the grid, the multipliers start charging the atmosphere with anticipation. It's not exactly clear if there's some upper limit to their values, since the game rules don't mention any specific figure, but we've seen them go up to some serious double digits, so they can definitely get things done. Especially if you land Banana Wilds multiple times during the bonus round, where the multiplier stays persistent on the sticky Monkey Wild. And, if you're lucky enough to lock two of them on neighbouring front reels, you can sit back and enjoy a stream of guaranteed wins.
From the audiovisual perspective, it's not the studio's most impressive scene, although it does stand out a little with its unusual angled design. We get a feeling that the theme was not supposed to be too deep and resemble more a single page of some casual comic book rather than an entire story. If that was the idea, then the result is a match. It's clean, easy on the eye, and to the point, blending nicely with the uncomplicated technical profile.
Bonzo's Bananza is a pleasant tropical scene with basic mechanics to match, utilising Wilds with multipliers to generate wins up to 10,000x the bet.
