Description
From Aussie developer ReelPlay, and launched in summer 2020, Big Bucks Bandits Megaways plays across a larger-than-average grid of six reels and on between two and seven rows. What’s more, you get at least 324 but up to a massive 117,649 ways to win.
(The current number of ways to win for the active spin sequence displays in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.)
There’s a Wild West theme, so the action takes place on the endless plains as the sun beats down, under a big, cloudless American sky with reels set in a wooden frame and a decent soundtrack thrown in.
An extra reel sits above the regular ones, on which more icons can show up on every spin. Otherwise, you’ll see between two and seven icons on Reels 1 to 6, and between two and six on Reels 2 to 5.
As well as the Megaways mechanic, in which the number of symbols on each spin changes constantly to create more ways to win, Big Bucks Bandits makes use of a cascading reels function.
This is a chain reaction, in which the symbols contributing to a winning combo explode, to be replaced by new ones, for as long as these hits keep happening. Wins from accumulated cascades are paid before the next sequence kicks off.
How to play
As you’d expect, Big Bucks Bandits Megaways is fully optimised to play and enjoy on your device of choice, mobile or otherwise. Bet from 0.20 up to a maximum of 25.
You hit a win (and therefore a payout) for matching two to half a dozen icons on neighbouring reels, working only from left to right.
All symbols bar the Wild can show up stacked at any point. In the set, you’ll see the less lucrative moonshine, flowering cacti, boots, guns and hats. The more rewarding symbols include local women, bandits and horses.
But the Clint Eastwood-type character is your most generous benefactor, worth 100x stake for half a dozen in a row.
Big Bucks Bandits Megaways Special Features
Special Symbols
Your Wild here is the Sheriff’s badge, while the money bag emblem is the Scatter and bonus icon. The Wild only appears on the ‘extra’ reel, and as usual, replaces anything bar the Scatter.
Bonus Features
Jackpot Heist Respins
Launch this by landing six of the money bag icons. You then receive a trio of respins which reset if a fresh Scatter hoves into view. It ends when there are no more respins, or all spots are filled with Scatters.
During this feature, you can also scoop trophies.
Jackpot
Each of the trophies mentioned above comes with a corresponding fixed jackpot prize – bronze, silver, gold or platinum. These have respective values of 10x, 50x, 250x or 1,000x stake. While you can only win the highest-value two jackpots once each time you play this feature, you can land the lower two several times.
Double Cross Gamble feature
This starts after the bonus round described above ends. Two gunslingers face-off, a prize wheel between them. Collect your winnings any time, or spin the wheel to gamble them. Depending on where it lands, you could boost the prize by up to 5x – or blow the lot.
Bonus Buy option
For a 60x stake fee, you can activate the Jackpot Heist Respins feature on the following spin, where it’s available.
Return to Player
Variance sits somewhere in the middle of the scale, with an RTP or Return to Player that’s decent enough at 96.1%.
Verdict
The sheer volume of ways to win means there is some serious wins to be had in this game.
Some reviewers have likened Big Bucks to this operator’s other Megaways games, claiming it’s just a cowboy-based version of them. Depending on your viewpoint, that could be a bad or good thing.
Give it a go and check it out for yourself – let us know what you thought.
Slots 
