The best way to discover how a slot game works is to play it. However, you don’t always want to do that before you get an idea of how it all works. Some casinos won’t allow non-members to view their games, so how can you tell whether a slot like Ox Bonanza is going to deliver the experience you want?
We’ve reviewed and played the game already, so we can reveal the facts in our slot game review here. Come with us on a journey to a familiar place, where the theme changes every 12 months…
Let’s begin with the name of the developer
It’s an ideal place to start, and we can fill in that gap in our knowledge by confirming you’re in the hands of RTG – Realtime Gaming.
Demo access? Confirmed
You can always trust RTG to develop their slots and include a practice version with each. It’s identical to the real thing without the risk factor.
An annual theme in action here
What does an ox make you think of? If we say the theme repeats annually with a change of animal involved, will you think of the Chinese New Year? Since 2021 is confirmed as the Year of the Ox, we can see how RTG has added this to their collection in timely fashion.
Design features to look out for
The slot does have a background, offering a Chinese-style curved roof over the top of the reels. With cherry blossoms on either side, this is a beautiful slot to look at.
While the background is packed with pastels, the icons on the reels are brighter. Expect detailed ox symbols and other animals too, although the full set of 12 does not appear.
How should you play the Ox Bonanza slot game?
Check the game before you begin. You’ll see five reels, each bearing three symbols. It’s also easy to spot the progressive jackpots – yes, plural, as there are two of them atop the reels.
It shouldn’t surprise you to realize the ox is put to work as the substitute symbol. It might come as a surprise, though, to realize it only appears on reel one. It does carry a 2x boost for any prizes that have a wild involved. It is also the best reel to see a wild on if you had to choose. There is more to this than meets the eye at this stage, but we’ll cover that element later.
The game also gives us the usual scatter symbol. This can appear anywhere, granting scatter prizes no matter where it lands. It’s easy to see thanks to its Ox Bonus message.
Fixed paylines in Ox Bonanza
When paylines are fixed you must cover the lot. They’ve given us 25 in this case.
A range of bets to choose from
The 25-line game asks for a single bet on each spin, covering all the available lines. Since they’ve set a quarter as your lowest bet amount, you’ll play a cent per line, qualifying this for the penny slot description.
Paytable info and where to find it
RTG has gone for the scrolling paytable design they’ve had in recent slot releases rather than having separate pages. Look for the info logo at the bottom of your game screen, to the far left.
Ox Bonanza has a truly wild bonus
That is a hefty clue to how it plays out. We know the wild only lands on reel one. However, on any spin, it can change the three major symbols of the game into extra wilds. This doesn’t always happen, but during our stint playing the game it occurred a few times – sometimes giving us a win where we wouldn’t otherwise have had one. This is known as the Morphing Wild feature.
How many free spins can you get?
You can net up to 100 of them… but you’d need to get five Ox Bonus scatters in one spin to achieve that. If you get four, you’ll still score 20 spins, and the standard three-scatter trigger rewards you with 10 of them. Watch out for a chance of Morphing Wilds too. Oh, and find three or more scatters and you’ll get more freebies as well.
RTP details
We can keep this portion of our slot review short because RTG doesn’t list this information for the game.
Our rating: What’s the game like?
There is nothing too complicated about Ox Bonanza. It’s a cool take on the Chinese New Year theme. The Morphing Wild is the only unusual element involved, although we like the chance to try and get a large quantity of free games. All this adds up to a score of 8/10.
How much could be won?
The biggest prize is the major progressive jackpot, and we have no idea how long it could go between prizes. So, we’ll just need to wait it out and see who gets it and how much it is worth…
Practice play at all RTG casinos
You should find this at all RTG sites, so if you’re already a member, log in and check it out. If not, some of their sites allow demo access anyway.
Will you switch to real action for Chinese New Year?
This slot rolls the animal and Chinese New Year themes into one, offering a superb take on Oriental life. At just 25 cents per spin, plenty of people should find this one ideal to play.
You can play on tablets and smartphones too
Accessibility has always been a key feature for RTG. This plays out again in the mobile version of Ox Bonanza, complete with touchscreen controls.
