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A Festive Fishing Expedition: Big Bass Christmas – Frozen Lake
In the world of online slots, some occurrences are as reliable as the changing of the seasons. Reel Kingdom, a creative partner of Pragmatic Play, has once again expanded its celebrated “Big Bass” collection. This time, players are invited to a winter wonderland in a game that leverages familiar, sustainable mechanics and repackages them with a festive twist. The famous fisherman has traded his usual gear for a Santa suit, ready to cast his line into icy waters.
This new installment, titled “Big Bass Christmas – Frozen Lake,” is a 5-reel, 3-row slot that will feel immediately recognizable to fans of the series, particularly those who have played “Secrets of the Golden Lake.” While the golden hues have been replaced by a frosty landscape, the core gameplay remains largely intact, offering a predictable yet engaging experience.
Game Specifications at a Glance
- Developer: Reel Kingdom
- Release Date: November 26, 2025
- Return to Player (RTP): 94.07% to 96.07%
- Feature Buy RTP: 96.07%
- Paylines: 10
- Volatility: High
- Betting Range: 0.10 to 375
- Maximum Win: 5,000x the stake
Visuals and Gameplay Mechanics
Staying true to its name, the game immerses players in a cheerful holiday setting. The grid is submerged in crystal-clear, frigid waters, with snow-dusted banks, decorated trees, and friendly snowmen completing the scene. The symbols have also received a seasonal makeover: fish sport Santa hats, a sleigh serves as the highest-value icon, and the fisherman himself is decked out in a full red suit and white beard.
While this release doesn’t introduce groundbreaking features, it provides a highly volatile adventure with a solid RTP of 96.07% and a maximum prize potential of 5,000 times the bet. The gameplay is driven by valuable Instant Prize symbols, a Bonus Card selection feature, and the titular Frozen Lake Free Spins mode.
Base Game Rules and Payouts
Victories are achieved by landing three or more matching symbols (or just two of the top-tier sleigh symbol) on adjacent reels across any of the 10 fixed paylines, starting from the leftmost reel. The game includes 10 standard paying symbols:
- Low-Value Symbols: Playing card Royals that award up to 10x the bet for a five-of-a-kind combination.
- High-Value Symbols: Themed icons including Fish, a tackle box, a fishing rod, a robin, and a sleigh, which offer payouts ranging from 20x to 200x the bet for a full line.
Wild symbols also make an appearance, but they are only active during the Free Spins bonus round, where they substitute for all regular symbols to help form winning combinations.
Key Bonus Features
Money Symbols
The Fish symbols serve a dual purpose. In addition to being standard paying icons, they also function as Money symbols, each appearing with a random cash value from 2x to an impressive 5,000x the bet. These prize values remain dormant during the base game and are only activated within the Free Spins feature.
Activating the Free Spins Round
The main bonus is triggered by landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols anywhere on the reels, which awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. If only two scatters appear, one of two random second-chance features may activate to help land the third:
- Respin Feature: If the two scatters can move down one position without falling off the grid, a respin may occur. The reels with scatters will nudge down and lock, while the remaining reels spin again for a chance to land another scatter.
- Random Addition: A third scatter symbol might be randomly added to the reels at the conclusion of a spin.
Before the bonus begins, the player is presented with 12 face-down cards and must pick one. This choice determines the type of bonus round awarded: either the standard Free Spins or the enhanced Secrets of the Frozen Lake Free Spins.
Standard Free Spins
In this mode, the prize values on the Fish Money symbols become active. Whenever a Fisherman Wild symbol lands on the same spin as any Money symbols, he collects their combined value. Furthermore, each Wild is collected in a progressive meter located above the reels. Every fourth Wild collected retriggers the feature, granting 10 extra spins and increasing the collection multiplier:
- Level 2: Awards a 2x multiplier.
- Level 3: Awards a 3x multiplier.
- Level 4: Awards a 10x multiplier.
The feature cannot be retriggered after reaching the fourth level.
Frozen Lake Free Spins
Triggering this special version elevates the bonus round by removing all regular paying symbols from the reels. During these 10 initial spins, only Fisherman Wilds, Money symbols, and blank spaces will appear, significantly increasing the potential for high-value collections. The progressive meter, retrigger, and multiplier mechanics function exactly the same as in the standard Free Spins.
Random In-Bonus Modifiers
During either free spins mode, several random events can occur to boost winning potential:
- If a Fisherman Wild lands without any Money symbols present, fish may randomly appear in various positions.
- If Money symbols land without a Fisherman Wild, a hook may randomly appear and pull a reel upwards to reveal a Wild.
- If a Fisherman Wild lands with no Money symbols, an ice curtain animation can sweep across the screen, transforming all symbols (except the Wild) into new ones.
Player Options: Ante Bet and Bonus Buy
For those looking to enhance their chances of triggering the bonus, the Ante Bet feature can be activated for an additional cost of 1.5x the current stake. In jurisdictions where it is permitted, players can also directly purchase entry into the bonus rounds. The standard Free Spins cost 100x the bet, while the more potent Frozen Lake Free Spins can be bought for 270x the bet. Both the Ante Bet and Bonus Buy options operate with a fixed RTP of 96.07%.
Final Verdict
The arrival of a new Big Bass title is rarely met with expectations of groundbreaking innovation, and “Big Bass Christmas – Frozen Lake” comfortably settles into this familiar pattern. The series’ popularity remains undeniable, and this latest entry simply casts its line into the proven waters of “Secrets of the Golden Lake” while wrapping itself in a charming holiday theme.
The base game offers straightforward action with a generous paytable, but the real excitement lies within the bonus rounds. The card-picking element adds a layer of anticipation, with the Frozen Lake spins offering a more concentrated and potentially lucrative experience by stripping away lower-value symbols. While a random pick determines the bonus, the option to purchase the enhanced feature directly—albeit at a steep price—is a welcome inclusion for some players.
Ultimately, this slot is an unapologetic continuation of a beloved franchise. It may not reignite the series with a tidal wave of creativity, but for now, it delivers a solid and festive fishing adventure, perfectly timed for the end-of-year season.
