Bison Trail - Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Introduction

Inspired by the pioneers who made their living on the wildlands of 19th-century America, this slot places the animals native to the vast plains centre stage. Well-drawn images of bison and other beasts feature across all five reels, along with colourful wilds and scatters to help boost wins. Bison Trail is part of the Platipus Gaming free slots catalogue, with these slots well known in the industry for their interesting details.

Bison Trail graphics & soundtrack

Craggy rocks as high as mountains create canyons with trails leading to the vast prairie plains where cattle graze. There is a hazy, sunny look to the scene, which adds to the atmosphere. The huge 5x4 reel display dominates the screen with its images of magnificent wild animals such as bison, bobcats, eagles and wolves.

The low-paying number and card suit symbols are subtly decorated with small extras, such as feathers or jewels, adding a nice detail to icons that are often overlooked when it comes to design. Some animate a little during play, which adds an extra angle.

The background music is a good choice, as it could easily be the soundtrack to a historical western movie or TV show. It also features random bird calls and other animal noises; however, the sounds during play are nothing special - just the standard clicks and whirrs often used for online slots and a repetitive tambourine sound to accompany wins. This repeats until you spin again, and it soon becomes irritating.

Bison Trail RTP & volatility

The return to player (RTP) of this slot is at the lower end of the scale at 94.99 per cent, while the volatility is classed as medium-high.

How to play Bison Trail

The control panel of this slot in demo/fun mode is pretty straightforward, so setting it up to play shouldn’t take too long. Here is a quick guide to get you started:

1. Click the button displaying three horizontal lines to check out the paytable data and game information.

2. Look at the coin bet button on the right side of the control panel. Clicking on the up arrow beside it displays a menu of choices ranging from 0.01 to 1. This is what influences your total stake for each spin, so choose carefully. Choosing the lowest coin stake of 0.01 = 0.40 coins per spin, 0.1 = 4 coins, and the highest possible 1 = 40 coins.

3. Click on the autoplay button (two arrows forming a circle) to reveal the settings. A sliding scale allows you to choose autospins for anywhere from 25 to 100 spins. There are options to stop autospins when certain win or loss limits are reached.

4. It is time to spin the reels and enjoy an adventure in the American Wild West. Don’t forget to play responsibly.

Bet sizes & paytable wins

From a coin bet range of 0.01 to 1.0, stakes of between 0.40 and 40.00 coins per spin can be played in this slot.

Paytable data

The icons at the very top and bottom of the Bison Trail payout scale reward players for just two matches through to a full line of five, while the rest pay out for three to five matches:

- Top of the shop is the bison, with 300 coins up for grabs in exchange for five symbols on a line. A not too shabby 100 coins will be awarded for four matches, dropping to 50 and 10 respectively for three and two.

- The eagle and bobcat deliver mid-range rewards of 50, 100 and 150 coins for three, four and five on a line, along with the wolf and goat who cough up 20, 80 and 120 for the same.

- Bringing up the rear are the number and playing card symbols. They all pay a generous 100 coins for a full line of five, and from two to 20 coins for two to four matches.

Bison Trail bonus features

- Wild

The wild symbol - a coat of arms featuring two crossed axes - does not offer any coin prizes in its own right, but it subs all symbols except the scatter. It only appears on reels two to four. During free games, it multiplies wins by 2x or 3x.

- Scatter

The scatter symbol - two diamond shapes - can appear on all the reels. Three+ scatters trigger the bonus game.

- Free spin bonus game

5 scatters = 20 free spins + 20x total bet
4 scatters = 15 free spins + 10x total bet
3 scatters = 8 free spins + 2x total bet

- Free spin multiplier

During the free spins, any wilds on reels two, three or four multiply the total win of the spin by two or three.

If two scatter symbols appear together during a free spin, a further five free spins are awarded.

Our verdict

Bison Trails is not going to win any awards for flash features or huge bonuses, but this doesn’t make it any less charming. It is a quietly confident kind of slot rather than an ‘in your face’ game. It makes you work and wait a little longer for the wins, but the potential rewards are there and some generous free spin options make it worthwhile.

If Bison Trails has got you in the mood for more nature themed slots, there are plenty out there. We especially like Buffalo Rising Megaways slot, which has a similar Wild West theme and a mind-blowing 117,649 ways to win.

Disclaimer: Bison Trail trademark / license is owned by Platipus Gaming. This site is not endorsed by Platipus Gaming.