Big Buck Bunny is one of the very few licensed slot games from the developer Mercury. The game is based on an animated short film (only 12 minutes long!) about a big, fluffy rabbit who has to tame three bullying rodents that are making a mess of nature. You'll find this game at an online casino that's licensed in New Zealand, and it's one of the few slots that's associated with a specific animated character. If you think about it for even a moment, it's kind of wild that the game developer Mercury got the license for this animated short film, and the animated short film itself isn't even all that popular (or, honestly, good). But here we are! Anyway, in this review, we get up close and personal with both the Big Buck and the rowdy rodents.
Big Buck Bunny
About Big Buck Bunny
Directed by the Blender Institute, the 2008 short film Big Buck Bunny was created to serve as not only a benchmark test for various animation technologies but also as an initiative for producing free, open-source animations. It features a very specific and simple visual vocabulary that allows the viewer to assess the appearance of the film across various screen resolutions and formats. Since its completion, Buck has been used to test the newness of televisions across the globe.
The narrative of the short film is simple. A big, white rabbit wakes up in the morning and, shortly, is not in peace with his present state. It is, of course, a state of interiority and exteriority, too, for anyone waking up but thinking of more sleeping. The hours pass until they can no longer be ignored. But just when he is about to turn around and brave the day, a chipmunk and his bullying pals, squirrels, descend upon him. Not content with just being a rodent, the chipmunk is, as the voiceover narrates, "a hamster in a Hamptons condo," which almost makes the encounter a class struggle. Indeed, they do not let the rabbit be.
If the short film Big Buck Bunny is an admirable masterpiece, the same cannot be said for the slot game by Mercury. But this game is not as rudimentary in design as many of the other offerings from this developer. Behind the reels, a lovely green lawn serves as the backdrop, and four of the symbols (the rabbit and the three brawlers) are taken directly from the film. The symbols are also animated, but that isn't quite enough to save this game.
The base game of Big Buck Bunny lacks any background music, but yes, there is some in the free spins round. It's a dramatic tale about what happens when a big fluffy bunny tries to take it easy and not hard on shady characters who really deserve it. A tranquil score accompanies the game's cheery visuals and serves as a rather neat intro to both the plot and environment of the base game.
Big Buck Bunny at the casino
The game exists somewhat on the outskirts of the casino. Definitely not every casino online offers the game. Some of these casinos are very new; thus, it is not the case that they avoid online gambling without the experience of play. Look at these options instead: Dunder Casino, GoGo Casino, and Casino Games. All three of these options offer the game of Big Buck Bunny with the wild rabbit available for play.
Bets & Winnings
Big Buck Bunny comprises five reels and three rows. There are five paylines, and they are always active. To choose a bet, click on the coin symbol at the bottom of the interface. You are presented with eight finished insert sizes, from which you may choose one to use for your bet. Your bet can range from $0.50 to $100.00 per spin. This bet level is somewhat standard for games from Mercury, so if you were expecting a lower limit or a higher ceiling, you might be surprised in either direction. For faster play, you can allow the game to autoplay.
The game's winning plan shows that the rabbit symbol pays the best. In fact, it pays big. Get five in a row on a Payline, and you collect a cool 1000x your stake. Manage that stunt in the game's free spins round, and you rake in a fantastic 3000x your stake thanks to a 3x multiplier. Five rabbits on all five Paylines gives you a ridiculous 15,000x your stake in the free spins round. But has anyone ever done that?
In general, Big Buck Bunny, akin to most Merkur slots, is a high-risk slot. You cannot rely on wins that come very regularly, but even slight combinations of symbols can bring in quite a bit of "jingle" at the cash register. Strangely enough, you always get at least n insert back for winning. Even the symbol for 10 pays well!
The RTP for Big Buck Bunny is exactly 96%, which we think is a clearly approved figure for a slot of this type. Not many Mercury slots are higher.
Game information | |
---|---|
Games | 2011 |
Max profit | 75,000 coins/15,000 x bet |
Reels / paylines | 5 / 5 |
Theoretical payback-RTP | 96 |
Coin value | 0.10 - 20$ |
Total effort | 0.50 - 100$ |
Volatility | High |
Free spins | Yes |
Bonus features | Wilds, free spins, multipliers |
Symbols
The five reels have ten symbols in all, two of which are special. The rabbit serves as both a wild and a high-paying icon; the logo symbol is the scatter. Three rodent symbols offer medium wins. A, K, Q, J, and 10 are the low-win symbols. Since the playing card symbols pay decently, it's a good bet that even these sad rodents manage to pull in some wins.
Of the three rodents, the chipmunk (the gang's leader) brings home the biggest winnings, paying up to 20 times the stake. The other two rodents return up to 15x and 10x, respectively.
Game features
In Big Buck Bunny, there are at least two distinct characteristics that stem from the presence of two unique symbols. They are: 1. Wilds, and 2. Multipliers and bonus freespins.
Wilds
When the Rabbit shows up and finishes a Payline, he will stand in for existing symbols like a joker. In this role, he acts just like traditional jokers. However, he does not grant a multiplier or anything of that nature.
Compared to several other Mercury slots, the Joker is a common sight. Moreover, he seems to have a unique skill at cranking out his own Payline.
Scatter
The logo symbol is present on reels 1, 3, and 5. If you get a scatter on all three of these reels, you win free spins. How many you get is completely random and can be 10, 15, 25, or (rarely) 50. You probably have a better chance of hitting 10 than 50. You also have every opportunity to reactivate the free spins bonus. You get only one more series of three scatters.
After you have your spins in action, any win is multiplied by 3x to yield all potential profits. If you score a hit with four Chipmunks, for instance, you do not actually receive 50 times your wager as you might expect; instead, you get 150 times your wager. This is a slightly more unconventional example of a hit, and certainly one that would make your bankroll swell!
Double or double
Big Buck Bunny features Mercury's classic and ever-popular double feature. After you've scored one or more wins on a spin, you'll get the chance to pick between two ways to gamble your win.
The first option is to try doubling your bet by choosing red or black. The second option is to try climbing a betting ladder. The latter can provide you with significantly more overall, but it is also a riskier option.
Summary
Big Buck Bunny is a timeless classic 5 × 3 slot from Merkur. Still, it offers a smidge more entertainment in our opinion than most of its sister slots. Here, at last, is a game with a plot that just might be worth following, and the graphics and sounds pack a bit more oomph than usual. Indeed, Big Buck Bunny Dock is such a good, leisurely-paced slot to play, that we definitely think risking it on this one could score you some really big wins. The entertainment level here is not at its highest, though, that's for sure.
Big Buck Bunny can be recommended to anyone looking for a slightly more upscale introduction to Mercury's simple video slot offerings. If you enjoy this game, you have several functionally similar slotted games of chance to try your luck on.