The lion may be the animal with all the swagger, but it's time to move over as there's a new king in town: the buffalo. There's been a whole herd of buffalo-themed slots which have stampeded into the market in recent years, and now Pragmatic Play are back with Buffalo King Megaways, a game that's bigger and better than everything that's gone before. Max up the size, and you could collect a top payout of x5000 - more than enough to tempt you onto this magnificent creature's territory!
Buffalo Blitz, released by Playtech in 2016, was arguably the game that triggered the rush of interest in the might of the buffalo. Since then, players have been able to take their pick from buffalo-themed slots - such as Buffalo King from Pragmatic Play in 2019. The game was such a hit that Pragmatic have revamped it using the Megaways mechanism, creating a supersized version with all-new gameplay, plus the best bits from the original.
If you've played Megaways slots before, you'll know what to expect. Buffalo King Megaways has six main reels, each of which contains a varying number of symbols. This means on every turn you'll be playing with a different number of symbols, a great way to keep things fresh and exciting. There are no traditional paylines; you just need to line up matching symbols from left to right on neighbouring reels. If every reel is loaded with the maximum number of symbols, this will mean 200,704 ways to win. Betting stretches from a modest 0.20 to a top stake of 125.00, which is a broad range to keep everyone happy. However, volatility is as high as you'll find anywhere, so be prepared to wait around to scoop up the big wins.
With Buffalo King Megways, you'll really feel the spirit of the wild American plains surrounding you in every direction. With grasslands stretching out indefinitely and a warm glow from the sunlight bouncing off the rock face, it's almost as if you are standing in the desolate wilderness yourself. The design of the reels keeps the same theme with a wooden frame shackled together with rope. The little details like this make this slot feel so immersive.
The low pays on the reels are made up from the usual suspects, with royals from 10-A occupying the bottom spaces. With the premium symbols, the animals arrive, including a cougar, wolf, moose, eagle and of course, the buffalo. As you'd expect, the buffalo is the most valuable symbol and pays out x20 for matching five.
If you’re struggling to line them up, look out for the wild symbol. This will help you out by substituting for any of the regular symbols on the reels.
As is found regularly in Megaways titles, every time you win, you’ll trigger the tumbling reels feature. All of the matching symbols involved in the win disappear from the reels, leaving spaces for the remaining tiles to shuffle into new positions. New symbols then tumble onto the reels from above, and the grid is checked for any new matches. This cycle keeps on repeating until there are no more wins to be found.
There's also a free spins round which is unlocked by landing four or more scatters. Four scatters will reward you with a payout of x5 plus 12 free spins. Land five scatters, and it's x20 and 17 free spins, while five scatters gives you x100 and 22 free spins.
When you're playing the free spins bonus round, you'll receive a multiplier every time a wildlands. These can build up during the tumble feature to reward you with even more. There are no increasing multipliers during bonus play, unlike some of the other Megaways slots you may have played before. The free spins round can be retriggered by landing three more scatters.
The high volatility can mean it takes longer to land the free spins bonus, but you don't have to wait it out. If you're feeling impatient, then you could opt for the Ante Buy, which doubles your chances of landing the scatters - but costs 25% more. Alternatively, if you want a cast-iron guarantee, you can simply buy entry; this costs x100. You'll receive the scatters on your next spin, which is guaranteed to give you access to the free spins bonus.
Pragmatic Play has taken a classic slot and given it a boost with the Megaways mechanism, adding new features and gameplay. Buffalo King Megaways is an efficient and entertaining game, but you’ll need to be patient to hit the best prizes. There’s nothing too complex here, just solid slots fun, so it’s a great game that all can enjoy.