Bug's Party Bingo
There’s something about the lives of insects that seems to fascinate us. There have been more than a few films about bugs of all types, including animated hits like A Bug’s Life and Antz. Whether it’s because we want to imagine tiny animals living a miniaturized version of our own lives, or we’re interested in the hive dynamic, but one thing is for sure: as much as we might want to squash them in real life, we’re fans of these tiny critters in fiction.
Play’n Go has made an effort to capture this interest in one of their latest bingo titles, Bugs Party. Okay, so the insect theme isn’t very heavy here, but you will see them on the screen from time to time. More importantly, there are plenty of opportunities to win big by making some impressive patterns on their cards. There’s even a way to get into a special bonus round where you can instantly win hundreds of times your bet amount with just a few clicks.
The Birds and the Bees
Bugs Party is a fairly standard online bingo-based specialty game, similar to other titles they have created like Flying Pigs. The object is simple: make patterns in order to earn prizes, with the toughest and most complex patterns earning the biggest rewards.
At the start of each game, you’ll need to make some decisions that will shape just how much money you’ll be putting on the line. First, you’ll notice that the game defaults to showing you the maximum of four cards; however, you may play anywhere from one to four, clicking on each card to toggle it on or off. You may also choose how many coins you’re playing for on each, as well as the price of each coin.
As for the cards themselves, you’ll notice that they each contain 15 numbers laid out in a 3x5 grid. These numbers comes from the range of 1-60, and there are no duplicates between your tickets – so if you play the maximum of four, all 60 numbers will appear somewhere. If you’re not happy with the layout of your cards, you can generate new ones with the “New Cards” button.
Once all of your betting options are set, it is time to hit the play button. This will set the action into motion, as a total of 30 balls are released into the center area of the screen. Each ball will include one of the numbers, which will in turn be marked off if it appears on one of your tickets. Each time you complete a winning pattern, the game will pause briefly in order to note the prize you’ve won.
There are a total of 12 patterns that can earn players prizes in this game. The patterns don’t have official names, but we’ve provided a few in order to keep things simple. If you’re not sure what some of them mean, that’s okay: they are all visually displayed right on the game screen, so you’ll know what you’re trying to achieve during play. The payouts for each pattern are as follows:
- Single Line: 3x
- Arrow: 4x
- Sides: 8x
- Triangle: 12x
- Square: 40x
- Checkerboard: 40x
- Two Lines: 100x
- Table: 150x
- Flying Pig: 200x
- Columns: 400x
- Perimeter: 600x
- Full Card: 1,500x
If you come close to hitting some of these patterns, don’t worry: you don’t have to live with the frustration that comes with a near miss. If you are just one spot away from winning any of the 8x or larger prizes, the game will offer you the opportunity to buy an extra ball. The price of this additional ball will depend on the prizes you stand to win; the bigger the potential rewards, the more you’ll need to pay.
At your discretion, you may choose to buy an extra number or collect your prizes. You may buy up to 10 balls in this manner, one at a time, with the price potentially changing each time. At any time, you may also simply collect your winnings and end the round.
A Buzzworthy Bonus
If you manage to complete the perimeter pattern, you’ll earn more than just the massive prize that comes along with it. In addition, you’ll get to play a special bonus round which offers the chance to win thousands of additional credits.
Here’s how it works. First, you’ll see a screen with a band of rockin’ insects at the top of the screen, along with 39 jars of jam below. Click on a jar, and you’ll reveal a prize in the form of a number of credits. You may then click again. Sometimes, you might also get a multiplier, which will impact all of the winnings you’ve earned so far.
This continues until you unveil a jar that is hiding a can of bug spray. This threatens to end the fun, but you’ll have one chance to turn things around. Pick one of the five instruments being played by the band. Usually, you’ll get one last reward of additional credits, after which the special feature ends. However, it’s also possible to hit the one instrument that will allow the game to continue, after which you can go back to picking as normal. If you’re extremely lucky in this game, you can win as much as an additional 625x your initial bet!
Extra Balls Are Sometimes Worthwhile
For the most part, you don’t have to think very strategically while playing Bugs Party. There’s no way to control the numbers that will come, leaving most of your results purely up to luck.
However, there is one time during which you will make meaningful decisions. If you have the opportunity to purchase extra numbers, you’ll have to weigh the cost and decide if you should pay for the next ball or not. In most cases, the answer is no; generally, the cost is designed to provide the house with an advantage of 5-10%.
There is one exception to this rule. We’ve noticed that the pricing model doesn’t seem to consider the added value of the bonus round, which is certainly lucrative on the rare occasions that you’ll get into it. That means that if you’re one square away from the perimeter pattern, it is worth paying for balls in an attempt to fill it, since in the long run, the money you’ll make in the bonus round will outweigh the casino’s slight edge in the main game. We can’t quantify this perfectly, but we’re fairly confident that you’ll have a big edge in this exact spot.
Even perfect play won’t make you a favorite over the house, though. Overall, this title has a return to player of 94.21%. That’s not at all bad for a specialty game, and is better than many slot machines you’ll find around the web, but does fall short of the most player-friendly table games.
The Bee’s Knees
Bugs Party is one of the better online bingo games that we’ve played. The house edge is quite reasonable, and the gameplay is fast and streamlined to make it enjoyable for bingo fans. There’s also a few twists for those who normally would avoid this sort of gameplay: the addition of the bonus round is a fun interlude that breaks up the otherwise monotonous play, and having the extra ball feature allows for some decisions to be made – and even if it isn’t always the best idea, it can sometimes be fun to purchase a shot at a jackpot-level prize just for the heck of it.
Sure, if you’re into deep and complex games, this one might not be the best choice for you. But most casual players should find plenty of enjoyment here nonetheless, as the combination of huge prizes and simple gameplay is almost always a winning combination. We could have used a bit more exploration of the bug theme, but other than that, we’re happy to recommend this to anyone who enjoys playing fun, fast specialty games at online casinos.
