Big Top Slot Machine
Big Top is a Microgaming-powered video slot with 5 reels and 9 paylines. Released in 2010, the circus-themed non-progressive slot game offers players the opportunity to spin further winning combinations with a wild symbol, but unlike many Microgaming titles, there isn’t an abundance of bonus features. With that being said, this is a fast-playing slot and there is a scatter in the mix, which helps speed things up slightly.
It would be gilding the lily to claim the Big Top slot offers as much excitement or as many thrills as plummeting at 60mph on a roller coaster’s drop, but it’s nonetheless pretty damn fun to match the comical symbols and trigger pay-outs. The return-to-player percentage is also strong, at 96.94%.
Stakes and Visuals
In Big Top, players can stake a maximum of 5 credits for all 9 paylines, resulting in a bet-per-spin of 45. Alternatively, you can wager just 0.25 for 9 lines, or you can play on just a single payline if you prefer. In other words, an ideal betting range for both low-stakes players and online gaming sharks.
The title has many bells and whistles from a visual point of view. The symbols are exceedingly bright and welcoming and the illustrations would not look out of place in a children’s pop-up book. The sound effects, meanwhile, are the usual casino slot effects, and the reels fall into place one at a time.
Gamers are free to activate Expert mode by clicking on the option using the button at the bottom of the reels. There are also controls for Select Lines, Bet Max and Spin. The primary advantage of enabling Expert mode is that you’ll have access to the Auto-Play feature, which permits you to determine a fixed number of spins for the game to automatically play. If this doesn’t appeal, just play in regular mode.
Ringmasters and Elephants Riding Bicycles
In Big Top, icons include elephants riding bikes, performing seals, slapstick clowns, monkeys and even a lion ringmaster. There are also playing card symbols, including a 10, a Jack, a Queen, a King and an Ace.
The icon with the highest value is the game’s logo, which grants 20, 200, 800 or 5,000 for two, three, four or five-of-a-kind, respectively. This is followed in the pay-table by the top hat wearing lion, which pays 600 for five, 250 for four, 80 for three or five for two. The clown, for its part, pays 500 for five, 150 for four, 25 for three and five for two, while the elephant pays 300 for five, 80 for four, 25 for three or five for two.
The playing cards are the worst-value symbols in the game. The symbols stand out gaudily on the reels. The Ace is red, the King green, the Queen pink, the Jack blue and the 10 a canary-yellow colour. The 10 pays just 10 for three, 25 for four or 100 for five matching. The Ace, though, grants 25, 50 and 150. Unlike the character symbols, the playing cards don’t pay out for combinations of two matching icons.
Wild and Scatter
The wild clown (which is different from the regular clown) acts as the game’s wild. As such, the icon can replace others to help you form wins. It cannot, however, replace the monkey. The symbol only appears on the central three reels and it does not create its own winning combinations. Remember, only one winning combination is paid out per payline.
The monkey is the game’s scatter, and it pays 2, 10 or 50 for three, four or five in a row. All scatter wins are added to payline wins, and they are also multiplied by the total credits staked. The scatter does not award any free spins or activate a bonus round, but unlike the others, scatter symbols do not need to appear on consecutive reels to trigger a win.
The Biggest Top
It doesn’t boast a progressive jackpot, or a free spins bonus, but Big Top is what it is: a fun, no-frills video slot with a circus theme. As one of the first slot games that Isle of Man-based firm Microgaming released to the market, Big Top doesn’t necessarily show off the best the developer has to offer, but it is an interesting snapshot of where they were in 2010, and the title does offer the prospect of some nice wins.
