Big Christmas Present

Christmas is a special time of year for many of us who want to spend time with family and enjoy the company of our loved ones. However, it is also an opportunity to have some personal time away from the distraction of work to revel in some well-earned gaming time. This latter situation is probably the scenario in which Inspired Gaming had thought about when creating this game. Yes, you still get to engage in all the holiday spirit, but you also get to enjoy some gaming and potentially come home with some prizes that make this Christmas even more special.

Big Christmas Present Overview

The features for Big Christmas Present are not exactly plentiful, but there are a couple of good ones to trigger when things start to feel a little dull. The first of these features is the free spins feature, which is triggered when players land scatter three icons on the board in this game. These special icons then transform into 'pick me' symbols that hide the number of free spins you have been granted behind them. Pick one of them to reveal how many free spins you will be granted.

The other feature in this game is the spin chance feature triggered when the player's balance falls beneath the value of the current bet. This feature gives you one chance to use the remainder of your credit to win one more spin. All bonuses will be explained in more detail later on in the review.

Theme and Symbols

As you probably guessed from the garish title pages and name, this slot's theme is Christmas. Like almost everything trying to make money this time of year, from retail to TV specials, it is beneficial to try and jump on the Christmas bus to capitalise on the Christmas spirit, and Inspired Gaming is no different.

However, we can say that at least this particular Christmas slot has been done with a modicum of class, rather than try and force an annoying fusion of themes such as Christmas and Nuclear Apocalypse.

The background for this slot game is a setting that we should all be familiar with, from small children to adults, and that setting is Santa's grotto. As is befitting, the grotto is nestled in a wintery forest, with snowdrifts and large conifers. Above this perhaps Finnish or Norwegian scene is a beautiful clear sky with shooting stars and just a glimmer of the northern lights dancing mesmerically on the velvety blackness of eternity. The final icing on this image is the jolly snowman complete with a top hat and scarf on the bottom right-hand side of the screen.

The playing board for this game is a standard reel set decorated with multicoloured Christmas lights.

The symbols for this game are split into low-value, high value and special symbols. The low-value symbols are the fruit symbols of grapes, oranges, lemons, cherries, plums and watermelons. On the other hand, the higher value symbols are the various coloured baubles in blue and red. However, the most lucrative regular symbol in the game is the special snowflake icon worth 20x the stake for the top combination. The game's specials finally comprise the Christmas Wreath, representing the wild (paying out at 250x the stake for the top combination), and the scatter icon, represented by the Christmas present.

Game Play

Big Christmas Present is played on a 6-reel, 4-row machine with 50 fixed pay lines. To win combinations, players must land three or more matching symbols on pay lines moving from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.
The betting range for Big Christmas Present is 20p to £20 per spin. To adjust their bet levels, players can toggle their stake up and down using the tool located at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

Further information, including a short tutorial and a display of the paytable, can be found via the menu button in the right-hand corner of the screen. The spin and auto spin buttons are located in the centre of the screen.
The volatility for this slot has not been disclosed by the provider. The return to player percentage for Big Christmas Present is 95%, which is below average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 12,500x your stake.

Features

The first available feature in this game is the Free Spins game, triggered when players land three or more scatter icons on the reels at the same time. After this initial mechanic has finished, the scatter icons will then transform into 'pick me' symbols. Each one hides a number behind it, representing how many free spins will be awarded. You are then obliged to pick one symbol. The maximum number of free spins that you can end up with is five.

When you are in the free spins, all of the wild symbols that land become instantly sticky for the duration of your spins total. Weirdly, if you land a win that is bigger than 20x the stake, you will also lose a free spin.

The other feature included here is called the spin chance feature. It is triggered when the player's balance falls below the current bet amount. When this happens, the game gives you one chance to use all remaining credit to potentially earn an extra spin.

Conclusion

Christmas can be a stressful time of the year, even if you have planned well in advance. That is why it might be nice now and then to enjoy a little gaming time to decompress from the holiday season's difficulties. This wouldn't be a bad slot to play on either if it weren't for the undisclosed variance and the relatively low top payout. Then again, at least it's festive and easy to play.