Pragmatic Play’s wild plains adventure — Release the Bison Description

Step into a lush North American meadow where towering peaks meet rolling grasslands and a herd of colossal bisons sets the tone. Release The Bison captures that big-sky feeling with bright colors, playful animations, and a fauna cast ready to stampede across the reels. It’s a nature-forward slot that leans on roaming Wilds and a punchy bonus structure to keep the action lively from spin one. Developed by Pragmatic Play and released on 25/04/2024, this title sits comfortably in the studio’s animal-themed lineup, with a nod to roaming mechanics fans may recognize from the Kraken saga. The core setup is classic: 5 reels, 4 rows, and 20 fixed paylines that pay left to right. Stakes are flexible, with a floor that welcomes cautious explorers and a ceiling that satisfies testers of features: minimum bet €0.20 and maximum bet €240 in standard play, which can be raised to €300 via Ante Bet. Under the hood, it’s a bold mathematical model. You’ll find high volatility paired with a max win of 3,000x the bet and configurable RTP profiles, including 96.54% as a prevalent setting, alongside 95.48% and even 97.49% in certain configurations. The headline mechanic is simple yet satisfying: Wilds can roam, respin, and build a global win multiplier, then carry that stampede energy into a Free Spins round seeded by a customizable wheel for spins and multipliers. If you enjoy the thrill of scaling momentum features that grow as symbols land, this bison is ready to run.

Graphics and Symbols — bright vistas, bold beasts, and crisp UI

Design and Atmosphere

Nature is front and center: a sunlit meadow dotted with flowers and rocks, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and occasional bison silhouettes in the backdrop. The reel frame hints at handcrafted woodwork with horn accents, while animations stay neat and snappy. The palette leans bright and friendly, enhancing legibility and making each hit pop. It’s an approachable, modern take on the wilderness vibe—familiar, but rendered with care and the kind of polish you expect from a top-tier studio.

Symbols

• Main symbols
  • Wolf — the apex pay symbol among regulars, delivering up to 10x the bet for 5-of-a-kind and paying from just 2-of-a-kind.
  • Eagle — confident mid-premium, up to 4x the bet for 5.
  • Hyena — up to 3x the bet for 5.
  • Big cat (puma/bobcat type) — up to 2x the bet for 5.
• Secondary symbols
  • A — up to 1.5x the bet for 5.
  • K — up to 1x the bet for 5.
  • Q — up to 0.7x the bet for 5.
  • J — up to 0.6x the bet for 5.
  • 10 — up to 0.5x the bet for 5.
• Special symbols
  • Wild (Bison) — substitutes for regular symbols and carries its own pays, up to 12.5x the bet for 5 Wilds (also pays from 2-of-a-kind).
  • Scatter/Bonus — triggers Free Spins with 3, 4, or 5 symbols and features prominently during Wild Respins thanks to collection mechanics.

Sound Effects and Soundtrack

A cheerful, light instrumental theme accompanies the base game, complemented by gentle ambient cues—think birdsong and soft outdoor notes—that support the open-air setting. Spin, win, and feature cues are cleanly layered to keep focus on the action while maintaining that breezy, outdoorsy tone.

Features and Bonuses — roaming Wilds, guaranteed wins, and a wheel that sets the pace

Wild Symbol — substituting and top-paying

The bison Wild is a twofer: it substitutes to complete wins and also pays up to 12.5x the bet for 5, with wins available from just 2 Wilds. It’s the engine for several key mechanics, so spotting bisons is always a good sign.

Wild Respins with roaming Wilds and progressive multiplier

Land 4+ Wilds in the base game to trigger Wild Respins. During this mode: - All Wilds become Roaming Wilds, shifting to a new position on each respin. - Each new Wild that lands awards +1 respin and increases a global win multiplier by +1x. - Any Scatters are collected (up to 5); if you’ve collected 3+ by the end, Free Spins launch instantly. This feature bursts like a firework when it starts, and it’s particularly fun to watch the grid evolve as Wilds wander and the multiplier ramps.

Guaranteed Win (10x–40x)

On random no-win base spins, the game can morph the outcome into a Guaranteed Win worth between 10x and 40x the bet. It’s a slick quality-of-life kicker that keeps momentum up and surprises frequent.

Free Spins with wheel-picked spins and starting multiplier

Trigger Free Spins with 3, 4, or 5 Scatters in the base game or during Wild Respins. If only 2 Scatters land in the base game, a special respin can occur on the reels without Scatters to give you another shot at the third. Before the round begins, you spin a two-part wheel that independently selects: - The number of Free Spins (up to 18) - The starting global multiplier (up to 5x) Ranges depend on your trigger: - 3 Scatters: 8, 10, 12, 15, or 18 spins with 1x–5x - 4 Scatters: 8, 10, 12, 15, or 18 spins with 2x–5x - 5 Scatters: 10, 12, 15, or 18 spins with 3x–5x In the feature, every Wild that lands becomes a Roaming Wild and stays until the end, moving each spin. Wilds are collected into a meter; starting from the 5th collected Wild, each additional Wild grants +1 Free Spin and +1x to the multiplier. A maximum of 10 Wilds can be collected in a single bonus. It’s rare to see a roaming system tied so neatly to a global multiplier—it makes every Wild sighting feel pivotal.

Ante Bet (+25% stake)

Activate the Ante Bet to increase your current stake by +25% and gain a higher chance to trigger Free Spins. It also raises the maximum total bet to €300.

Buy Feature (instant Free Spins)

Skip directly to the bonus with three options: - 3 Scatters for 80x the bet - 4 Scatters for 150x the bet - 5 Scatters for 300x the bet

Statistics and Math — configuration, pacing, and limits

RTP

The game is available in multiple configurations, including 96.54% RTP as a common setting, plus 95.48% and even 97.49% variants. The 96.54% profile sits comfortably above the typical market average, translating into solid long-term efficiency for extended sessions with virtual credits.

Volatility

Expect high volatility. The experience favors bursty sequences where features and multipliers do the heavy lifting. It’s designed for players who enjoy bigger swings and are happy to chase those headline moments during Roaming Wild sequences and Free Spins.

Paylines and Win Mechanics

Release The Bison uses a classic structure: 5x4 layout with 20 fixed paylines, paying left to right. No alternative systems are in play; this is a straight-down-the-line paylines slot where symbol order and alignment tell the story.

Bet Limits and Accessibility

Stakes run from a minimum bet of €0.20 to a maximum bet of €240 in standard play, rising to €300 with Ante Bet. The max win is 3,000x the bet. Additional pacing metrics include a hit frequency around 28.99%, an average Free Spins trigger of about 1 in 263 spins, a chance of 1 in 60,445 to exceed 1,000x, and a max-win occurrence around 1 in 16,129,000 spins.

Conclusion — refined roaming action with a measured top cap

Release The Bison nails the fundamentals: approachable visuals, crisp presentation, and a cleverly interlocked trio of mechanics—Wild Respins, Guaranteed Wins (10x–40x), and a Free Spins round that couples Roaming Wilds with a global multiplier that can grow. The wheel that sets your spins and starting multiplier adds a jolt of anticipation before the feature even starts, and the Wild collection system makes every bison feel consequential. On the flip side, the 3,000x max win is conservative for a high-volatility release, and the bison theme isn’t exactly new territory. That said, the overall polish and the way the roaming behavior carries across features give the game a clear identity. It’s a great pick if you enjoy nature themes and mechanics that build momentum as symbols accumulate. Recommended for: - Players who love roaming Wilds and global multipliers. - Fans of high-volatility math with clean, readable gameplay. - Nature/animal-theme enthusiasts seeking a modern, polished take. If the roaming vibe clicks for you, try similar titles with their own twists: - Buffalo King Megaways (Pragmatic Play) — expanded betways, cascading action, and a different brand of multiplier dynamics. - Release the Kraken / Release the Kraken 2 (Pragmatic Play) — a sea-bound cousin where roaming behavior and feature variety take alternate shapes, and top wins scale differently. - Blazing Bison Gold Blitz — another bison-forward experience that leans into ways-to-win and extra-hit mechanics for a contrasting rhythm. In short, Release The Bison is a confident, well-tuned slot whose roaming Wilds and multiplier growth deliver satisfying surges—especially in Free Spins—while keeping the experience welcoming and easy to read from the very first spin.