Black Bull: Slot Overview
Of all the rodeo sports participated in today, bull riding has
to be one of the more ⚾️ spectacular. Not many people would want to be in the same pen as
one of those nostril-snorting monsters, but brave ⚾️ riders strap themselves on and
attempt to last at least 8 seconds without being bucked off. Some of those beasts ⚾️ can
buck alright, and it takes a certain kind of person to even think about wanting to ride
one. It ⚾️ also takes a certain person to want to fire up Black Bull, an online slot from
software developer Pragmatic Play. ⚾️ This is an American nature slot full of wild
animals, dreamy landscapes, and a money symbol collection feature.
If you've ever
⚾️ played Pragmatic Play's slot Treasure Wild, then you'll have a good handle on the
features and mechanics on offer in ⚾️ Black Bull since they are more or less the same. On
the theme side of things, Black Bull has a ⚾️ Wild West, US Prairie thing going on. So, if
you are accustomed to a game like Wolf Gold, then Black ⚾️ Bull's set-up should feel
familiar. A 5-reel, 4-row, 20 payline game grid has been placed out in a prairie/desert
destination, ⚾️ where birds caw and the sky blazes as the sun sets (or rises). It's all
pretty mainstream stuff, and the ⚾️ most rootin'-tootin' thing about Black Bull is its
enjoyably energetic rock-infused soundtrack.
Riding a bucking bull has got to be
something ⚾️ of a volatile experience, and so is Black Bull, Pragmatic Play slapping on a
4 out 5 rating in terms ⚾️ of volatility. The RTP is variable, ranging from a maximum
default value of 96.51% moving down to a minimum of ⚾️ 94.24%, market dependent. Stakes of
20 p/c toR$/€100 can be selected, and players can cling to the virtual bull on ⚾️ any
device they prefer.
Collecting money symbols is one of Black Bull's highlights, made
more so in free spins due to ⚾️ a progressive element. Until then, the other way of
extracting coins is to hit line wins, made up of three ⚾️ to five matching symbols. All
pay symbols pay in adjacent reels, left to right, starting from the leftmost reel. Jack
⚾️ to Ace card royals are up first, worth 2x the bet when a five-of-a-kind win lands.
These symbols are followed ⚾️ by lizards, a horned creature, an eagle, a wolf, and a black
bull as the most valuable of the lot. ⚾️ Hitting a five of a kind premium win is worth a
payout of 4-25 times the stake.
Black Bull: Slot Features
Two ⚾️ other key symbols in
Black Bull are the wild and the money symbol. When money symbols land, they display a
⚾️ random value of 0.5 to 50 times the total bet. Money symbol values get collected when
wild symbols also land. ⚾️ Every money symbol value is collected by each wild symbol in
view. As well as collecting money symbol awards, wilds ⚾️ can also substitute for all
normal pay symbols and are worth the same as the bull premium when making winning ⚾️ wild
lines.
Free Spins
Landing 6-11 money symbols awards 6 free spins, 12-17 money symbols
get you 8 free spins, while 18-20 ⚾️ money symbols in view triggers 10 free spins. Before
free spins begin, all values from the triggering money symbols are ⚾️ collected and stored
as the starting value for the bonus round's progressive feature.
During the round, when
money symbols land, they ⚾️ add their value to the collected amount, and when wilds hit,
each one awards the current collected value. In addition, ⚾️ for every 6 money symbols
that land during the bonus round, +2 free spins are awarded.
If you'd prefer not to
⚾️ wait for 6+ money symbols to land on their own, and the opportunity is there, players
can elect to buy ⚾️ free spins for the cost of 75 times the stake. The RTP when buying
free spins increases to 96.69%.
Black Bull: ⚾️ Slot Verdict
Taken holistically, Black Bull
is a step up from Treasure Wild, which was woefully underwhelming in many regards.
Black ⚾️ Bull has a lot more life to it, and not just because of its high-paying animal
symbols. The theme, if ⚾️ cliched, has been handled well, which is to be expected, really,
given Pragmatic Play's expertise in designing North American outdoor ⚾️ slots. Visually it
ticks the right box, but it's the music that really brought the game to life. Close
your ⚾️ eyes, and you can literally imagine steaks sizzling on a BBQ, a neighbour tossing
out cans of root beer from ⚾️ an ice box, fireworks exploding in the distance, while Old
Glory flutters in a warm July breeze. Yeah, it sounds ⚾️ like the US of A.
Mute the game,
and Black Bull starts to wilt as its gameplay just isn't all that ⚾️ strong. The base game
follows a standard money symbol collection formula, but things can heat up in free
spins thanks ⚾️ to the progressive aspect. It could be interesting having a decent chunk
of change sitting in the pot, getting doled ⚾️ out whenever a wild symbol hits. Like the
previous slot, Treasure Wild, Black Bull has the same win cap of ⚾️ 4,500x the bet.
However, Black Bull does have a much more favourable max win probability, though, of 1
in 1,140,698.
Compared ⚾️ to much of the competition, those aren't bad odds, all things
considered. Black Bull's other stats, such as RTP, are ⚾️ solid as well. When factoring in
the head-bobbing tunes and the comforting visuals, there should be a certain level of
⚾️ entertainment value for the right person here. Pragmatic Play has put the features to
better use this time around, and ⚾️ Black Bull might appeal to players keen on a Big Bass
Bonanza alternative or have had it up to here ⚾️ with fish.
