Big Bamboo (Push Gaming) Slot Review

Big Bamboo: Slot Overview 

Push Gaming’s Big Bamboo is a deceptively peaceful-looking online slot that houses an intense and volatile gaming experience under its tranquil exterior. Released on March 3, 2022, this high-risk, high-reward game draws inspiration from nature—specifically, towering bamboo forests and their zen ambiance—but its gameplay is anything but serene. With a combination of mystery symbols, instant coin wins, free spins with symbol conversions, and a towering max win potential of 50,000x, Big Bamboo is not for the faint-hearted. 

This 5-reel, 6-row slot offers 50 fixed paylines, providing players with ample opportunities to land winning combinations. The game is known for its intricately layered features, ranging from Golden Bamboo mechanics to bonus buys and a gamble feature. Despite a soft visual presentation, the slot thrives on relentless volatility, reflecting Push Gaming’s hallmark style of crafting brutally rewarding slots.

Design and Graphics 

Visually, Big Bamboo is both minimalist and mystical. The backdrop features a serene bamboo forest bathed in a soft green glow, creating a calming visual tone that contrasts sharply with the game’s aggressive volatility. The symbols are clean and polished, consisting of card suits for low pays, and a variety of forest animals—boars, birds, monkeys, and pandas—for high pays. The top-paying symbol, the panda, stands out not only for its payout potential but also for its expressive design.There’s a hint of Hacksaw Gaming and Razor Shark aesthetics in the layout and iconography, adding to the familiarity while keeping the look unique. The interface is user-friendly, with the spin, bet, and bonus buy buttons neatly integrated below the reels.

Gameplay Mechanics 

The action in Big Bamboo revolves around its 50 fixed paylines, requiring at least three matching symbols from left to right—except for the panda, which pays from two. The payouts range significantly, with card suits like clubs, hearts, diamonds, and spades awarding 0.4x for five-of-a-kind, while high symbols like animals reward 12x to 150x the bet. 

Wild symbols substitute for all standard pays and are worth as much as the panda when used in winning combinations. The gameplay becomes particularly interesting with the addition of Mystery Bamboo Symbols, Golden Bamboo features, and scatter-triggered bonuses that unlock new dimensions of play. 

The volatility is rated high, meaning that players can expect longer dry spells followed by the possibility of huge wins—particularly when bonus features line up just right.

Sound and Music 

Big Bamboo’s sound design is subtle but effective. In the base game, the background music is tranquil and meditative, echoing the serenity of a bamboo forest. However, the intensity ramps up as players enter the bonus features, with suspenseful tunes accompanying the spinning of mystery symbols or the gamble wheel. 

The sound effects for spinning reels, feature triggers, and big wins are crisp and satisfying, reinforcing the action on-screen without overwhelming the player. The sound design plays a critical role in juxtaposing the game’s outwardly peaceful appearance with the internal chaos of high-volatility gameplay.

Bonus Features 

Mystery Bamboo Symbols 

These symbols can land anywhere on the reels in both the base and bonus games. When triggered, they transform into paying symbols, wilds, or Golden Bamboo symbols, setting up for potentially big chain reactions. 

Golden Bamboo Feature 

Activated when mystery symbols convert into Golden Bamboo symbols, each position spins independently to reveal:Instant Prize – Multiplies the bet from 1x up to 5,000x. 

Collector – Gathers the values of other instant prizes on the screen. 

Multiplier – Applies a multiplier (2x to 10x) to instant prizes or collectors. 

This creates a cascading mechanic similar to popular “hold-and-win” formats but with Push Gaming’s own spin on volatility and excitement. 

Scatter and Gamble Scatter Symbols 

Three scatter symbols (two standard and one gamble scatter) are needed to trigger free spins. The gamble scatter can reveal outcomes like: 

A blank – no bonus. 

4–9 free spins. 

7–9 free spins with 2 low symbols converted to Mystery Bamboo. 

8–10 free spins with 4 low symbols converted—the most valuable tier. 

Gamble Feature 

If you land a lower-tier free spins bonus, you can gamble for a better tier via a spinning wheel. This adds a layer of risk-reward tension, where a loss means forfeiting the bonus entirely, but a win upgrades the feature—potentially making a huge difference. 

Free Spins 

In free spins, the game collects scatter symbols which, once filled, convert low-paying symbols into Mystery Bamboo symbols. Each stage unlocks additional spins and enhancements: 

1st symbol: +4 extra spins. 

2nd & 3rd: +3 spins each. 

4th: +2 spins. 

Also, a multiplier is introduced, applied to instant prize symbols that hit during the Golden Bamboo sequence. 

Buy Feature 

Players can buy direct access to free spins via one of four options:99x the bet – 7–9 free spins, no symbol conversion. 

179x the bet – 7–9 spins with 2 converted symbols. 

608x the bet – 8–10 spins with 4 converted symbols. 

300x the bet – random bonus level. 

These options come with disclosed RTPs, offering transparency and strategic entry points for high-stakes players.

Betting Options and Payouts 

Big Bamboo allows flexible betting, from €0.10 to €100 per spin, appealing to both casual players and high rollers. The default RTP is 96.13%, which increases slightly to 96.52% when using the bonus buy feature. 

The game’s maximum win is a jaw-dropping 50,000x the stake, although this comes with an ultra-rare probability of 1 in 21 million spins. This max win potential adds allure for players chasing life-changing payouts, despite the daunting odds. 

The base game may feel slow at times due to the volatility, but when bonus features align—especially with multipliers and symbol conversions—the payout spikes can be exhilarating.

Conclusion 

Push Gaming’s Big Bamboo is a fascinating contradiction: visually meditative yet mechanically intense. What seems at first like a soothing jungle-themed slot quickly reveals itself to be a nerve-wracking test of patience and nerve, amplified by its complex Golden Bamboo and symbol conversion systems. 

Its standout qualities include layered bonus features, a highly rewarding instant prize system, and a max win cap of 50,000x. While it might not have the relentless replayability of Fire Hopper or the brutal simplicity of Razor Shark, Big Bamboo carves out its niche by offering thoughtful design with enormous win potential. 

Ideal for high-volatility thrill-seekers and players who enjoy calculated risks, Big Bamboo isn’t for everyone—but those who connect with its mechanics will find it deeply rewarding. Whether you’re buying bonuses, gambling to reach the top tier, or simply chasing mystery symbols, the bamboo hides riches for those patient (and lucky) enough to seek them.