Blazing Bull 2

Blazing Bull 2: Slot Overview

When you hear the words 'spirit guide', the first images that arise are usually things like hawks, eagles, wolves, owls, or wise Native Americans. A ruddy great bull, surrounded by fire, isn't always the first thing that springs to mind. Players keen on the mystical side of life were forced to readjust their perspectives after Kalamba Games released their first Blazing Bull slot around one year ago.

Blazing Bull not only had the aforementioned burning bull, it had a whole range of spirit guides colouring the reels. It also possessed a couple of interesting bonus games, yet it lacked serious potential backing the whole thing up. Kalamba has put their mathematicians to work, rectifying this situation while also altering free spins to include symbol multipliers and a new modifier that works like Nolimit City's xWays feature.

As before, the gaming is conducted on a 6-reel, 4-row grid using a 4,096 ways system. The grid remains located outdoors, this time in a secluded forest, all circling hawks overhead and gently swaying foliage. Wooden totem poles representing the various animals in the game guard the reels, covered in hanging feathers to provide a dose of Native American mysticism. There's a similar vibe to last time, but it's slightly less primal as if someone hit the peace pipe a little too hard and was in the mood for chilling rather than getting riled up.

Like the original, Blazing Bull 2 has a respectable set of numbers. It starts with RTP, ranging from 96.26% on the default mode up to 97.21% when buying the HyperBonus. Volatility is as before, rated 10 out of 10, so Blazing Bull 2 can be quite the beast when it wants to. This time around, it's got tremendous potential to match. Blazing Bull 2 also remains a tad low roller unfriendly, seeing as stakes start at 50 p/c per spin, rising to $/€50 for the deeper-pocketed crowd.

As for the ways pays system, winning combinations are paid for matching symbols in any position on consecutive reels from the left-hand side. At least two are needed for the high pays, three for the lows. Lows are 9-A card rank icons, while the premiums are owls, wolves, horses, deer, and the blazing bull character. Landing six high pay combinations trigger payouts of 3 to 5 times the stake. Wilds appear to replace any pay symbol to compete winning ways. In the bonus rounds, they may be granted multipliers of a kind.

Blazing Bull 2: Slot Features

A mix of old and new features crop up in Blazing Bull 2. One that remains is the dual collection meters located above the reels. Every single base game spin partly fills these meters, which adds an extra free spin each time they are filled, up to 20 at the most. In other words, as more base game spins are played, more free spins are added to the corresponding free spins meter:

• 15 paid base game spins add +1 spin to the Wild Multiplier round.
• 30 paid base game spins add +1 spin to the K-Split bonus.

When free spins trigger, the amount showing on the counter is awarded, resetting back to 7 when the bonus round ends. Triggering free spins occurs when at least 3 blue or 3 orange scatter symbols are on screen at the same time:

• The blue scatters award K-Split free spins. On each spin of this bonus, 1 symbol is randomly selected to become a K-Split symbol. All of these selected symbols split, counting as 2 or 3 of the same type.
• Orange scatters award Multiplier Wild free spins. In this bonus, wild symbols can appear as x2, x3, x5, or x8 multiplier wilds. They don't multiply the value of the win they participate in as such but count as 2, 3, 5, or 8 ways for the columns they land in.

Both bonus games can be extended when 21 or more scatter symbols land. Players are awarded 2, 5, 8, 10, or 15 extra spins for 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters in view.

Finally, we come to the HyperBonus, available where bonus buy features are permitted. There are four options here. Players can buy:

• 7 or 10 Multiplier Wild free spins for 23.8 or 34 times the stake.
• 10 or 15 K-Split free spins for 51 or 76.4 times the stake.

Blazing Bull 2: Slot Verdict

Like Blazing Bull part one, players interested in crystals or spirit guides will be drawn in like a moth to part two. Now with the vastly increased winning possibilities, Blazing Bull 2 opens itself up to big win chasers as well. It's strange, though, even after a major overhaul, Blazing Bull 2 doesn't always come across as a high-performance slot. Maybe it does such a good job of recreating life in a mystical forest, materialistic concerns like money lose their appeal. You can't take it with you as they say, whereas those mountain peaks, woods, and rivers will still be there long after we've shuffled off.

Now, to get back to the game. Numerically speaking, there is nothing to complain about in Blazing Bull 2. RTP hovers comfortably above average, and volatility is there for those who like their games to blow at any moment. The original had all that as well, yet its modest max win failed to excite. Kalamba has obviously taken the criticism on board and come back firing for Blazing Bull 2. This time around, the studio claims max wins of up to 50,000 times the stake are possible. This is exceptionally high for Kalamba, and it means we won't be able to slag off this part of the game. It remains to be seen, however, if it will be able to live up to its cocky claim.

Other aspects are a little easier to critique. For one, Blazing Bull 2 doesn't invoke as raw a visceral response as the original did. It's the little things, like the delicate sound effects, generic royal symbols that don't fit like the previous one did, and background imagery not as majestic as before. Payout capabilities might have been turned up, exponentially, but the rest of the game feels like it's mellowed out.

Some players might prefer this gentler representation of the spirit guide concept, and you can't fault the numbers. Both free spin games are more than capable of bringing it, and that 50k is impressive, yet in many ways, Blazing Bull 2 doesn't blaze as brightly as part one did.