Mutant Trawlers

Mutant Trawlers: Slot Overview

Imagine if all the talk of global warming, carbon loading the atmosphere and mass extinctions created a sort of environmental fatigue where human beings as a whole just gave up and said, 'fudge it, let's just do whatever', leading to unbounded pollution, exploitation, and rape of the natural world. Some might say we've already reached that point, but anyway, such a world might look like the nightmare landscape presented in Yggdrasil partner Bang Bang Games' fishing-themed slot Mutant Trawlers.

Entering this game is entering a world which is, as Bang Bang Games puts it, 'set against the eerie backdrop of a once-serene lake, now transformed by the leaking influence of a neighbouring nuclear plant.' This has transformed the denizens of these waters into bizarre mutant fish. Kudos to Bang Bang for not simply making another fishing slot set on sunny blue sea waters or on a pristine river by virgin forest. Instead, Mutant Trawlers draws parallels with Nolimit City's fish slot Ugliest Catch, both using grotesque humour to differentiate themselves from the multitude. The fundamentals, however, have been borrowed from Big Time Gaming's Golden Catch a game that's also inspired slots like Boat Bonanza and Boat Bonanza Colossal Catch by Play'n GO.

Mechanically, Mutant Trawlers is a bit different compared to the games mentioned. As for its math model, the volatility is medium-high, while from the four available RTP configurations, 96% is the default figure. A 243 ways, 5x3 game panel is the active gaming area, awarding regular wins when landing matching pays symbols on adjacent reels from the leftmost side. With Bonus Boost and bonus buys available, the stake range is 20 c to $/€40. Activating the Bonus Boost doubles the chances of triggering free spins for an increase to the stake of 50%.

Jack to Ace card ranks are Mutant Trawlers' regular low-pay symbols, and its highs are goggles, a barrel, a radiation detector, and a glowing green thing. Hitting 5 identical low pays in a way awards 0.6 to 0.8 times the bet, or players get 1 to 5 times the bet when landing 5 identical highs. The radiation sign wild substitutes for all symbols except scatters or Mutant Cash.

Mutant Trawlers: Slot Features

Cash collecting is Mutant Trawlers' focus, it being a fish-themed slot and all. This comes in the form of Mutant Cash symbols and Trawler Respins, with free spins, a free spins gamble, and bonus buys thrown in for good measure.

Mutant Cash

On each spin, Mutant Cash symbols may appear on the reels. Fishing boats may also appear above any reel. If a boat appears above a reel containing Mutant Cash, the cash on the reel is collected. The boat then gets upgraded to a Trawler, and a Trawler Respin is awarded.

Trawler Respin

After being upgraded, Trawlers get an x2 multiplier. Each Trawler collects all cash prizes appearing in the entire reel set. The Trawler Multiplier increases by +1 on each subsequent respin. New boats may appear on respins. If a boat collects Mutant Cash, it also gets upgraded to a Trawler. Boats that become Trawlers on respins get the same Trawler Multiplier as existing Trawlers. Respins continue until no more Mutant Cash gets collected. Ways wins pay during respins, but they are not affected by the Trawler Multiplier.

Meltdown Free Spins

In the base game, landing 3, 4, or 5 mushroom cloud scatter symbols awards 12, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. Upon entering free spins, players are given the option to gamble for extra spins up to a maximum of 20. Landing on the green segment of the wheel means more spins, landing on the red segment means returning to the base game with no free spins. During Meltdown Free Spins, the Trawler Multiplier does not reset between spins. Free spins cannot be retriggered.

Buy Bonus

It is possible to buy entrance to Meltdown Free Spins, triggered by 3, 4, or 5 scatters for 65 times the bet. Otherwise, players may buy free spins guaranteed to be triggered by 5 scatters for 120x the bet.

Mutant Trawlers: Slot Verdict

Fish slots, oh boy, there are a lot of them, huh? Quick clap then for Bang Bang Games for making one which doesn't blur seamlessly into 10,000 others. A trip to a lake heavily polluted by nuclear runoff, full of mutant fish that'll turn your skin unhealthy colours, might not sound like fun in real life, but in a fish slot, it makes a welcome change. The humorous angle taken in Mutant Trawlers makes it a light-hearted game that aims to appeal to keyboard anglers looking for a humorously light slot in general.

For one thing, winning potential isn't huge, so at 3,069x the bet, Mutant Trawlers isn't taking aim at the Golden Catches or the 4 Fantastic slots in the market. It's closer to something like Play'n GO's Boat Bonanza Colossal Catch. Mutant Cash values tended to be on the low side, for example, though they do get a leg up from Trawlers. Triggering Trawler Respins was quite enjoyable, too, particularly in free spins, as they not only keep the round going by not consuming free spins but getting a persistent multiplier, is always good news. As stated, Mutant Trawlers isn't a monster, yet it's easy to see certain piscine-minded gamblers getting a thrill out of the way it functions.

Mutant Trawlers might not become a major player in the fish slot market; however, it does manage to stand out from the bunch, which is an achievement in itself due to the phenomenal amount of fish slots crowding the shelves. It's similar in atmosphere to Ugliest Catch while delivering an alternative set of maths, features, and gameplay that may appeal to players who liked the style of the Nolimit City game but would prefer something more user-friendly, let's say. Or just fish fans on the trawl for a less generic game.