Released: 21 Jan 2022

★★★★★

The great outdoors is not so great unless you can experience it, but what happens if you are unable to do so? Well, in that case, you should check out this brand new video slot that lets you experience that greenery and nature without having to actually go there. On top of that, you get to be accompanied by some wild animals too. The name of this game is the Great Bear slot and it comes with exceptional visuals and a maximum prize of 2,500x the stake.

The Great Bear slot incorporates the animal theme with incredible natural scenery and it offers a really immersive gaming experience. It comes with many amazing bonus features such as the symbol climb, the gift of the bear, incredible multipliers, and even the great bear free spins that can be of great help in winning the big prizes.

About Great Bear Slot

This game comes from one of the oldest and most experienced video slot providers, IGT. This company has been a big name in the industry for more than 70 years and continues to dominate the markets with its fantastic games. The Great Bear slot is one of their latest releases so let’s see what it has to offer.

It takes place on a simple and somewhat standard grid that consists of 3 rows and 5 reels, plus there are 20 active paylines for your winning combinations to land on. All of the paylines start from the first reel on the left. In order for a combination to be successful, you need to land at least 3 matching symbols across them.

The developers decided to include every single player’s preference when it comes to the betting system, as it spans from the minimum bet of £0.40 and it goes all the way up to the maximum possible bet of £4,000 per spin. You can win up to 2,500x your bet per spin.

Design, Symbols and Graphics

The visuals of the Great Bear slot are incredibly realistic and they offer a captivating experience in the middle of green forest. The superior graphics also play a vital role in the appearance department of the game and they enhance the masterfully designed visuals.

There are actually no specifically outlined reels in this game and the symbols appear directly on the backdrop, which presents a green forest covered in foliage and all kinds of plants. There are trees on both sides and they are all covered in moss, plus the fog that has spread makes it an even more realistic experience.

The symbols are presented by different kinds of animals. Starting from the bottom, we have a salmon, a mouse, a rabbit, a racoon, an owl, an eagle, a lynx, a wolf. Finally, at the top, we have the bear, which is worth 100x the stake for a fully covered payline, but it also serves as the game’s wild symbol.

The scatter is the other special symbol in the Great Bear slot and it is presented by a bear paw. It can be used to trigger the free spins feature of this game, but more about that later.

RTP, Variance and Payouts for Great Bear Slot

The Great Bear RTP value is capped around the industry average, at 96.07% to be exact, which is quite satisfactory.

The maximum potential payout of 2,500x the stake is paired with a medium volatility model, which entails rewards with a moderate value that can land at fairly frequent intervals. It allows for balanced gameplay that you can play for longer periods of time.

If you want to learn more about the RTP and the different volatility models, make sure to take a look at our detailed guide on the topic.

Gameplay and Features on Great Bear Slot

The Great Bear slot comes with an interesting array of bonus features that offer a lot more excitement and potentially a lot of help in reaching the big wins. Let’s take a closer look at them and what they offer.

Symbol Climb Feature

The Symbol Climb feature is available throughout the entire game. It can be said that it is quite an interesting take on the cascading system, in the sense that when triggered, it will bring new symbols and possibly more winning combinations.

Whenever a winning combination is formed, all the symbols of that type that are currently on the reels will be upgraded to the next level, which is basically considered to be new symbols. This can cause more winning combinations and more upgrades. After a certain amount of upgrades, those symbols will turn into wilds.

Gift of the Bear Feature

This is a random feature that can be triggered after an unsuccessful upgrade during the symbol climb feature. Once that happens, this feature can be triggered, which will continue the feature, instead of ending it. It requires 2 successful upgrades to have already happened first.

Great Bear Multiplier Feature

This is another randomly triggered bonus feature that can occur when you create a 5 symbol combination with wild symbols only. If this feature is triggered, the wilds on the middle reel will spin again and it can be upgraded to symbols will an x2 multiplier, then x3, x5, and finally x10.

Great Bear Bonus Feature

This feature is basically the free spins feature and you trigger it by landing 3 scatter symbols at the same time. This will result in 5 free spins and that number will go down only if you land a winning combination, which is pretty neat. The symbol climb feature is ongoing throughout the free spins and the upgrades persist until the end of the feature.

Great Bear Slot on Mobile

Thanks to technological advancements, most of the video slots today are made with HTML5 technology and the Great Bear slot is no different. This means that you can enjoy this game no matter where you are or what device you use. Simply open the game in the browser of your smartphone or tablet and start spinning the reels.

Other IGT Slots

Simsalaspinn 2 - join a mischievous wizard in another dimension and use his powers to earn great prizes. The 5x3 layout has 30 available paylines and it comes with exciting bonus features as well. The medium volatility is paired with an RTP of 96.56% and the maximum potential win is 2,400x the stake.

Magic of the Nile - this sacred river and the three obelisks next to it offer some really great prizes and bonus features. The layout of the game is made up of 3 rows and 5 reels, plus there are 30 available paylines. There is a medium volatility model and the RTP is capped at 96.02%, while the maximum possible bet reaches £7,500.

Skeleton Key - this is a great pirate-themed game that offers great visuals and many prizes. It takes place on a 5x3 grid that can also expand and offer up to 243 possible paylines. The game has medium-high volatility is combined with an RTP of 95.99%.

Slotswise Verdict

In terms of the visual design and the style of the symbols, it can be said that the Great Bear slot is made with somewhat dated visuals that might remind you of the vintage animal slots. Still, the game offers a really immersive atmosphere thanks to the realistically designed backdrop. In other words, you can look forward to a fantastic gaming experience.

The base game is pretty straightforward and simple, but when the bonus features come into play, it’s much more exciting and lively. Granted, most of them are triggered only randomly throughout the game, but even so, when they do activate, you can win some really big prizes.