Bonzo’s Bananza Slot Review

The Bonzo’s Bananza Slot Game

As mentioned in the introduction, this video slot by ELK Studios takes you on a jungle adventure via a 5x5 gameboard. The main character is Bonzo, an arrogant but brilliant monkey, tasked with guarding the South American jungle.

Bonzo’s Bananza uses cartoonish graphics and takes place in a jungle background setting. Everything, from the monkey statue to the 5 by 5 grid and the pyramid, is engulfed in vines. However, progressing to the free spins teleports you into the temple, which is a haven for bananas and treasure. Clearly, it’s Bonzo’s resting place, but also its weakest sport.

The soundtrack blends tribal beats with light hip-hop flair, setting the perfect ambience for a relaxed adventure. Finally, the user interface is minimalist in ELK’s signature style, yet well organised for easy navigation.

Symbols and Payouts

The design team incorporated a few colourful symbols to help players win. They include 3 low, 3 mid, and 1 high-paying, and they all pay when 3+ identical symbols land on consecutive reels from the leftmost column since the game features 259 connected paylines.

The low pays, worth 0.1x to 0.25x, 0.15x to 0.3x, and 0.2x to 0.35x the bet, come from the Q, K, and A card ranks, respectively. Then, the mids in Bonzo’s Bananza are the Kiwi, Orange, and Watermelon, worth 0.3x to 0.5x, 0.4x to 6x, and 0.6x to 1x the stake, respectively. The Bird is the priciest regular symbol, valued at 0.8x to 5x the bet.

The Monkey and Banana wild symbols substitute for all the regular symbols. A payline of all wilds pays as the highest value symbol.

Bonzo’s Bananza Slot Bonus Features

This video slot keeps bonuses concise, centring on nudging wilds, full-reel multipliers, sticky symbols, respins, a bonus round, and feature buys!

Monkey & Banana Wilds

The Monkey wild is 5-row tall. It nudges into the screen until it covers all 5 rows, and receives a random multiplier. The Monkey wild also awards a respin, in which all the Monkey wilds currently in view remain sticky. In the case of multiple Monkey wilds, the respins will be stacked and played out one by one.

There’s also a Banana wild in Bonzo’s Bananza. It randomly connects with a Monkey wild, increasing the multiplier for every nudge. The increment amount may differ.

Bonus Game

Manage 3, 4, or 5 Bonus symbols during the base game to trigger 5 free spins. Additionally, 4 and 5 Bonus symbols award 1 and 2 Monkey wilds on the first spin, respectively. Landing 3+ Bonus symbols during the free spins awards +5 more spins. In addition, 4 and 5 Bonus symbols award 1 and 2 Monkey wilds in the next bonus spin, respectively.

All the Monkey wilds that land remain sticky throughout the remaining free spins. Respins triggered by either wild symbol don’t consume the free spins.

It’s also possible to trigger the free spins during a respin, after which the game’s state before the bonus will continue. The Monkey wilds present during a base game bonus trigger aren’t carried into the free spins.

X-iter (Feature Buy)

Bonzo’s Bananza has multiple feature buy options:

• Bonus Hunt: For 2x the bet, you get a spin with more than three times the chance of triggering the bonus.
• Monkey Wild: For 10x the bet, you’re guaranteed a spin with a Monkey wild.
• Monkey Wild Bananza: For 25x the stake, you get a game round with 2 Monkey Wilds.
• Bonus: For 100x the bet, you’ll trigger the bonus game, worth 5 free spins.
• Super Bonus: For 500x the stake, instantly trigger a bonus round with 5 bonus symbols, resulting in 5 bonus spins and 2 Monkey wilds on the initial spin.

How to Win at Bonzo’s Bananza Slot

This game is a 5-reel and 5-row adventure, powered by 259 connected ways to win. So, to win, you must connect 3 or more identical symbols on consecutive reels from the outermost left reel. So, no gaps between the reels are allowed.

Here, you can wager between €0.20 and €100 per Bonzo’s Bananza spin. Simply press the Coins+ button to access the bet selector and choose your preferred amount.

After locking in your stake, tap the Spin button to start a single round. Or you can use “Auto” to trigger autoplay mode and play several spins automatically. Players can access different game functions, including the paytable, settings, and rules, via the Menu button.

Bonzo’s Bananza Slot RTP & Volatility

This game’s RTP is fixed at 94%, which is below the industry’s average. According to the game sheet, its volatility is high at 8/10, indicating that wins can arrive in bursts rather than steadily. Meanwhile, you can win up to 10,000 times the bet.

Final Thoughts

Adventures in the South American jungle have been a cornerstone of the online slot world, leading to games such as NetEnt’s Gonzo's Quest and Gonzo's Gold. This new game seems like a deliberate move by ELK Studios to step back from their more brain-bending creations and opt for something simplistic.

So, unlike most ELK titles that demand a near-academic focus to untangle their mechanics, Bonzo’s Bananza directs most of its energy towards straightforward features. These entail nudging Monkey and Banana wilds, increasing multipliers, respins, free spins, and feature buys.

When your stars align, the gameplay can be genuinely entertaining. The sticky Monkey wilds with multipliers on the left reels create those “wow” moments. Furthermore, pairing them with Banana wilds during respins adds a satisfying layer of escalation. But that’s not all. The free spins may start modestly at five, but retriggers and respins can stretch bonus sessions longer than expected.

Still, the game isn’t without drawbacks. Its 94% RTP is clearly under the industry’s average, volatility is high, and some feature buys are priced ambitiously. The base game can also feel a little subdued between features. Either way, it’s an appealing experience that should intrigue fans if simplistic adventures, especially with the 10,000x bet win cap in mind.