As with many modern media forms, sequel releases have become a staple in the online casino industry. Over the years, many slot titles have become franchises in their own right, providing instantly recognisable visuals that recur across numerous titles in the same series. Many slot developers provide instalments of popular titles, building on foundations that have proven success in the industry, with many players preferring to play a returning title over something fresh.
To make these online slots stand out from other releases in the series, developers implement nuanced game mechanics or theme tweaks to make each title unique. Whilst things have changed slightly, sequel titles always provide similar playing experiences, often featuring the same symbols and characters. In this article, we will look at some of the most popular slot sequel titles of all time, exploring their gameplay features and layouts.
Big Bass Splash
The ‘Big Bass’ series is undoubtedly one of the most popular in the history of the online casino industry, which has seen numerous instalments released since the debut title. The first title in the series was Big Bass Bonanza, which in itself reached large popularity, becoming one of the most notable slot games at the time of release. Since the creation of this slot game, developers Reel Kingdom have created numerous sequel titles, one of which is the Big Bass Splash slot. The Big Bass Splash slot has kept things relatively simple compared to the original release in the series.
The gameplay in the Big Bass Splash slot is set across a 5×3 playgrid, featuring a payline count of 10. As with many other slots in the series, these lines can be completed if combinations of symbols land across one of them, starting in the leftmost reel and working from left to right. Almost all symbols require 3 or more identical symbols to appear across these paylines to trigger a base game prize, except for the highest-value symbol, which only requires 2.
In terms of bonus mechanics, Reel Kingdom has added some additional features from the original slot title in the series. As in the first slot in the series, the main bonus feature is the free spins feature, which is centred around the fisherman wild. Where this feature differs is the range of modifiers that can be randomly awarded before the bonus begins, which can impact the gameplay. During free spins, landing the fisherman wild symbol on the reels alongside a value symbol will collect the value of that symbol and award it to the player.
Sweet Bonanza 2500
Over the years in the online casino industry, many developers have released unique slot titles with sweets as the theme, though none have achieved the popularity of Pragmatic Play’s Sweet Bonanza series. Following on from the original titles in the series, Pragmatic Play has added higher maximum prize potential, along with nuanced game features to differentiate the titles. In terms of design, the developers have kept things pretty simple throughout the series, with only minor changes to the same sweet-filled backdrop.
Part of all slots in the series is the pays anywhere mechanic, which can be triggered across the 6-reel, 5-row playgrid. The pays-anywhere mechanic is unique compared to the traditional paylines system used by many, with matching combinations occurring anywhere on the grid. The pays anywhere mechanic can trigger matching combinations if 8 or more base game symbols appear anywhere on the reels.
Users who played the previous instalments in the Sweet Bonanza series will not be surprised by the bonus features available in this title, with the main being the free spins bonus. If the feature is triggered, 10 bonus rounds will take place, where multipliers can land and will remain on the grid throughout the bonus.
Pirots 3
The Pirots series is one of the most popular in the online casino industry, which is a credit to ELK Studios and their consistent innovation. All titles in the series are centred on the four gem-collecting birds, which, in each instalment, visit a new civilisation. For this title, the four birds visit the Wild West, leaning into the theme with cowboy elements throughout the visuals, and the playgrid is set in a Western town between rows of saloons. What makes this series unique is the CollectR mechanic, as well as the selection of bonuses that can be triggered.
ELK Studios has opted to steer away from traditional slot standards in this title, omitting paylines and other popular matching-combination methods. Instead, they created their own CollectR mechanic, which has become a staple in the series. The CollectR mechanic allows for base game prizes to be triggered if one of the four coloured birds randomly appears beside gems of the same colour.
There are numerous bonuses in the Pirots 3 slot game, which can be triggered by collecting bird symbols. The main bonus feature is the free drops feature, which is triggered if 3 bonus symbols are collected by any of the coloured birds. During this feature, the grid size, symbol levels, meter progress, and bonus symbols collected remain persistent and grow throughout the feature.
By Olivia Gril
