Fat Panda Slot Review 2024
We’re putting our faith in a rather overweight Panda in Pragmatic Play’s latest release, Fat Panda!
Just going by the title alone, one can assume that Fat Panda is another in Push Gaming’s ‘fat’ series, but it’s Pragmatic Play that takes the credit for this one.
Speaking of Push Gaming, it was also these guys and gals that bought us Big Bamboo. Now it may just be a coincidence that Pragmatic Play chose a Panda as the main character, but will gameplay prove that Fat Panda is one-of-a-kind?
Fat Panda is a 5-reel slot with 20 fixed pay lines in play. Here you will be aided by a special Top Reel that offers a unique set of Modifiers that can deliver epic wins of up to 20,000x.
In China, giant pandas represent peace and friendship, but will this particular Panda be kind to us? Let’s play on and find out!
Fat Panda Base Game and Features
Fat Panda is a 5-reel slot with 20 fixed pay lines. Winning combinations are formed when 3 or more of the same symbols land from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.
The minimum bet available here is £.€0.10 per spin and the maximum bet available is £.€100 per spin, with plenty of other options in between the two. Fat Panda has a theoretical RTP of 96.07% and a max win cap of 20,000x.
In terms of symbols, the highest-paying regular symbol here is Fortune Cookies, followed by Lanterns, Drums, Fans, and Coins. Low-paying symbols are standard Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten. Panda Wilds substitute for all other symbols except Scatters.
Top Reel with Modifiers
Above the main reel set sits an extra reel with only Blank and special Modifiers present. The modifiers that can appear on the Top Reel are as follows.
- Add Wild – When in view, this symbol will add 1 Wild symbol to a random position on the reel below it.
- Expanding Wild – When in view, if there is at least 1 Wild below it, the reel will expand into a fully stacked Wild for that particular spin.
- Add Wild Multiplier – When in view, this symbol will reveal a random Multiplier value between x2 and x10 that is added to all present Wilds on the reel below it. The multiplier will be applied to all wins that pass through those Wilds.
- Add Multiplier to all Wilds – When in view, this symbol will reveal a random Multiplier between x2 and x10 that is applied to all Wild symbols present across the reel set. Multipliers will be applied to all wins that pass through those Wilds.
Fat Panda Free Spins
Landing 3, 4, or 5 Scatters across the reels triggers the Free Spins round, awarding 10, 12, and 15 Free Spins respectively. The Top Reel remains active during the Free Spins round.
During Free Spins, all Wild symbols that land in view will remain in their fixed positions for the duration of the Free Spins round. Landing a ‘+Spin’ symbol during this time will award between +1 and +10 additional Free Spins at random.
Fat Panda Bonus Buy
Those outside the UK will benefit from a Bonus Buy option. Pragmatic Play has granted players access to 2 Bonus Buy options, as follows.
- Free Spins – Awards the Free Spins round for a total cost of 70x your current bet. (RTP 96.07%)
- Super Free Spins – Awards the Super Free Spins round for a total cost of 300x your current bet. On the first Free Spin, 5 Wild symbols will be added to the reel set in random positions, remaining in their positions for the duration of Free Spins. (RTP 96.07%)
Fat Panda: Our Verdict
Fat Panda is a beautiful slot with a captivating backdrop, vibrant colours, tantalizing sound effects, and up-to-date graphics, but can the same be said about gameplay?
Pragmatic Play has worked their magic yet again by delivering an interesting feature in the form of a Top Reel loaded with exciting Modifiers. It’s a simple feature that isn’t entirely new, yet it proves effective in the base game. With the right setup, this feature does well to deliver some petty decent wins.
Like The Dog House, the Free Spins round puts Wild symbols to good use. Each time a Wild symbol lands or is awarded via the Top Reel Modifiers, they become sticky, making your chances of achieving the 20,000x max win cap all the more realistic.
Although Fat Panda may never top the likes of The Dog House. we’ll admit that in some ways it’s better. Statistically, Fat Panda outperforms The Dog House, with an impressive 20,000x max win cap up for grabs, plus the Modifiers that can alter both the Free Spins round and base game.
All in all, Fat Panda looks to be a contender for one of Pragmatic Play’s most popular releases, but perhaps not the most popular to date.