Bee Keeper Demo
Bee Keeper Slot Review
A little late to the party is Reel Kingdom’s latest seasonal release, Bee Keeper. Known for, but not limited to, their Big Bass Bonanza series, Reel Kingdom is taking a well-deserved time out to tend to their other duties, one of which is beekeeping.
With summer pretty much over for us UK citizens (did it really start?), Reel Kingdom has crept out of the woodwork just in time to release Bee Keeper – a delightful 5-reel Video Slot with a honeycomb matrix and a ‘buzzing’ soundtrack.
Bee Keeper facilitates a fixed RTP of 96.53%, a high volatility score, and 2,100x your bet in max win potential.
Like almost every player, when we think of Reel Kingdom, our minds go straight to the Big Bass Bonanza series, but they also own a small selection of titles outside of this, including Fonzo’s Feline Fortunes, Dynamite Diggin Doug, and Kingdom of the Dead, to name a few.
If you can pry yourself away from the clutches of Big Bass Bonanza long enough, you may find the above titles right up your street…or not. Regardless, this latest release comes as a welcome distraction from all things fishing, but will it float our boat, or leave us feeling stung in more ways than one? Let’s find out.
Base Game & Features
Bee Keeper is a seasonal-themed slot release from Reel Kingdom, featuring 5 reels, 3 rows, & 10 fixed pay lines. Wins occur when 2-5 identical symbols land from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.
The highest-paying symbol falls to the Beehive, awarding fixed payouts between 0.4x and 200x your bet. Other symbols, including Fruits, Flowers, & Card Suits, reveal a fixed payout between 0.4x and 100x your bet, where applicable.
Additionally, Wild symbols, in the form of Bees, appear on all reels throughout gameplay, substituting for all symbols except Scatter & Money Icons. Lastly, Scatter symbols are responsible for triggering the Free Spins mode, but only when 3 or more land in the same spin.
Money Symbols
During gameplay, special Honey Jars represent Money symbols on the reels, revealing Cash Prizes between 2x and 2,000x your bet. In the base game, Money symbols that create a winning combination will not award their revealed values, but will award a payout according to the paytable.
Bee Keeper Free Spins
Landing 3, 4, or 5 Scatters in a single base game spin triggers the Free Spins mode, awarding 10, 15, and 20 Free Spins, respectively.
In this mode, all pay lines or winning combinations involving Money symbols are paid, while every Bee Wild collects the value of all Money symbols in view. Throughout spins, reels 1, 3, and 5 are marked by a Honeypot as part of a special collection feature.
Each Bee Wild to appear will mark its position with a special Frame, across reels 1, 3, and 5 only. For every 4th Bee Wild will activate 1 of 3 Honeypots, from left to right:
- Honeypot 1: Awards +10 Free Spins and a x2 Multiplier
- Honeypot 2: Awards +10 Free Spins and a x3 Multiplier
- Honeypot 3: Awards +20 Free Spins and a x20 Multiplier
The active Multiplier from retriggers is applied to all Money symbols collected by Bee Wilds throughout the remainder of Free Spins. Lastly, when a Bee Wild is on the reels, without a Money symbol, there is a chance for random Money symbols to be added to the reels.
Ante Bet & Bonus Buy
Players may purchase the Free Spins mode or Ante Bet feature for the following cost:
- Ante Bet: Increases your chance of triggering the Free Spins mode for 2x your bet per spin (96.53%)
- Free Spins: Triggers the Free Spins mode with 3, 4, or 5 Scatters for 100x your bet (96.53%)
Bee Keeper has a maximum win potential of 2,100x your bet. If a single game round achieves this, the current mode ends, and players return to the base game with the qualifying amount.
Our Honest Verdict
After feeling pretty buzzed for a Reel Kingdom game that isn’t about Fishing, our excitement quickly turned to utter disappointment. This comes from the realisation that Bee Keeper is just another glorified ‘Cash Collect’ game and another Big Bass Bonanza reskin.
Could it be that Reel Kingdom are fresh out of ideas? Possibly, but there are plenty of inspiring ideas available on the iGaming market to use as a stepping stone for something bigger and better. Needless to say, Bee Keeper won’t be as popular, but it will appeal to players with an eye for simple mechanics and tidy gameplay.
Due to the layout of the reels and the individual symbol colours, it can be hard to read low-paying wins when they appear. Another unpleasant experience is how fast each spin occurs during Free Spins – blink, and you’ll quite literally miss all the action.
It’s during the Free Spins mode that the similarities between Big Bass Bonanza and this one really come to light. Yes, there is no Retrigger Trail, but there are 3 Honeypots that award the same thing. What’s interesting, though, is that the final retrigger can award +20 Free Spins and a x20 Multiplier, but there’s certainly room for improvement in the 2,100x max win department.
All in all, Bee Keeper is a less-than-ambitious stand-in for Big Bass Bonanza, awarding a traditional Cash Collect feature with a rather embarrassing max win potential of 2,100x your bet.
*The images found in this slot review are currently from Demo Play. On average, our reviews are written prior to the initial release date and before real play is available.
