Blaze Buddies

Blaze Buddies Slot Review

Keeping us warm this winter are four new dragon friends in Blaze Buddies, the latest release from Backseat Gaming. This charming dragon-themed slot launched on December 10, 2024, and offers a refreshing take on high-volatility gameplay. With its colourful cast of friendly dragons and innovative Pick Mechanic, Blaze Buddies stands out in the crowded fantasy slot market. The game features two free spins modes–Dragon’s Delight and Blaze of Glory–where players select from dragon eggs to unlock powerful modifiers. While the base game is deliberately stripped back, the explosive bonus potential with a 10,000x max win makes this slot worth considering for patient high-rollers. Backseat Gaming has become a rising star within the iGaming industry, and they never take a “backseat” approach when it comes to innovation.

Base Game & Features

Blaze Buddies plays out on a 5×4 grid with 20 fixed paylines. The game’s visual design is instantly appealing, featuring four colourful dragon characters–blue, green, purple, and red–who serve as the premium symbols. You’ll also find lower-paying card suit symbols filling out the paytable. Wins form when matching symbols land across any of the 20 paylines from left to right.

Here’s where Blaze Buddies takes a bold approach: the base game is stripped entirely of nifty features. There are no expanding wilds, no cascading wins, no random modifiers to break up the spins. What you see is what you get–a straightforward slot experience that relies purely on standard payline wins. This design choice might feel tedious for players accustomed to feature-rich base games, and some may give up prematurely due to the lack of pace during regular play.

However, there’s a silver lining to this bare-bones approach. The game compensates with a remarkably high hit frequency of 57.4%, which means you’ll land winning combinations on more than half your spins. This ensures consistent engagement despite the high volatility rating, keeping your balance relatively stable as you wait for the real action to begin. The base game essentially serves as a holding pattern, building anticipation for when those scatter symbols finally align and trigger the feature-packed bonus rounds.

Bonus Features

When Blaze Buddies shifts into its free spins feature, its set of modifiers is able to stoke a sizable blaze. The slot relies heavily on two free spins rounds to fill the void left by the feature-free base game, and this is where the innovative Pick Mechanic truly shines.

Dragon’s Delight

Landing 3 scatter symbols anywhere on the reels triggers the Dragon’s Delight bonus game. You’re immediately awarded 10 free spins and 3 feature picks. Before the free spins begin, you’ll select from a collection of dragon eggs to reveal which modifiers will be active during your bonus round. If scatters land on both reels 1 and 5 during the same spin, you’ll receive additional picks, up to a maximum of 6 total. This retrigger mechanism adds extra excitement and the potential for stacking multiple powerful modifiers.

Blaze of Glory

The premium bonus mode activates when you land 4-5 scatter symbols. Blaze of Glory also awards 10 free spins, but you’ll receive 4 or 5 feature picks respectively, giving you more chances to unlock powerful dragon modifiers right from the start. The same retrigger mechanism applies–scatters on reels 1 and 5 award additional picks, capped at 6 total.

Pick Mechanic

During free spins, your picks reveal one of three Dragon Modifiers or additional spins. The Pick Mechanic is decent, though it only becomes active during bonus mode. Here’s what each dragon egg can reveal:

• Expanded Dragon – Transforms the selected dragon symbol to land fully expanded (1×4) on any reel it appears on. This significantly increases win potential, but there’s a critical limitation: only 1 Expanded Dragon can appear per bonus round. Once picked, it cannot be selected again.
• Wild Dragon – Converts the chosen dragon into a Golden Wild substitute, helping complete winning combinations. Five wild symbols pay 20x your bet. Wild Dragons only appear during free spins.
• Dragon Multiplier – Awards a multiplier ranging from x2 to x100. Here’s where it gets interesting: multipliers on a single payline add together rather than multiply. This means one dragon can collect all three modifiers, potentially becoming an expanded wild with a substantial multiplier attached.
• Extra Spins – Instead of a modifier, you might reveal +2, +3, or +4 additional free spins, extending your bonus round.

The unique combination of feature picks and engaging gameplay mechanics offers a refreshing twist on standard free spins formats. When you manage to unlock the right combination of modifiers–particularly an Expanded Dragon with a high multiplier–the wins can escalate quickly.

Bonus Buy Options

For those who prefer instant action, Blaze Buddies offers 4 bonus buy options:

• Bonushunt Featurespins – 2x your bet (increased bonus trigger chance)
• Scorching Featurespins – 50x your bet (guaranteed bonus trigger)
• Dragon’s Delight – 100x your bet (direct access with 3 picks)
• Blaze of Glory – 200x your bet (premium mode with 4-5 picks)

However, feature buy slots at 100x or 200x are extremely volatile. You should not be surprised if you pay 100x your bet and win only 10-20x back. The swings are wild, and you need to use this feature wisely with a limited bankroll. Some players argue the Bonus Buy option takes the fun out of slots, removing the thrill of triggering a bonus naturally. Playing 100 spins may sometimes be better and give you more chances to hit the bonus round organically.

Our Honest Verdict

Blaze Buddies is a polarising slot that divides players based on preference. Where Hacksaw Gaming slots lean towards finely tuned finesse, Backseat Gaming is more about brute force features–impactful, but in a sledgehammer-to-the-face way rather than an insidious creep. Those who enjoy feature-rich base games will find the stripped-back gameplay tedious and boring, while players who prefer straightforward base play with explosive bonus potential will appreciate the design.

On the statistics front, Blaze Buddies looks pretty solid. The 96.37% RTP sits above the industry average, and the 57.4% hit frequency ensures you won’t haemorrhage your balance during base game play despite the high volatility rating. The generous max win cap of 10,000x provides genuine big-win potential, though it’s only achievable during free spins mode when the dragon modifiers align favourably.

The Pick Mechanic adds genuine player agency to the bonus rounds, and the possibility of stacking modifiers on a single dragon creates exciting potential. However, the limitation of only one Expanded Dragon per bonus round prevents the feature from becoming completely overpowered. Graphically and atmospherically, Blaze Buddies is a feel-good slot, mostly on account of the four happy, smiling, huggable dragon characters.

While Blaze Buddies might not seem like a blockbuster game as it’s on the quieter side, it’s actually very popular with players. We’d rate this 7.5/10–a respectable offering from Backseat Gaming. The slot is great for those who just want to enjoy a very basic main game without disruptions, but at the same time have an opportunity to enter or buy bonus games with all three modifiers in one spin. It’s best suited for patient high-volatility fans who can weather long dry spells in exchange for potentially massive bonus wins. If you’re after constant base game excitement, look elsewhere. But if you’re happy to wait for those explosive free spins rounds where a well-placed Expanded Dragon with a x100 multiplier can deliver truly memorable wins, Blaze Buddies deserves a spin.

Blaze Buddies FAQs

• What is the RTP of Blaze Buddies slot?

  Blaze Buddies offers an RTP of 96.37% in its highest configuration. However, certain operators provide a slightly lower version with a 94.28% RTP. Most players are exposed to the competitive rate of 96.37%.
• What is the volatility of Blaze Buddies?

  Blaze Buddies has a high volatility rating. The game’s high volatility manifests primarily through its bonus features, where the combination of expanding wilds and multipliers can produce wins up to 10,000x the stake. Despite the high volatility, the slot has a remarkable 57.4% hit frequency, ensuring consistent engagement with frequent smaller wins during base game play.
• What is the maximum win in Blaze Buddies slot?

  The maximum win potential in Blaze Buddies is 10,000x your bet. This max win is only achievable during the free spin mode, not in the base game. The base game free of extra features means the max win is not achievable in that phase of play.
• How many paylines does Blaze Buddies have?

  Blaze Buddies is a 5×4 slot with 20 paylines. The game combines these 20 paylines with high volatility and a 96.37% RTP.
• What is the bet range for Blaze Buddies?

  Players can wager from 10 cents to $100 (or €100) per spin in Blaze Buddies. This wide betting range accommodates both casual players and high rollers.
• What is the Dragon’s Delight bonus feature in Blaze Buddies?

  The Dragon’s Delight bonus game is triggered by landing at least 3 scatters in the base game. Once triggered, 10 free spins are granted along with 3 feature picks. The bonus includes dragon modifiers such as expanded dragons, wild dragons, and dragon multipliers that can enhance wins during the bonus round.
• What are the special features in Blaze Buddies?

  Blaze Buddies includes transforming symbols, expanded symbols, multipliers (up to 100x), free spins, and a pick game. The innovative Pick Mechanic allows players to enhance dragons with expanding symbols, wild transformations, and multipliers during the bonus round.
• What is the hit frequency of Blaze Buddies?

  Blaze Buddies has a hit frequency of 57.4%, which is remarkably high. This means that despite the high volatility rating, players experience frequent smaller wins during base game play, ensuring consistent engagement.