Jingle Bells Bonanza 2 Slot Review
Christmas has officially arrived at Red Tiger, and with it comes their annual festive offering, Jingle Bells Bonanza 2, which follows the original Jingle Bells Bonanza that was first created by NetEnt.
Sshh, listen carefully…the jingles are getting louder as the North Pole gears up for another winter of wonderful wins. The elves are busy polishing bells so that they shine, gifts are being wrapped with perfect precision, & Santa himself is marching through the workshop with a booming “Ho, ho, ho!” that suggests something big is coming.
Rather than simply repeating what came before, Jingle Bells Bonanza 2 pushes the festive theme further, offering sharper visuals & a more involved set of features. Locked Frames, Christmas Spins, & Jackpot Prizes keep the action moving as the festive atmosphere builds.
While Red Tiger aren’t as gifted with holiday releases as certain studios, they’ve still covered a handful of recognisable Christmas slots over the years, including Jingle Ways Megaways, Santa Spins, & Dear Santa.
Other software developers have stepped up their seasonal catalogue just this year. For example, Push Gaming has dropped standout releases like Santa Hopper and Santa’s Vault.
Even so, a new Christmas release from Red Tiger is always appreciated, and Jingle Bells Bonanza 2 earns its place with a 10,716x max win potential, a high (4/5) volatility rating, and a 96.17% RTP to round out its festive appeal…
Base Game & Features
Jingle Bells Bonanza 2 is a 6-reel, 4-row video slot with 20 fixed pay lines. Paytable symbols connect as wins when 3-6 identical symbols land on adjacent reels, starting from reel 1.
The highest-paying symbol is revealed as the Polar Bear, followed by the Penguin, Reindeer, Snowman, Spinning Top, and A, K, Q, J, & 10 royals. When a winning combination is confirmed on the reels, a fixed payout between 0.5x and 50x your bet is awarded.
Wild Symbol
Jingle Bells act as the game’s Wild symbols, appearing on reels 2, 3, 4, & 5. Wild symbols substitute for all paying symbols and leave behind a Frame on the position they land.
If a Jingle Bell Wild lands in a position that already contains a frame, all existing Frames on the reels transform into Golden Leaf Wilds. In this case, each additional Jingle Bell does not create a new Frame.
Whenever a Jingle Bell Wild drops onto a position that already has a frame, it increases the Win Multiplier by +x1. This multiplier is applied to any wins awarded during the same spin.
Jingle Bells Bonanza 2: Free Spins
Landing 2 Scatter symbols on reels 1 & 6 activates the Christmas Spins Feature, awarding 10 Free Spins.
At the start of Christmas Spins, each triggering Scatter transforms into either a Red Bauble & Gold Bauble or Prize Present. During this bonus, only these 3 symbol types can appear, and any that land will remain locked in place for the rest of the feature.
Red & Gold Baubles award instant Cash Prizes based on your current bet, up to 10x your bet. Prize Presents correspond to the game’s 4 fixed Jackpot Prizes, each representing the following multipliers:
- Grand: 5,000x your bet
- Major: 250x your bet
- Minor: 50x your bet
- Mini: 20x your bet
When the number of Free Spins drops to 3, Christmas Spins shifts into a Hold & Respin mode. Landing a Red/Gold Bauble or Prize Present during this time will reset the Respins Counter to 3.
Each Gold Bauble also advances the Progress Bar above the reels, of which there are 3 Stages. Each stage is filled by landing 2 Gold Baubles, and once complete, one of the following features is awarded:
- Extend: Increases the Hold & Respin count to 4, with each new Bauble or Prize Present resetting the spins to 4.
- Double: Doubles any Cash or Jackpot Prizes that land after this stage is unlocked.
- Expand: Adds +2 additional rows to the grid, one above & one below.
The feature ends when no spins remain or the grid is filled with Cash/Jackpot Prizes. Once complete, all accumulated cash prizes and bonus prizes on the reels are awarded.
Bonus Buy
Players within eligible markets can purchase the Free Spins mode for 65x their bet, which guarantees 10 Free Spins. When using the Bonus Buy option, the overall RTP is 96.17%.
The maximum win potential of this game is 10,000x your bet. If a single session exceeds this, the player is instantly awarded the qualifying amount.
Our Honest Verdict
Software developers like Red Tiger understandably don’t throw their full weight into every Christmas release they distribute, simply because these games have such a short shelf-life. Jingle Bells Bonanza 2 is a fairly generic festive slot, but one that still serves its purpose if you’re just after a seasonal spin session.
Push Gaming tends to push the boat out further with their Christmas releases, often building releases that feel more wholesome, and occasionally even hold their appeal beyond December.
Jingle Bells Bonanza 2 doesn’t necessarily aim for that, and admittedly, it probably won’t see much play past the new year; however, it delivers the traditional Christmas atmosphere players expect, wrapped in a classic Red Tiger design & mechanics.
The addition of Jackpot Prizes and its encouraging RTP doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but they do elevate it above the original Jingle Bells Bonanza release. Jackpot Prizes are a staple asset in slots, but certain types of players actively avoid this particular feature. For some, it just feels unrealistic, like an unattainable carrot dangled in front of them.
With a notably higher max win potential than its predecessor, there’s at least something extra to chase here. That being said, Red Tiger games aren’t exactly known for hitting their max win potential quite like Nolimit City slots, so you wonder if it’s a realistic eventuality or just a hypothetical figure as a result of billions of simulated spins.
All in all, Jingle Bells Bonanza 2 is an average release in the grand scheme of things. It’s festive, functional, & offers the right amount of Christmas spirit.
*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 the game is available for real play.
