Monkey Bonanza Slot Review
Under the moonlight of its jungle clearing, Monkey Bonanza is happy to let you believe it’s a gentle game. It isn’t. This is a high volatility slot wearing a soft cartoon face, and almost everything it pays of consequence comes from a single respin feature that the rest of the game quietly funnels you towards.
Northern Lights Gaming have dressed that idea in a bamboo cage lashed with cord, hibiscus blooms creeping over the poles, and a small pink creature watching from a woven basket above the reels. The numbers are straightforward: a 5×3 grid, 10 fixed paylines, high volatility, a 96.06% RTP, and bets from 0.10 to 40.00 per spin.
Fans of the studio’s Panda Bonanza and Polar Bonanza will recognise the family resemblance, and Donkey Dollars covers similar jungle-and-prizes ground.
Base Game & Features
Wins run left to right across the 10 fixed paylines, starting from the first reel, and only the highest combination on each line is paid. Where multiple winning combinations land on a single payline, again only the highest counts. The total payout is the sum of all payline wins from the spin. It’s a conventional setup.
The wild does the usual substitution work for everything except the Monkey, Coin and Collect symbols, and it can appear on any reel. It’s also the richest symbol on the reels, paying as a multiple of the total bet rather than the line bet.
- Wild – 3 pays 3x, 4 pays 5x, 5 pays 10x the total bet
Piggy Bank & Win
Coin symbols land in the base game and during free spins, and each one reveals a cash prize on arrival. Those prizes sit waiting until a Collect symbol lands on reel 5, at which point everything on the board is banked at once. The Collect appears on that reel only, nowhere else.
It’s a simple collection mechanic, but the single-reel Collect means coins can stack up for a while before anything is paid. The prize ladder behind them, at a 2.00 bet, runs:
- 100.00
- 60.00
- 40.00
- 20.00
- 14.00
- 10.00
- 6.00
- 4.00
Jumbo Monkey Symbol
The Jumbo Monkey is the symbol to watch. It lands on the centre three reels as a 1×3, 2×3 or 3×3 block, and the smaller versions can be nudged at random into the full 3×3. Get it fully in view and Banana Bonanza triggers.
It appears in both the base game and free spins, so it’s a live threat on every spin. The nudge matters more than it sounds: a partial block that completes itself is the difference between a near miss and the feature.
Monkey Bonanza Free Spins and Banana Bonanza
Free Spins
Land three Free Spins symbols on reels 1, 3 and 5 and you’re awarded five free spins. The Free Spins symbol itself carries no payout, so the trigger is all it does. Five spins isn’t many, but the round works differently to the base game.
The centre three reels combine into a single 3×3 Jumbo Block, and every symbol except the Collect can land on it as a 1×3, 2×3 or 3×3 jumbo. Jumbo symbols then split into individual symbols to pay, which is how a full 3×3 block of premiums turns into a screen of matching symbols.
The split-to-pay detail is worth sitting with. A 3×3 block of one symbol fills nine positions across the middle three reels, and once those positions split, every payline running through them can pay the full five-of-a-kind rate simultaneously. A single jumbo landing on the right spin can therefore pay across several lines at once, and a board with two of them multiplies the effect again.
Bets and lines stay exactly as they were on the triggering spin, and the round plays out automatically with no input needed. Wins are added to anything already won in the base game. Free Spins cannot be retriggered – what you get at the start is all you get.
Banana Bonanza
This is the feature the game is built around, and it’s the louder of the two. Land the Jumbo Monkey fully in view – in the base game or during free spins – and you start with three respins on special reels carrying nothing but Wilds, Monkey symbols and blanks.
Each unlocked position spins individually, so the round plays more like a grid of tumbling cells than a reel spin. Wilds that land lock in place for the rest of the feature and can carry a multiplier worth up to x5.
Monkey symbols knock out the lowest symbol on the Banana Splat Bar, working up the ladder one step at a time. Landing either a Monkey or a Wild resets the respins back to three, so the round can run for a long time while the symbols keep coming. Multiple multipliers on one winning payline are multiplied together rather than added.
Follow a typical round through and the shape of it becomes clear. Early respins are about building position – every Wild that locks in adds a paying cell and buys three more respins, and the board fills one symbol at a time. Monkeys do different work: each one removes the bottom rung of the Splat Bar, so repeated Monkeys steadily strip the ladder while the Wilds accumulate behind them.
When the respins finally run out, one Super Monkey Spin arrives. It spins the remaining Banana Splat Bar symbols alongside the locked Wilds, wins are awarded at the end of it, and the feature closes. During Banana Bonanza the Wild substitutes for everything, which it can’t do in the base game.
Buy Feature
If waiting isn’t your style, the Buy Feature skips straight to the free spins round at your current bet. It’s available in the base game only, and it runs at its own return rate, which sits slightly below the main game’s.
- Buy Feature – 45x bet, triggers Free Spins instantly, RTP 95.54%
Our Honest Verdict
Overall Rating: 7.1/10
Playing Monkey Bonanza is mostly a waiting game in a very pretty jungle. Spins tick past, coins stack up uncollected, and the reason you’re there is the one moment a giant monkey fills the middle of the screen and everything changes. If that sounds like a good session to you, this game delivers it.
Banana Bonanza is the strength, and it’s not close: locked wilds that multiply each other, a respin counter that keeps resetting, and a knockout ladder that makes every Monkey feel like progress. The free spins round is the weakness – five spins, no retrigger, and over before it has earned its keep. It’s a round that exists to be bought rather than played.
This suits respin-chasers and anyone who likes their volatility wrapped in soft, hand-drawn scenery. Anyone chasing long, building bonus rounds will find the free spins too thin. For the right player, the jungle is worth sitting still for.
Monkey Bonanza FAQs
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What is the RTP of Monkey Bonanza?
The RTP is 96.06%. -
Is Monkey Bonanza high volatility?
Yes, Monkey Bonanza is a high volatility slot, with a hit frequency of 30.52%. -
How do you trigger Free Spins in Monkey Bonanza?
Land three Free Spins symbols on reels 1, 3 and 5 in the base game. That awards five free spins, during which the centre three reels combine into a 3×3 Jumbo Block. -
Can Free Spins be retriggered in Monkey Bonanza?
No. Free Spins cannot be retriggered, so the five spins you start with are all you receive. -
How is Banana Bonanza triggered?
Land the Jumbo Monkey symbol fully in view on the centre three reels, either in the base game or during Free Spins. The feature begins with three respins, and landing any Monkey or Wild symbol resets the respin count to three. -
How much does the Buy Feature cost in Monkey Bonanza?
The Buy Feature costs 45x your current bet and instantly triggers Free Spins. It runs at an RTP of 95.54% and is available in the base game only. -
What does the wild symbol substitute for in Monkey Bonanza?
In the base game the wild substitutes for all symbols except the Monkey, Coin and Collect symbols. During Banana Bonanza it substitutes for everything, locks in place when it lands, and can carry a multiplier of up to x5. -
What happens during the Super Monkey Spin in Monkey Bonanza?
The Super Monkey Spin is the final spin of Banana Bonanza. It spins the remaining Banana Splat Bar symbols alongside all locked Wilds, and any wins – including multiplied payline wins – are awarded at the end of it, closing the feature.
