Apparat Gaming · Released 2024
Released
Apr 24
Volatility
n/a
Reel
5x3
Paylines
n/a
RTP
96.23
Min bet
10
Max bet
5000
Max win
4,500
Free play demo
Demo play with virtual credits only. No deposit, no real money, no prizes.
Fishin' The Biggest by Apparat Gaming is a free demo for adults. Nothing you play here uses real money.
Confirmation lasts for this visit only.
Fishin' The Biggest from Apparat Gaming takes us back onto the water for another fisherman, another collection of valuable fish and another attempt to prove there's still something left to catch in one of online slots' busiest themes. Released in April 2024, it uses a traditional 5x3 layout with 10 fixed paylines, high volatility and maximum win potential of 4,500x the stake. Apparat lists a maximum RTP of 96.23%, although lower RTP configurations are available.
There isn't much hiding beneath the surface during ordinary spins. Fishing equipment, sea creatures and familiar card symbols populate the reels, while the Fisherman acts as the Wild. The real reason to cast a line is the Free Games feature, where Fish symbols begin carrying values and the Fisherman becomes a Collector.
That description will sound extremely familiar to anyone who has played fishing slots before. Apparat isn't pretending to reinvent the genre. Where Fishin' The Biggest becomes more interesting is its progression system. Every Fish collected during Free Games contributes towards a Collection Bar, with enough Fish unlocking additional Free Games and increasingly powerful multipliers. The process can repeat several times, eventually producing up to 40 additional Free Games and a 10x Fish multiplier.
There's also a useful little twist when the Fisherman arrives to find an empty ocean. Rather than standing around looking disappointed, he can cast his net and transform ordinary symbols into Fish before collecting them. It doesn't make Fishin' The Biggest particularly original, but at least this fisherman has remembered to bring some equipment.
The Fisherman acts as the game's Wild and becomes a Cash Collector during Free Games. When he appears alongside Fish symbols carrying values, he collects all of those values. This is the mechanic around which virtually everything else is built. Seeing valuable Fish is only half the job because you still need the Fisherman to appear and actually catch them. It's a formula we've encountered plenty of times before, but there's a reason it's popular. Showing the player valuable prizes and then making them wait for the one symbol capable of collecting them creates an immediate and very obvious source of anticipation.
During Free Games, Fish Symbols can carry individual Cash Prize values. Apparat's launch information confirms that these Fish also count towards the Collection Bar regardless of whether they form part of a normal payline win. Third party coverage lists individual Fish values reaching 50x the stake. They're important for two separate reasons. Their displayed values provide something for the Fisherman to collect, while the Fish themselves contribute towards progressing the bonus. That second role is what makes them more interesting. Even a Fish carrying an unimpressive value can still help move you towards another set of Free Games and a better multiplier.
If the Fisherman lands during Free Games without any Fish symbols available to collect, he casts a Fishing Net, transforming some ordinary symbols into Fish before collecting their newly created values. It's a small feature, but one I quite like. Collector symbols arriving on an empty screen can be one of the more frustrating moments in this style of slot. Apparat essentially gives the Fisherman a backup plan. If there aren't any fish around, he'll make some. It also suits the theme perfectly, which is always preferable to a random modifier being introduced simply because the feature list looked a little short.
Three, four or five Scatter symbols trigger 10, 15 or 20 Free Games respectively. This is where Fish gain their collection values, the Fisherman starts collecting and the progression system becomes active. There's a meaningful difference between triggering with three and five Scatters because additional starting spins give you considerably more time to build the Collection Bar. The bonus itself is easy to understand. You're watching for Fish, hoping the Fisherman joins them and trying to collect enough Fish to reach the next progression level.
Every Fish appearing during Free Games is added to the Collection Bar. Collecting 40 Fish awards another 10 Free Games and increases the Fish collection multiplier. This can happen up to three times, allowing the feature to progress through increasingly valuable stages and ultimately reach a 10x multiplier. Apparat's own game information describes the progression as providing up to 40 additional Free Games. This is comfortably the best part of Fishin' The Biggest. Instead of Free Games simply being a fixed number of attempts at the same feature, there's somewhere to go. Once the Collection Bar begins filling, even smaller Fish matter because you're chasing the next upgrade rather than judging every spin purely on its immediate return.
Reaching Collection Bar milestones increases the Fish Multiplier, eventually allowing collected Fish values to be multiplied by as much as 10x. This works well because the multiplier is earned through progression rather than randomly appearing. Getting further into the bonus therefore has two benefits. You receive more Free Games and make future successful Fisherman collections potentially more valuable. The fisherman doesn't just get more time at the lake. He gradually gets a better fishing rod too.
Where permitted, Buy Feature provides direct access to the Free Games feature. Apparat lists multiple purchase configurations ranging from 77x to 585x the stake. As with our other reviews, I wouldn't award Fishin' The Biggest additional points for having a Bonus Buy. It's simply another way of accessing the feature.
Fishin' The Biggest is straightforward and very easy to follow, but there's no getting around how dependent it is on Free Games. The base game is traditional 5x3 payline territory with relatively little happening beyond trying to reach the bonus. Once you're there, the experience improves considerably because Fish values, Fisherman collections and progression all give you something to follow. Apparat itself positions the Fish collection and increasing rewards as the central attraction. It's functional and enjoyable when the feature gets moving, but I'm keeping this at 7.0 following the rating calibration we discussed. A strong bonus shouldn't automatically turn fairly ordinary base gameplay into an 8.
This is where Fishin' The Biggest earns most of its rating. The Fisherman collection mechanic isn't remotely new, but the Collection Bar gives the bonus a worthwhile sense of progression. Reaching 40 Fish doesn't merely provide a few extra spins. It also increases the multiplier, meaning the feature becomes stronger the further you progress. The Fishing Net is another sensible addition because it prevents a Fisherman appearing without Fish from being completely wasted. There's not an enormous number of features here, but the important ones work together properly.
Fishin' The Biggest is colourful, clear and perfectly pleasant to look at. The open water setting, fishing equipment and collection of sea creatures immediately establish the theme, while Fish values and the Collection Bar are easy to identify when Free Games begin. Apparat describes the game around a vibrant ocean environment and accompanying ocean sounds, while operator and independent listings consistently identify the aquatic fishing presentation. The problem is that fishing slots have become so visually familiar that there's little here you won't have seen elsewhere. It's polished rather than memorable.
This is where the fisherman gets marked down. A Fisherman collecting values from Fish during Free Spins is one of the most recognisable formulas in modern slots. Fishin' The Biggest doesn't disguise its influences particularly heavily either. The Collection Bar provides a better argument for originality. Counting every Fish towards additional spins and escalating multipliers gives the feature genuine progression, while the Fishing Net provides a clever solution when the Collector arrives without anything available to catch. Those are worthwhile additions, but they're additions to an extremely established formula rather than a new fishing expedition.
Overall Rating
7.2/10
Fishin' The Biggest certainly isn't the biggest surprise you'll find in a slot lobby, but there's a decent game on the end of Apparat's line. The familiar Fisherman Collect mechanic does most of the heavy lifting, while the Fish Collection Bar gives Free Games some much needed progression. Collect enough Fish and you're rewarded with more spins and increasingly powerful multipliers, eventually reaching 10x. The Fishing Net is another nice touch, making sure the Fisherman can still do something useful when he turns up and discovers the fish have taken the day off.
The ordinary game is fairly basic and originality is undoubtedly its biggest weakness. If you're already tired of fishermen collecting numbered Fish, this probably isn't the slot that's going to lure you back aboard. For players who enjoy that formula, however, Apparat has added enough progression to make this a solid version of it.
