Confirming my theory that themes seem to come in waves, there are two games set in the gun-toting Wild West here, and they’re both scatter pays too! Bounty County from Relax Gaming is our Game of the Week, so read about that in detail below. The second with a cowboy bent is Hoot Shot The Sheriff by Backseat Gaming, and if that seems like a strange title, it’s because Hoot is the name of the owl character – so technically we have a cowowl instead of a cowboy?!
Like many other Backseat Gaming slots, Hoot Shot The Sheriff is a little derivative and predictable, but it makes for a fun slot that hits in all the right places. It reminds me of the Gates of Olympus family of games, or maybe Gonzo’s Quest more accurately. That’s because, as you win, the multiplier at play increases incrementally, so you’ll be hoping for plenty of cascades to chain together. Then, of course, in the free spins, the multipliers build progressively over the whole round.
Next, Big Bass Boxing Bonus Round from Pragmatic is the fish boxing slot we’ve all been waiting for! Ok, that was pure sarcasm, because this latest Big Bass outing just doesn’t make sense. I mean, we had Big Bass Day at the Races, which already felt like a stretch but was kind of in the same league as fishing somehow – a traditional sport involving animals? This boxing reskin just feels off. There are laughs to be had with some of the visuals (fish with towels around their necks), but the gameplay is actually just a copy of Big Bass Vegas Double Down Deluxe with its two bonus meters rather than one.
Finally, we have Temple Guardians, again from Pragmatic, but it’s a very average hold and spin slot with another odd theme, so the less said about that, the better.
New Slots
- Temple Guardians – Pragmatic Play
- Bounty County – Relax Gaming
- Hoot Shot The Sheriff – Backseat Gaming
- Big Bass Boxing Bonus Round – Pragmatic Play
Game of the Week
Relax Gaming releases a lot of filler-type slots, but once in a while it’ll come along with something worth spending some time on, and Bounty County is definitely in the latter category. Yes, the Wild West theme has been done a million times before, but here it’s woven into the gameplay rather well.
The main mechanic feels fresh – there’s a 4 x 4 grid surrounded by a ‘border’ of crates and special symbols that you trigger and remove from the grid by landing a win next to them. Waiting in this border are the bandits that you’re hunting, and removing these shady guys via scatter wins builds up your multipliers and spins, which you can then take into the free spins (once you’ve removed the whole border).
Now in the free spins, you’ll come up against boss bandits, and defeating these one by one provides you with massive multipliers (up to 500x). There’s a typical Wild West Wanted poster that shows the bandit you’re up against with the multiplier ‘reward’ you can win, and it’s a neat touch. So as you can see, this game has a storyline that plays out as you spin, which is always very welcome – it elevates the slot beyond the standard experience.
The base game stays fun, as you’re waiting to see if you can remove the whole outer layer on the grid, but it took us a good while to spin in. Luckily, you can buy into the bonus, and you’ll probably spend far fewer credits doing it this way. So in this way, Bounty County feels a little unbalanced as you’ll likely just take the buy the bonus route. Also, the max win is relatively low at 5,000x, but on the whole, this is an excellent new title from Relax. Try it out below!
