Big X Slot
Bringing the thrill and excitement of a land-based fruit machine onto your desktop or mobile device, the mission statement from JPM Interactive’s Big X slot should be plain for all casino players to see.
Relying on functionality, playability and sheer simplicity, Big X does away with fancy features and bonus rounds in favour of creating a simple slot that requires no previous experience to play. The game features 3 reels and a single payline, with a maximum jackpot of 100x your stake up for grabs. Winnings can also be boosted by a special wild icon, which opens up the board and pays 27 ways.
No Crossed Wires
As with most other JPM Interactive titles, Big X is not a game that will prove particularly taxing to today’s breed of online slot player. The game features one payline, meaning players only need to worry about their total stake each spin, with limits ranging anywhere from £0.25 to a £10 maximum.
For their chosen investment, players will be taking a shot at base game payouts of 5x, 10x and 25x their stake for matching any regular three-of-a-kind combination, but the slot’s maximum jackpot can only be triggered by the Big X wild symbol, which appears in the central space of the second reel.
Big X also features a handy turbo mode button so you can play the game faster and get in more spins per minute, while the hold and nudge buttons are merely symbolic as these aspects are handled automatically by the computer. The payout table and all other necessary information is displayed on the console itself, making Big X a pick-up-and-play title that won’t leave users scratching their heads.
Silver Machine
We hate to say it, but in terms of visuals, Big X might be the least inspiring slot machine we’ve ever seen. The game is played out on a monotone silver background that is broken up only by green and red buttons and the game’s purple logo, while the symbols themselves are equally unimpressive.
Although Big X technically features four individual symbols, three of them are variations on the BAR logo and not one of them could possibly be described as being unique. Regular icons include red single BARs, blue double BARs and green triple BARs, while the slot’s wild symbol – the titular Big X – is a purple cross that displays the word “WILD” in red once it becomes active on the central payline.
Beyond that, there’s nothing more to say about the visuals in Big X. The game literally features six colours in total – an appallingly low number for an online slot machine – with animations being confined to winning symbols blinking on and off. The sound, though clean and crisp, uses the same effects used across the entire JPM range, meaning no prizes will be won for originality here either.
X Marks the Spot
As we’ve said in reviews of other JPM Interactive titles that utilise auto nudge and hold options, this feature is not particularly enticing for players given the computer handles all of their major decisions. As such, you lose a strategic element of gameplay and are always plagued by that little voice in your head that says “I’m pretty sure I could have used those nudges to better effect there”.
With this in mind, the main bonus incentive in Big X comes solely in the form of the Big X wild symbol – and thankfully it is a hugely rewarding feature on the rare occasions that it appears. Denoted by a purple X on the central reel, when this icon stops on the central payline, it will shoot off four mini Xs to convey the fact that the slot is now paying 27 ways for the remainder of the spin.
Given the Big X in the centre of the gameboard is now also wild, this means that players are virtually guaranteed a series of winning payline combinations and – given the right configuration of regular symbols around the central X – this can potentially lead to the 100x slot jackpot being triggered.
Cross It off Your List
In terms of aesthetics and gameplay, Big X is one of the more basic titles in the JPM Interactive catalogue and this alone will be enough to put off more discerning slot players. Where the game does redeem itself is in its Big X wild feature, which can at least be a rewarding bonus when it does finally arrive. Even taking this into account, however, there’s not all that much to get excited over.
