Play Spirit Bear for Free

While GamingSoft have taken care to design the higher-value symbols, they seem to have taken the easy option with the lower-paying icons, using simple 10, J, Q, K and A to make up the winning lines. These are colourful enough, but don’t match the theme at all, which some players will find disappointing, but as the more frequent winning spins are going to see these symbols across the paylines, perhaps we shouldn’t be too worried.

At least 3 of a kind will be needed on adjacent reels from the left side to earn a prize, with the 10, J and Q all being worth 5 the line bet when 3 turn up, 4 on a line will pay 25x and full runs of 5 will see 100x paid out. The K and A symbols return 5x, 40x and 150x for the same results, but the animal symbols will only need to be on 2 reels to start paying winnings out.

Seeing the spider or snake on 2, 3, 4, or 5 reels across a payline will see wins of 5x, 30x, 100x and 750x respectively, with the colourful pheasant valued at between 5x and 2,000x and the best prizes are claimed when the salmon swims into place, as spinners get between 10x and 5,000x the line bet back.

The ferocious-looking bear is the main bonus symbol of this game, although maybe the reason he’s unhappy is because he’s a bright blue colour. When the bear stops on 3, 4, or 5 reels across a line, the rewards are equal to 2x, 20x, or 200x the total triggering bet, and he is also able to substitute for the high-card or animal symbols if that will then complete a winning combination.

In an unusual feature, this is also the scatter symbol, triggering a free spins bonus game whenever the bear stops in any 3 or more places, without needing to be across a payline. Before these begin, the game randomly selects a Mystery Scatter from any standard symbol. If this becomes part of a winning combination, all other symbols on the same reels will turn into further examples of it, which should lead to some substantial awards.

The free games can be retriggered, with a fixed number of 10 bonus games added on to the end of the current round if the bear turns up in any 3 places in a bonus spin, with no paws between the rounds.

Many GamingSoft slot machines share progressive jackpots, with different symbols triggering mini-games that work the same way, but are styled to fit in with the theme. In this case, a carved totem pole head starts the jackpot round when landing on reels 2, 3 and 4 at the same time.

Players will then see some fish swimming around in the river, and by clicking on them in any order, Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand jackpot values will be revealed. Once 3 of the same type have been found, the corresponding jackpot is paid out, but in common with other slots from the GamingSoft collection, only gamblers on the maximum stakes will be able to cash out 100% of each.

Below this bet level, a percentage of any overall jackpot is awarded, and at the minimum bet, that’s only 10%, but it’s still a fun bonus round that can lead to some decent prizes.

The Spirit Bear game will be a big hit with the many players who like the wildlife slot machine theme, as it’s got plenty of creatures landing on the reels, while the series of bonus features will attract anyone looking for free spins and even the chance of a progressive jackpot.