Big Ben Slot

Big Ben is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. As such, you would expect the iconic bell to have inspired a lot more slot games than it is. One of the games that have drawn inspiration from it is the Big Ben slot from Aristocrat Gaming. The title takes you to Westminster and invites you to ring the bell to find out what treats it has in store. In this Big Ben slot review, I’m going to take a look at the slot and find out whether it lives up to its iconic inspiration. 

Aristocrat Gaming released Big Ben back in 2015, and it’s fair to say that online slots have come a long way since then. The game has a very basic design, which reminded me of old-fashioned slot machines you might find in a dusty old London pub. 

Speaking of London, the Big Smoke is the inspiration behind the game, with the reels being populated with the kind of imagery you associate with the city. This includes a Grenadier Guard, a double-decker bus, an old English pub sign, a street lantern and, of course, a telephone box. 

The game design is extremely simple and dated, but if you are a fan of old-fashioned slots or you have a soft spot for London-themed action, you might find something to enjoy here. 

The action in the Big Ben slot is just as simple as its design. The game uses five reels, three rows, and 25 adjustable paylines. The paylines are all marked around the outside of the grid, but you will need to check the payline to see them in more detail. 

The stake and paylines are adjusted in the game menu, as is the autospin option. I prefer it when a game displays these below the reels, but this is a minor quibble for what is an otherwise easy-to-play set-up. 

Big Ben may have been on the virtual casino shelves for a long time, but it still manages to serve up a small selection of bonus features. 

First, there is the Big Ben Free Spins bonus. This is triggered when players land three or more Scatter symbols. Three, four, or five trigger 15, 20, or 25 free spins, respectively. During the round, all wins are instantly doubled. The round is played with the number of active lines and stake per line that triggered it. 

The other bonus in the round is the Big Ben feature. This can be triggered on any random spin when one or more Big Ben symbols land scattered on the reels. Big Ben will then chime a number of times to determine your win per your line bet. The maximum prize here is 40x your line bet if it chimes 12 times. 

Unfortunately, there is no Buy Bonus here, so if you want to trigger any of the features, you are going to need to do it the old-fashioned way. 

I took the Big Ben slot for a test run on my laptop and iPhone. Despite the game being older, I found the mobile version to be well-optimized and easy to use. The game is far from complex, so it took very little time for me to get to grips with how to play it on a smaller screen. 

If you are used to more modern video slots, I recommend taking the Big Ben demo for a free spin. This will allow you to adjust to the stake-per-line set-up. You should also acquaint yourself with the paytable, as all wins are displayed based on your stake-per-line. Do not assume that these are multiples of your total bet because that is not the case. In fact, if you have all lines active, the easiest way to work this out is to divide the displayed win by 25. 

As I’ve previously mentioned in this Big Ben slot review, the stake is adjusted using the settings menu. The betting range is going to sort players on smaller budgets, with a minimum and maximum of $0.01 and $0.20 per line. With all lines active, this is a minimum and maximum of $0.25 and $5. I recommend playing the game with all lines active to get the most from it. 

Big Ben is not a game with huge winning potential. The biggest win on offer is 1,200x your line stake. With all lines active, this works out to around 30,000x your stake, which is actually quite high compared to other Aristocrat Gaming slots. The game has an RTP of 95.55% and is considered low volatility, which was definitely reflected in my experience. 

Like other Aristocrat Games, Big Ben is unlikely to please players who are looking for a modern, bonus-packed online slot experience. The game is lacking in big winning potential, has a dated design, and has two very basic bonus features. 

I would only recommend playing Big Ben for real money if you want a more stripped-back, low-volatility slot experience and are not too concerned about big wins and interesting gameplay. 

If you enjoy the London theme and want something a little more modern, I recommend checking out Red Tiger’s London Tube or Down the Rails from Pragmatic Play. Both of these make great use of the theme and provide more engaging gameplay and bonus features.