Bull Blitz Slot Machine

Generally speaking, there are two kinds of slot machines. The first, and rarest, are the genuinely innovative ones that break a mold and start a trend. The Bull Blitz slot machine is the other. It’s one that jumped and expanded on something that players already love.

I don’t say that in any kind of disparaging way, in case you were wondering. Yes, every now and then, a Lightning Link, Dragon Link, Buffalo, or Huff N’ Puff comes along, and it’s fresh and new, and it changes the game. Those slot machines are rare, though.

Bull Blitz does what the vast majority of great slot machines do: it makes something already good a little bit better. The something in this case is All Aboard, Konami’s hit train-collecting series.

There are no trains in Bull Blitz. They have been replaced with, unsurprisingly, bulls. And they are even better than the trains, if you can get them, which is very difficult in my experience.

Anyway, let’s have a closer look at what Bull Blitz does well, and whether the compromises it makes along the way are ultimately worth it.

The first thing to say here is that Bull Blitz is not a sequel to All Aboard. Sure, the sounds are mostly identical, the animations and graphics are very similar, and from a player's point of view, it has the same All Aboard feel to it.

However, Bull Blitz is really more of a spiritual successor to All Aboard. If you want a comparison, think of the relationship between Lighting Link and Dragon Link, or Dragon Link and Phoenix Link, for that matter.

They look very similar, they play very similarly, and you can’t help but notice how heavily they have borrowed from the previous one’s legacy, but they are different.

As for themes, Bull Blitz has five, and generally, they are all quite self-explanatory from the titles. The five are: New York Lights, Cash Gladiator, Toucan Twist, Roses and Riches, and Fortunes of the Orient.

The only real difference between the Bull Blitz themes is that the characters and symbols change. Instead of a mean-looking gladiator, it’s a cheerful little toucan, and so on. The rest of the game is always the same. It’s the same sounds, the same music, the same mechanics.

What the Bull Blitz slot machine does manage to carry forward from All Aboard, by the way, is the fun. If you have played All Aboard, you will know the joys of shouting ‘ALL ABOOAAAARRRRD’ every time you win something in the bonus. Konami has been very clever in recognising what players loved about it and replicating it with an irresistible urge to shout ‘BULL BLITZ!!’ in this game. You have to respect that.

Playing the Bull Blitz slot machine is mercifully simple. That is surprisingly difficult to find these days, with game mechanics requiring an advanced philosophy degree to understand half the time. There are very few natural ‘pick up and play’ games that come out anymore.

Bull Blitz is certainly one of them. There are no pots, or firecrackers, or randomly expanding wheels, or collectable wilds, or invading unicorn cross-breading space cows (I love you, Planet Moolah, but dearie me!).

There are simply cash values for hold-and-spin and free games bonus symbols. You need six of the former and three of the latter. That’s it. It’s literally all you have to think about.

The cash symbol is the golden bull. Like the trains in All Aboard, when they land, they won’t have cash values on them, but they will get them when you enter the hold and spin. In my experience, they are harder to get than the trains were, but there is a good reason for that, which we’ll get into later.

The free spins bonus symbol changes depending on the version. For example, it’s a shield in Cash Gladiator but a rose in Roses and Riches. They only appear on reels two, three, and four, too. However, in Bull Blitz, unlike All Aboard, the symbols can split. That means you can get two symbols, and one of them splits, mitosis-style, into two, giving you the three you need.

It’s a very small change, but a really good one too. One of the drawbacks of All Aboard was that if you didn’t get a free spins bonus symbol on reel two, you knew you weren’t triggering free games on that spin. In Bull Blitz, it keeps the hope alive a fraction longer, and you’d be surprised how much that makes a difference to players.

At a glance:

• Layout: 5 reels × 3 rows, 25 lines.
• Minimum Bet: 75c
• Denominations: Multiple
• Theme: Variable, but similar to play to All Aboard.
• Return to Player (RTP): Approximately 96% but dependent upon the casino and local regulations
• Volatility: High

Right, so about that justification for the Bulls being harder to get six of than the All Aboard Trains.

Well, the first thing you need to know is that the mechanic in the hold and spin on Bull Blitz is nearly identical to that of All Aboard. Specifically, every time you land an additional bull, you are awarded everything that is currently on the screen.

And that is the big difference: every time. On All Aboard, no matter how many trains you landed in the hold and spin, you were awarded everything once. That left you desperately annoyed if you got three trains in the hold-and-spin at once, because you only got paid for one.

In Bull Blitz, though, it’s every single one that awards all. Get four additional bulls on one spin? You are awarded the entire value of the screen four times. In All Aboard, it would have been just once.

That is a massive change, really, and an admirable one because it shows that Konami listened to its players. All credit to them. It also makes Bull Blitz capable of some quite spectacular payouts, as you can imagine.

But… the maths still has to work, the RTP still has to be served. Therefore, the volatility went up, and All Aboard was already high volatility, so the upshot is that they had to make it harder to trigger the bonus.

Before you even think about spinning on Bull Blitz, do yourself a favour and slide your player's rewards card right into the slot first. Make it automatic. Seriously, get in that habit.

This is a game that has high volatility, so it is not ideal for recycling money, but it’s okay for small, regular line hits, so you should be able to rack up a few player points as you play.

And, if you want the real secret to squeezing the most out of Vegas casinos (or pretty much any casino spot), it's this: befriend your cocktail server. In most places, the free drinks kick in once you're actively playing. Flash a smile, give a little wave when they swing by, order what you want, and tip $3 to $5 per drink. Pro move? Drop a nice crisp $5 or $10 for the first. You'll be shocked how quickly they start circling back with refills.

Quick bonus tip for anyone who hangs out in Atlantic City a lot: many slot machines have those handy built-in drink-order touchscreens tied to your play. Just make a few bets, wait for the "Order Drinks" button to pop up, and boom, your cocktail shows up before you know it. Still tip when it arrives, though. The servers appreciate it, and it keeps everything flowing smoothly.

Bottom line: play smart, tip generously, and watch those credits, comps, and cocktails keep rolling in.

There is a lot that I like about the Bull Blitz slot in theory. It’s based on a really good game, and Konami has held onto what was loved whilst listening to players on what they wanted more of. You have to give them enormous credit for that.

That said, you probably need to see a big win on Bull Blitz at some point before you can truly appreciate it. I mean, for me, All Aboard is just on the border between highly volatile and too volatile, and Bull Blitz has raised it further.

Whether that makes it too volatile for you probably depends upon your tastes and your bankroll.

What I think everyone can agree on, though, is that the Bull Blitz slot machine has a brilliant bonus feature when you do get it, and the potential for some really big payouts. It’s fun, it’s quirky, it’s got its own personality. They are all big positives, and the rest is just a judgment call.