Buzz Patrol

Buzz Patrol: Slot Overview

Imagine for a moment, in the far distant past, a rock fell on our ancient genetic ancestor, and homo sapiens didn't end up becoming the top of the food chain. What might have replaced us? Hacksaw Gaming partner Bullshark Games invites reflection on the possibilities as it has come up with the online slot Buzz Patrol, where flies, bugs and creepy crawlies rule the planet, while humans are, well, they don't even show up. Perhaps we've been squashed, perhaps we were defeated by the emotionless steamroller of nature's laws. An unusual theme choice is joined by features which are somewhat common by comparison, resting on things like money symbols, and hold 'n' win bonus rounds.

Flies aren't exactly famous for being cute, which helps explain why they aren't used in online slots much. Bees, fish, various bugs, sure, but flies don't spend a lot of time in or around gaming reels. In Buzz Patrol, flies represent the long arm of the law; one is a regular beat cop, wielding a doughnut, the other is a trench-coated detective. They're on the hunt for criminals of the creepy crawly variety, in a world where bugs are the alpha species, and have evolved to live the way we humans do, by the looks. It's an unusual theme, where Bullshark Games has transformed the 'pest' concept into a gritty, noir-inspired world of goodies, baddies, and bugs.

Buzz Patrol's crime scene is a 5x4 grid with 20 paylines. Hold 'n' win action dominates, but players also collect coins when matching symbols land from the leftmost reel across one or more paylines. Medium volatile, gamblers may stake $/€0.10 $/€100, and of the three possible RTPs, 96.31% is the highest value.

The pay symbols are a bunch of gooey J-A royals, paying 0.5x to 1x for 5 OAK, then batons, handcuffs, hats, magnifying glasses, and badges make up the premium symbols worth 1.5x to 8x the stake for a 5-of-a-kind winning combination. Wild symbols only appear in the base game, where they substitute for all symbols on the paytable.

Buzz Patrol: Slot Features

Buzz Patrol's features are Instant Win symbols, a Mini Game, Patrol Duty and The Big Bust bonus rounds, plus feature buys.

Instant Win Symbols

Three types of Instant Win symbols can land with values of 1x to 100x the bet. In the base game, they do not pay out, but they act as a scatter symbol. During bonuses, Instant Win symbols stay on the grid.

Mini Game Symbol

The Mini Game symbol can land in the base and bonus games. It triggers a mini hold 'n' win round on a 3x3 grid, starting with 3 spins. Each time a new non-blank symbol hits, the spins reset to 3. If the grid is full or spins run out, the feature ends. The total win from the Mini Game is displayed as an Instant Win value on the main grid where the symbol landed. In the base game, the total win is added to the base wins.

As well as Instant Win symbols, Collect symbols may land, which collect all Instant Win values and store the total value before turning into an Instant Win symbol. All collected cells are free to spin again. Only one Collect can land per spin.

The Add Multipliers symbol can land as well. It adds 1-3 random multipliers of x2 to x10 to random cells. Multipliers apply to Instant Win values, or they are held till an Instant Win symbol lands in its cell, then get applied. Multipliers are summed if one is added to a cell that already has a multiplier. If a Collect symbol or Mini Game symbol lands in a multiplier cell, the final win will apply to the multiplier.

Patrol Duty

Hitting 3, 4, or 5 Instant Win symbols starts the bonus game, and triggering symbols carry over to the round. Patrol Duty is a hold 'n' win feature that starts with 3 spins. Each time a new non-blank symbol hits, the spins reset to 3. If the grid is full or spins run out, the feature ends. The symbols that can land are blanks, Instant Wins, Collects, Add Multipliers, and Mini Games, which act as described above. One difference is that Add Multiplier symbols add 2-4 random multipliers.

The Big Bust

Hitting 3-5 Instant Win symbols and Mini Game symbols starts the Big Bust. It plays the same as Patrol Duty except the triggering Mini Game symbol will be played as the first thing upon entering the bonus.

Feature Buys

BonusHunt FeatureSpins make triggering a bonus 5 times more likely for 3x the bet, while Instant Justice FeatureSpins cost 50x to land at least one Mini Game symbol, though the bonus game cannot be triggered. Patrol Duty may be bought for 80x or The Big Bust for 200x the stake.

Buzz Patrol: Slot Verdict

Buzz Patrol is a curious entry from Bullshark Games, which goes to show that even the most annoying picnic guests can form an interesting slot premise. Flies might not be the cutest, most appealing part of the animal kingdom to many people, but instead of buzzing around contaminating food, the flies in this game form the thin blue line between law, order, and societal chaos. They're not something you see a lot of in slots, maybe ever, giving Buzz Patrol an instant identity, which isn't always easy to achieve in the crowded gambling market.

However, once you take a step past the theme, a lot of the gameplay aspects may feel much more familiar. From surprise subject matter, we move deep into hold 'n' win territory, which comes more or less in two forms. There's the Mini Game taster and the two full-blown bonus rounds. The main differences between the two phases are the size of the grid and the fact that you can't land Mini Bonus symbols within a mini bonus round. Other than that, they both allow for Instant Win hits, multiplier values, and collection action. In other words, Buzz Patrol serves up pretty standard, if dependable, streak respin style gaming, though it does have the ability to produce wins up to a 10,000x the bet win cap. A figure like that would indicate its seemingly simple features do carry a potentially significant sting in their tail.

Still, after seeing Buzz Patrol nip through its Mini Games and bonus rounds for a while, a lack of depth dented its long-term appeal. Its uncomplicated nature makes it an easy slot to pick up and play, but experienced players may start to feel like they've seen everything it has to offer fairly quickly, diminishing the staying power, though the Mini Game within bonus is kind of neat. For casual spins or fans of hold 'n' wins, Buzz Patrol brings a level of entertainment, but those looking for deeper or more varied gameplay might find it loses its buzz sooner than expected.