The Bandit and the Baron

The Bandit and the Baron: Slot Overview

At first glance, some might be tempted to accuse developer Just For The Win of trying to be progressive by using a female bandit in their Western-themed slot The Bandit and the Baron. However, a bit of online research revealed a surprising number of historical lady outlaws, mixed up in all sorts of nefarious deeds from knocking off stagecoaches, dealing in stolen horses, bootlegging – the whole kit and kaboodle. The Bandit and the Baron is disappointingly light on back story but is heavy on winning potential, achievable through a slew of extras such as full reel Baron Wilds, Bandit Respins, plus a streak respin Bandit Bonus round.

Just For The Win has chosen a classic setting to locate the game, in the middle of a windy, dust-choked frontier town, all wooden buildings backgrounded by dry rock formations. What's a bit different is the game grid is set into the window of an unfinished building, which feels like it would contribute to a story in some way, but without more info from the maker, is difficult to decipher. Maybe the baron's building a new mansion in town, or wait, what if the baron is actually a bandit, and the lady holding the pistols is a vigilante who's been called in by exhausted townsfolk to put a stop to his reign of terror? Who knows? Whatever the story, The Bandit and the Baron looks and sounds the part without doing anything terribly interesting aesthetically.

Players keen on stepping into this world of banditry and barony can do so on any device, selecting stakes from 20 p/c to $/€10. Just For The Win shrugged off their low win/low volatile tendencies a while back now, and The Bandit and the Baron is another one of their high volatile offerings, boasting impressive 25,000x winning potential. Winning big will require an equally impressive run of streak respin luck, which we will cover in just a moment. One more stat is RTP which comes in several forms, so if you want the most theoretically generous, be on the lookout for the 96.09% version.

Played on a 5x5 sized game grid, wins occur when matching symbols land left to right, starting from the first reel, on its 25 paylines. Winning combinations can be formed of four low paying card suit tiles or higher value silver coins, banknotes, gold coins, gold bars, or safe premiums. The latter high pay symbols will give you a payout of 3 to 20 times your stake for a five a kind hit.

The Bandit and the Baron: Slot Features

In the base game, wild expansions and Bandit Respins are there modifying the action, climaxing in a bought or triggered Bandit Bonus round.

Expanding Wilds

Whenever the 1x1 sized wild symbols hit, they expand to become a full reel Baron Wild. Wild symbols substitute all normal paying symbols and are worth the same as the most valuable premium if making combos of themselves.

Bandit Respins

If 2 Bandit Bonus symbols land on reels 1, 3, or 5, a Bandit Respin is triggered. The reels holding Bonus Symbols remain locked while the rest spin, giving players a chance to trigger the Bandit Bonus.

Bandit Bonus

This is a streak respin style feature, triggered when Bandit Symbols hit on reels 1, 3, and 5. The action shifts inside a bank vault where it is played on a 5x5 game grid. Starting with 13 unlocked positions arranged in a 1-3-5-3-1 layout, the remaining 12 positions are locked. Now, 3 spins are awarded, and any symbol landing in view resets the count. Moreover, 3 types of symbols appear in the bonus:

• Cash Symbol – these possess values of 1x to 25x the bet.
• Key Symbols - unlock a random locked space, activating anything inside of it.
• Upgrade Symbols - multiply all cash symbols in a row or reel, or both directions by x2, x3, x5, or x10.

The Bandit Bonus continues until all positions are filled, spins run to zero, or the win cap is reached. At the end, all money symbols not in locked positions are awarded.

Buy Bonus

A feature buy option is also available for players unwilling to wait for the bonus to drop organically. For the cost of 100x their stake, 3 bonus symbols are guaranteed to drop on the next spin.

The Bandit and the Baron: Slot Verdict

Western slots are a dime dozen, but The Bandit and the Baron's name created a certain level of intrigue. Two strong characters rife with possibility, potentially coming up against each other in a classic Western tale of conflict. Unfortunately, the story didn't progress any further than the title, aside from the bandit and baron showing up on the special symbols. It was neat that the game kicked off some research into female outlaws, where there were more than expected. As to the game, it boils down to a relatively common Western set-up in regard to audio and visuals, which are of a decent standard though nothing out of the ordinary.

The bonus game is a little different, altering a few of the standard hold & win rules to provide a twist. Often the twist involved was kind of annoying since money symbols in locked positions are worthless unless activated by a key which only unlocks one blocked position at a time. Admittedly, there were little thrills when money symbols were unlocked and added to the pile of winnings. Upgrade Symbols go both ways as well. Sometimes you get lucky, and the upgrade goes in the direction you want, increasing a few money symbols; other times, it picks the least lucrative direction. So it goes.

Despite being a Western hold & win, don't expect anything as adrenalised as Money Train 2. Due to modestly valued money symbols being coupled with relatively low impact key or upgrade symbols, the Bandit Bonus doesn't feel especially high powered. Surprisingly, it's actually possible to win up to 25,000 times your stake there, though it does feel like a tall order due to the sorts of tools you have to work with. Fortunately for The Bandit and the Baron, it packs big numbers because the rest of the game doesn't burn all that brightly, so it kind of needed one on board to help boost appeal.