The Big Hit

The Big Hit: Slot Overview

For those enterprising individuals chasing down the one massive score which sets them up for life, there are a number of avenues for doing so. Options vary from speculating and putting together a colossal business deal to writing a chart-topping song. Or, as in The Big Hit from developer Slotmill, pulling off a bank heist. Naturally, we'd never endorse breaking the law, but in pop culture, bank heists can be quite exciting to vicariously live through. While desiring a prodigious payout when gambling is nothing new, the way The Big Hit can potentially deliver one is rather unique. It requires converging a bunch of parts in a certain way yet not winning too much in the process – this will make more sense in a moment. As such, players may need to cultivate a different mindset to get the most out of The Big Hit, you'll see.

A number of images flashed through the mind when viewing The Big Hit for the first time, including wider cultural references like Fast and the Furious, GTA, and Out Run as well as slots such as Hotline, 60 Second Heist, Drive Multiplier Mayhem, and others. Slotmill has crafted a classy looking game set in a Miami or LA-like location, filled it with a cast of interesting characters, and topped it with some sweet ambient electronica. Like bumping into someone you're sure you've met before, The Big Hit has a look and feel which is both new and familiar at the same time. It's not overly apparent at the start how intense the action can be when it heats up, but the game creates a strong first impression.

The stats are just as rock steady, starting with an RTP of 96.21% and volatility classed by the company as very high. So high, in fact, Slotmill has called this their most volatile video slot to date. Getting your hands on the wheel requires picking a stake of 10 p/c to $/€30 per spin, which can be achieved on any device.

The Big Hit utilizes 5-reels and 4-rows, with winning combinations of matching symbols landing across the game's 40 fixed bet lines. The symbols in question start with J-A lower-paying card royals, worth 1-1.8x the bet for five of a kind, and five high pay character symbols, worth 6-20x the bet for a five of a kind combination.

The Big Hit: Slot Features

The Big Hit comes with four features of varying complexities, as well as a Fast Track menu for players in certain jurisdictions.

Crowd Control

On any base game spin, there is a chance the Crowd Control feature is awarded. It adds 3-12 wild symbols on reels 2, 3, or 4, which substitute for all paying symbols.

Heist Respins

Landing Heist symbols on reels 1 and 5 activates the Heist Respins feature. While this mode is active, respins keep occurring until The Big Hit symbol lands on reels 1 or 5. When wild symbols land on a respin, they leave an inactive sticky frame at the position. If a wild lands in a position with an existing frame, its multiplier increases by +1, up to x3. When The Big Hit symbol hits, all marked positions are filled with the corresponding wild or wild multiplier for a win evaluation, ending the respins.

Getaway Bonus

When 3 bonus symbols land on reels 2, 3, and 4, the Getaway Bonus round is triggered. Wild symbols leave frames (or add multipliers) to positions as they do in the Heist Respins. Now when The Big Hit Symbol lands, it adds wilds and multiplier wilds in frames as before, but doing so may not necessarily end the bonus round. Instead, the bonus will continue until a single spin win of over 20x the bet occurs, as indicated by the Limit Meter.

Several special symbols may also land. Nitro Boosts are like a free life, allowing the Limit Meter to be broken once and not end the round. Limit Boost symbols land with values of 5x, 10x or 15x, increasing the Limit Meter by the respective amount. The final special symbol is the Bag of Frames, adding 3, 6, or 9 frames to reels 2, 3, or 4.

A.P.B. Bonus

This feature is triggered when 2 Heist Respins symbols land on reels 1 and 5, at the same time as 3 bonus symbols land on reels 2, 3, and 4. This bonus is the same as the Getaway Bonus with two changes. The Limit Meter is expanded to 70x, and a win multiplier is added, starting at x1, then increasing by +1 on each free spin.

Fast Track

If available, clicking the Fast Track icons presents four feature buy options. Buying the A.P.B. bonus costs 400x the bet (RTP 96.67%), the Getaway Bonus costs 110x the bet (RTP 96.5%), Heist Respins are 35x the bet (RTP 96.41%), and a lucky dip Any Feature option for 30x the bet (RTP 96.3%). Burst mode may also be available, which allows a raw math model approach to the game without the use of grids or symbols.

The Big Hit: Slot Verdict

You might want to put your safety belts on for this one, players. After seeing the singular way The Big Hit goes about business, there are few arguments over the volatility claim. The Big Win certainly is an unpredictable machine, and the way Slotmill has wired its bonus rounds is new and adds an interesting psychological element certain players may be keen on; others may find uncomfortable. Whether you're down or not, it's hard to deny the unique way The Big Hit conducts itself.

One of the interesting things about the Getaway Bonus and the A.P.B. Bonus is that they both have the same base objectives but work toward accomplishing them in subtle yet significantly different ways. The key aim is to keep them going, piling on wild frames or multipliers for the inevitable moment a win breaches the Limit Meter. The longer you can draw this process out, the longer you've got for stacking reels with wilds or wild multipliers, and hopefully, the final win is a good one – up to a maximum of 20,000x the bet. It's kind of harder than usual to just sit back and enjoy the payouts since there's a tightrope between collecting wins while setting things up for the inevitable final hit but not winning too much till it happens.

What's also exciting is the way Slotmill has embedded the sophisticated features into an immersive game world. There's a touch of Drive: Multiplier Mayhem going on in the bonus rounds, so petrol heads or adrenaline junkies should get a kick out threading The Big Hit's middle ground between tease and reward. For those who like shelling out for features, Slotmill provides a menu that almost rivals ELK's X-iter for choice, providing instant access to the more exciting parts of the game like a flick of the NOS switch.

Slotmill has been consistently releasing solidly made games, and they've pushed things up a gear for The Big Hit. Will The Big Hit strike the right note or be written off as being too gimmicky, like a spoiler that's way too big for the car it's been fitted to? Hopefully, the former, as there's a distinct style of action going on in The Big Hit, which isn't happening anywhere else.