| Provider | Microgaming |
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Big Break is a Microgaming slot built around one of those pleasantly daft premises that sticks in the memory: surfing primates. Five reel-spinning apes - a Lemur, a Macaque, a Gibbon, an Orangutan and a Gorilla - are chasing the perfect wave, and if you can line them up right, you could be riding the swell with them. It is a 5-reel, 15-payline title released in 2008 that holds up well as a straightforward, colourful slot with two wild types and a couple of decent bonus features. The RTP sits at 95.3%.
Theme and Symbols
The beach theme is thoroughly committed to. Rather than the usual card royals padding out the paytable, every symbol is tied to the surfing concept. The five primate characters are the premium symbols, with the Gorilla paying the most - five of them land you the top jackpot of up to 5,000 coins depending on your stake. Below the animals you have tropical fruits: coconut, kiwi, pineapple, banana and mango, all drawn in the same bold, cartoonish style.
There are two wild symbols, which is worth knowing before you spin. The Big Break logo acts as a standard wild but substitutes only for the animal symbols, not the fruits. The Lucky Break wild is more interesting - it appears exclusively on reel five, pays winning combinations from right to left (the reverse of the usual direction) and doubles the win it completes. Finding it on the fifth reel when you are close to a big line pays can make a real difference. The Munky Wax symbol is the scatter, and it is the key to the free spins.
Betting and Gameplay
The betting range runs from £0.01 to £75 per spin, so there is room for cautious play and for those who want to push the stake up. You can set between one and ten coins per line across the 15 paylines, giving a maximum of 150 coins per spin. The controls are clean and uncomplicated. This is a slot that does not require a tutorial - you set your stake, spin and watch the apes do their thing.
The volatility is on the lower end, which means wins come around fairly regularly even if they tend to be smaller. For players who prefer steady play over long dry spells punctuated by rare big hits, that balance works well. The beach music soundtrack sets the mood without being intrusive, though it does loop fairly quickly.
Bonus Features
Big Break has two bonus features, both of which are tied closely to the theme.
Munky Wax Free Spins - Land three or more Munky Wax scatter symbols anywhere on the reels and you trigger 15 free spins. During the free spins round, all five animal symbols become scatter symbols themselves, which means they pay out wherever they land rather than needing to form a line from left to right. The Lucky Break wild is still active during this round, so any right-to-left doubled wins it creates are applied on top. The feature can re-trigger if you land three more Munky Wax symbols during the spins, extending your run.
Surf's Up Bonus - This feature activates when all five animal symbols land across the reels. You are presented with five surfboards, each hiding one of the primate characters. Pick one and the ape behind it determines your prize, which can reach up to 50 times your triggering bet. It is a simple pick-em mechanic but it fits the game's personality well, and the 50x multiplier ceiling gives it some weight.
Microgaming and Where to Play
Big Break is developed by Microgaming, one of the longest-established names in online slots software. Microgaming have been building casino games since the mid-1990s and their catalogue runs into the thousands of titles. Big Break reflects the studio's older style - no Megaways mechanics, no cascading reels, no expanding wilds - just a well-constructed slot with a clear theme, a fair RTP and features that work as advertised. If you have played Thunderstruck, Immortal Romance or Tomb Raider, you will recognise the Microgaming approach: reliable, polished, unpretentious.
The game is available at most online casinos that carry the Microgaming library. It runs in-browser without requiring any downloads. Demo play is usually available if you want to test the features before committing real money.
Verdict
Big Break does not try to be more than it is. The surfing ape concept sounds throwaway but the execution is cheerful and consistent - no card symbols cluttering up the paytable, two distinct wilds that each behave differently, and a free spins round with a smart scatter-conversion mechanic that gives it genuine replay value. The 95.3% RTP is respectable for a game of this vintage. If you are after something technically impressive with six-figure jackpot potential, this is not it. If you want a relaxed, fairly priced session with a slot that knows exactly what it wants to be, Big Break delivers that without fuss.
Where to Play Big Break
These online casinos carry Microgaming games including Big Break. Read our Donbet review or browse all casino reviews.
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