Big Bamboo 2 brings Push Gaming back to one of its better known ideas, and with the sequel, the bamboo grove looks a little more put together. For its second time around the block, Push Gaming decided on a 5x6 layout, 50 paylines, Mystery Bamboo reveals, Golden Bamboo prize action, and a bonus spins round that keeps building as symbols are collected. Somewhere in the middle of all that, a panda turns up again, which is only fair.
The sequel also gives the original more moving parts without throwing the whole thing into chaos. In the wider world of online slots, Big Bamboo 2 makes a name for itself mostly thanks to its habit of turning one feature into another before the reels have had a chance to calm down.
Big Bamboo 2 stayed with the same Asian garden as the original, though the whole setup looks cleaner and more confident this time around. We look out through a round opening into a dense bamboo forest, while the reel area stays neat and bright.
The symbols help keep that tone steady. We get soft card suit icons at the low end, then birds, monkeys, warthogs, and pandas at the top. The soundtrack stays calm for much of the base game, then starts making more noise when features land, so the shift in mood works without feeling forced.
The paytable splits neatly between four lower paying suit symbols and four premium animal symbols. Wilds sit at the top and match the panda for payout value, so the strongest regular combinations stay concentrated around those two.
| Symbol | Payout for 3, 4, 5 of a kind |
|---|---|
| Clubs | 0.20, 0.40, 0.80 |
| Hearts | 0.20, 0.40, 0.80 |
| Spades | 0.20, 0.40, 0.80 |
| Diamonds | 0.20, 0.40, 0.80 |
| Blue Bird | 0.15, 0.60, 6.00 |
| Green Monkey | 0.20, 0.80, 8.00 |
| Warthog | 0.25, 1.00, 10.00 |
| Panda | 1.00, 5.00, 50.00 |
| Wild | 1.00, 5.00, 50.00 |
Mystery Bamboo remains the central idea, and rightly so. These stacked reveal symbols can land across the reels during the base game and the bonus round, with every Mystery Bamboo on that spin turning into the same result. Sometimes that gives a block of matching symbols, sometimes wilds, and sometimes Golden Bamboo symbols that push the action into another feature.
That reveal is still the main reason the series works. Big Bamboo 2 knows the anticipation comes from not knowing whether the stack will turn into a modest line hit or something much more useful. The game keeps returning to that moment again and again in the sequel.
If a Mystery Bamboo reveals Golden Bamboo symbols, the Golden Bamboo feature begins after the winning combination is counted. Those Golden Bamboo positions can then go on to reveal Instant Prize symbols, Multiplier symbols, Collector symbols, Lucky Bamboo symbols, or bonus scatters. This goes on until the available positions have been filled.
This is the part where the sequel starts adding more depth than the original. Instant Prizes carry fixed values, multipliers can raise those values sharply, and collectors gather visible prizes before empty spaces spin again.
Lucky Bamboo is the feature we haven’t come across in the original. It starts off with 3 spins and resets every time a Golden Bamboo symbol lands. Only Golden Bamboo symbols and blanks appear here, so the entire round focuses on building and upgrading positions.
Each landed Golden Bamboo adds a frame or upgrades one already in place, moving from Bronze to Silver, then Gold, then Diamond. When the feature ends, every frame reveals a prize based on its grade. Bronze can reveal any value, Silver starts from 5x, Gold starts from 25x, and Diamond starts from 1,000x.
Bonus spins are triggered with three or more scatters. A three scatter trigger starts with 6 to 8 spins, four scatters start with 7 to 9 and convert two low symbols into Mystery Bamboo, while five scatters start with 8 to 10 and convert all four low symbols into Mystery Bamboo.
During the round, a meter collects scatters and Extra Spin symbols. Every four collected symbols upgrade the level, convert another low symbol, add more spins, and increase the prize multiplier. The sequence moves through x2, x3, x5, and x10, while also adding 4, then 3, then 3, then 2 extra spins. Once all low symbols have been converted, scatters stop appearing.
Big Bamboo 2 sticks to a pretty standard 5x6 layout with 50 paylines, where potential wins are paid on combinations of three or more matching symbols from left to right. The panda and wild symbols are the exceptions, since two of either can already produce a payout.
The game flow revolves around stacked Mystery Bamboo symbols and how often they can turn into something useful. Standard line wins matter, of course, though the bigger identity comes from those reveal chains, the Golden Bamboo feature, and the way the bonus spins round keeps improving itself through collected symbols and persistent upgrades. When you look at online casinos and their catalogues, plenty of slots try to build around one central gimmick. Big Bamboo 2 has the good sense to pick one and then keep finding new excuses to use it.
A few other titles make sense here for players who like reveal mechanics, collection features, or an Asian styled setup.
Big Bamboo 2 is a sequel that actually has a reason to exist, which already puts it ahead of a fair number of follow ups. The reveal mechanic still has its charm, the art looks cleaner, and the new Lucky Bamboo feature gives the whole structure a bit more shape. We also appreciate the improved flow in the bonus side, because the game spends less time teasing and more time getting on with the business of escalating its own nonsense.
All that aside, the base game remains a waiting room for the better features, so that part hasn't changed compared to the original. Even so, Big Bamboo 2 has more depth, a stronger sense of progression, and enough personality to avoid feeling like a lazy retread.