Introduction to Buildin' Even More Bucks
Buildin' Even More Bucks is a casino slot from Play'n GO and a third encounter with the fairytale creatures building frames on the grid to reward you with wins up to 5,000x the bet. Woody Elf, Grout Bricky, and Fairy Mary are back with their massive bonus wheel, which you may have seen in the two previous releases, Buildin' Bucks and Buildin' More Bucks. Just like in those instalments, you will need to collect Hard Hat Scatters to benefit from its powers, which can materialise as instant wins up to 500x the bet or a bonus game governed by one of the characters. During respins and free spins, you'll need to build as many frames as possible and hopefully upgrade them to the most valuable gold variant, as at the end, each frame reveals a cash prize to reward you for your hard work. This time, you can also double all their values if you choose to play with the studio's signature Go Ultra mode active. Let's head into the enchanted forest and get busy with the construction!
For those who don't feel like rolling up their sleeves just yet, there's a demo mode at the top of the page where all features can be explored risk-free.
Theme, Gameplay & Payouts
Buildin' Even More Bucks is a video slot from Play'n GO with 5 reels, 3 rows, and 243 ways to win, where you can choose your stake from a range of options, starting from a Min. bet of 0.1 up to a Max. bet of 50. That value can grow slightly higher, to 75 per spin, with the use of the Go Ultra ante bet. The game's math operates on a default RTP of 96.20%, indicating stable, long-term returns. However, several lower variants have also been released, including 94.2%, 91.2%, 87.2%, and 84.2%. Therefore, be sure to verify your version before playing. You can expect a relatively even average balance between occasional big hits and more frequent, smaller wins due to medium volatility, while the max win can reach 5,000x the bet. The base hit frequency sits at the rate of 24.03%.
The game's main scene invites you to the same magical forest you could explore in both previous parts, although this time, the theme has a bit of a darker, exploration angle. It's a slightly darker, more mysterious setting, leading you to the depths of the enchanted realm, which emanates mystical energy and luminous aura from the surrounding flora. Despite the game still being about constructing frames and houses, it also introduces a treasure hunt element with signs pointing down the path, a golden chest floating on a cloud, and symbols depicting a compass and a map. Graphically, it's the same polished, cartoon style that accompanied the series from the start, providing an eye-pleasing experience throughout. The design also fully adapts to any modern device, so you can play the game on any desktop, smartphone, or tablet.
Creating winning combinations requires landing at least 3 matching symbols, while using adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost one. Among the low-paying icons, there are royal playing card ranks, like J, Q, K, and A, awarding from 0.5x to 0.6x the bet for a complete way. The mid-paying group includes images of a compass and a treasure map, which bring payouts of 1.25x the bet for a 5-of-a-kind hit. Premium symbols are represented by three fairytale characters, Woody Elf, Grout Bricky, and Fairy Mary, that pay between 2x and 6x the bet for a combination running through all 5 reels. There are also special symbols, such as Wilds represented by a green backpack, which substitute for other regular symbols, and Hard Hat Scatters responsible for triggering the bonus features.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Buildin' Even More Bucks?
You can win up to 5,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Buildin' Even More Bucks?
The features are Spin The Wheel, Character Respins, Magic Spins, and Go Ultra.
Spin The Wheel
Whenever you land 1 or 2 Hard Hat Scatters in the same spin, they are collected by the leprechaun sitting on top of the grid. Every time it happens, there's also a chance to trigger the bonus wheel, which consists of two levels. On the first one, you can hit an instant prize of 10x or 20x the bet, Woody Elf Spins, or the upgrade segment. The latter advances you to the second level wheel, with better rewards, such as 50x, 100x, or 500x the bet, Grout Bricky Spins, or Fairy Mary Spins.
Character Respins
Landing on any of the three characters on the wheel triggers the respective feature, which awards 6 respins. Depending on the character, the initial Scatters transform into wood, brick, or gold frames. Landing Hard Hat Scatters during respins generates new frames of the matching kind, and once the grid is full of frames of one kind, they can be upgraded to the next level by landing more Scatters. If all frames are gold, each Scatter landing awards an instant prize of 100x the bet. At the end of the feature, all frames transform into houses, which award prizes from their respective ranges.
Wooden House = 2x - 5x the bet.
Brick House = 6x - 12.5x the bet, Mini or Major jackpot.
Gold Castle = 15x - 25x the bet, Mini, Minor, Major, Grand, or Ultra jackpot.
Magic Spins
Landing 3, 4, or 5 Hard Hat Scatters in a single base game spin triggers 6 Magic Spins, with the Scatters turning into 3 wooden, 4 brick, or 5 gold frames, respectively. The round focuses on building and upgrading frames on an enlarged 5x5 grid. Any position without a frame hit by the Hard Hat Scatter generates a wooden frame. A wooden frame transforms into a brick frame when a Scatter lands in it, and a brick frame is upgraded into a gold one. When a Scatter lands in a gold frame, it moves to another position to either generate a new frame or upgrade an existing one. A Scatter hitting the grid when all frames are gold awards 100x the bet instantly. Magic Coins landing inside any frame award an additional spin, up to a maximum of 78 Magic Spins in total. At the end of the round, all frames transform into matching houses and award their respective prizes.
Go Ultra
Go Ultra ante bet increases your active stake by 50% and, in exchange, doubles all prizes achieved from houses and jackpots.
Final Thoughts on Buildin' Even More Bucks
There are times in Play'n GO history when anticipating a sequel to one of the provider's games was met with genuine excitement and hopes for a solid follow-up. Hopes that were fulfilled by the likes of Troll Hunters 2, Reactoonz 2. These days, not so much. Buildin' Even More Bucks is another proof of the studio's shifting strategy to deliver higher quantities of mediocre content to mark its visibility in casino lobbies rather than focusing on quality, original games. Throughout this 3-part (so far) series, the outlook and the atmosphere haven't changed much, offering a like-for-like fairytale environment populated by the same characters. Most symbols have been recycled since the first instalment, except the two mid-paying icons that change together with a marginal transformation of the scene behind the grid. Generally speaking, it's a highly polished, vibrant cartoon design that works and looks great, it just doesn't offer anything more beyond what was presented by both its predecessors.
The situation is very similar when it comes to gameplay. Same formula based on building frames and an identical bonus wheel awarding character respins and instant prizes up to 500x the bet. This time, however, the creators have implemented the additional Go Ultra ante bet to double all instant prizes achieved from the frames and the wheel. Although if you think about it, is paying an extra 50% of your base stake to get a two-times higher prize really doubling its 'times bet' value? As for the other change, which you will only notice during the Magic Spins, there's a larger 5x5 grid, which theoretically gives you more space to generate frames. Other than that, it's the same cycle of constructing and upgrading them to reveal instant cash rewards from respective ranges at the end of the feature.
Buildin' Even More Bucks repeats the format of its two predecessors without much novelty, except for the larger grid in the bonus round and an added ante bet.
