Introduction to Huff N' Even More Puff Lunar New Year
Huff N' Even More Puff Lunar New Year is a casino slot from Light & Wonder that takes us East for some celebrations, breaking up the typical carpentry settings we’re so used to. The Huff N’ Puff series is arguably one of the most famous and beloved series coming out of Light & Wonder, and that might be why we keep seeing so many titles fill up the studio’s portfolio. However, this release is a bit different, and not in terms of gameplay, but in its theme, which is quite an outlier compared to its predecessors, where the pigs are now in China celebrating Lunar New Year, and maybe even pick up some feng shui tricks along the way to help them in their carpentry business. But when it comes to gameplay, it’s quite familiar, as this game is a reskin of Huff N’ Even More Puff Hard Hat Edition, which was released a few months prior. If you’ve played any other Huff N’ Puff titles, bar the CollectR releases from ELK Studios, then you’ll feel right at home, even with the new setting, as most things are what you would expect, from its gameplay loop to its max win of 7,750X the bet.
Light & Wonder brings us to a new setting while the 3 Piggies are on vacation, but with the same familiar gameplay loop.
Theme, Gameplay, & Payouts
Huff N' Even More Puff Lunar New Year is a video slot from Light & Wonder with 5 Reels, 3 Rows, and 25 Paylines. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.1 and a Max.bet of 1,000. Huff N' Even More Puff Lunar New Year comes with a lower-than-average RTP of 95.77%, a hit frequency of 25.26%, high volatility, and a good max win of 10,000X the bet.
We find ourselves down a bustling street in a city celebrating Lunar New Year, and the three piggies are in full swing, fully dressed in traditional Chinese outfits and even welcoming dancing lions, taking on the role of the Parade Lion feature on the playing grid. This is quite a different setting compared to the typical carpentry theme that many of the previous Huff N’ Puff titles have had, and we don’t mind it at all, as we actually enjoy seeing something new for once. You can play the game on most notepads, mobiles, and desktops.
You create a win by landing 3 or more of the same symbols in adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel, which creates a payline. The lower-paying symbols are 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A. Creating a win with 5 of the same symbols will pay out 0.1X to 0.2X the bet. The higher-paying symbols are various festivities and holiday items, as well as the piggies, including a lantern, an ingot, Piggy 3, Piggy 2, and Piggy 1. Landing a win with 5 of the same symbols pays out 0.25X to 1.5X the bet. We also have quite a lot of Special Symbols, including Wilds, Hard Hats, Parade Lion, Coin Envelope, and plenty of Super and Golden versions, which we will go over more in depth in the Feature Section.
Special Features & Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Huff N' Even More Puff Lunar New Year?
You can win up to 7,750X the bet.
What features are available in the slot Huff N' Even More Puff Lunar New Year?
The features are Wild Symbol, Free Spins Feature, Frames, Bonus Wheel, Parade Lion, Mega Hat, Mansions, Ante Bet, and Feature Buy (Buy Pass).
Wild Symbol
Wild Symbols help form winning combinations by being able to substitute for all symbols except Special Symbols.
Free Spins Feature
Landing 6 or more Scatter Symbols triggers the Free Spins Feature with 6 spins. A Bronze Frame is added to every position where a triggering Hard Hat symbol lands. Landing 3 or more Scatter Symbols during the feature awards 1 extra spin.
Frames
Each time a Hard Hat Symbol lands during any of the bonus games, be it Free Spins, Parade Lion, Mega Hat, or Red Envelope bonus games, on a position without a Frame, it will create a Bronze Frame. However, if there is already a Frame in that position, it will either upgrade it to Silver or Gold; if it is already Gold, it will either add a new frame or upgrade an existing one.
At the end of any of the bonus games, all frames turn into matching Red Envelopes, with either 1, 2, or 3 decorative coins on them. These will then open, revealing a prize that depends on the tier of said envelope, and they are as follows:
Single Coin Envelope = Awards prizes ranging from 0.5X to 1.25X the bet.
Double Coin Envelope = Awards prizes ranging from 1.5X to 5X, or a Mini, Mini 2X, or Minor Jackpot.
Triple Coin Envelope = Awards prizes ranging from 5X to 180X, or a Mini, Mini 2X, Minor, Major, or Grand Jackpot. The Triple Coin Envelope can also award the Wheel feature if opened during the Free Spins feature.
Bonus Wheel
Landing 3 or more Parade Lion symbols without any Golden Parade Lion symbols during the base game triggers the Wheel Feature and awards 1 wheel spin. The wheel can land on Parade Lion Feature, Red Envelope Feature, Mega Hat Feature, Grand Jackpot, Major Jackpot, Minor Jackpot, Mini Jackpot, or Upgrade.
If you trigger the feature with one or more Golden Parade Lion symbols, you will instantly enter the Upgraded Bonus Wheel, which can award the Super version of each of the bonus games, or a Super, Grand, or Mega Jackpot.
Parade Lion
Before the free spins begin, each Parade Lion moves to the right until it leaves the screen, leaving behind a trail of Frames, starting at Bronze, and upgrading for each additional Parade Lion that moves over it. Landing 3 or more Hard Hat Symbols awards +1 spin.
There’s also a Super Parade Lion version of the bonus game, which will expand the playing grid up to 6 rows high. Any Parade Lion or Super Parade Lion Symbols in view will be copied onto the top 3 rows, and then move across the playing grid, leaving behind Frames. If the Bonus Wheel triggers the Super Bonus Game, 3 to 5 Buzz Saw Symbols are randomly placed on the reels at the start of the feature.
Mega Hat
Before the Free Spins start, you will be awarded 1 Mega Hat Spin, where only 2x2, 3x3, and 3x5 Mega Hat Symbols can appear, leaving behind Bronze Frames wherever they land.
If you triggered the Super Mega Hat bonus, the playing grid will expand to 6 rows high before the Mega Hat Spin starts.
Red Envelope
The Red Envelope feature is a special Free Spins bonus game in which only Gold Frames can appear, from both Mega Hats and Parade Lions.
You can also be awarded a Super Red Envelope bonus game, which increases the playing grid up to 6 rows high and will start with 3 to 5 Parade Lion symbols, before being duplicated onto the new 3 rows. In both bonus games, landing 3 or more Hard Hat Symbols will award +1 spin.
Ante Bet
By turning on an Ante Bet option, you increase your chances of triggering bonuses, but at the cost of increasing your current bet.
1.5X = Activates the Ante Bet, increasing your chances of triggering the Free Spins, Wheel, and Super Wheel features. This also introduces new Special Symbols in the form of Double Hard Hat and Double Parade Lion Symbols
3X = Activates the Premium Play, making it so that the reels only contain Hard Hat, Double Hard Hat, Gold Parade Lion, and Double Gold Parade Lion Symbols.
Feature Buy (Buy Pass)
Through the Feature Buy, you can instantly enter the bonus games for a price based on the current bet.
55X = Awards you either the Free Spins, Wheel, or Super Wheel Feature.
Final Thoughts on Huff N' Even More Puff Lunar New Year
The Huff N’ Puff series has seen plenty of releases in only a few years, and while many other players and we might start feeling a bit oversaturated, there’s no denying that these titles are beloved and still played. However, as the series is starting to get bigger and bigger, reskins seem to start popping up, with Huff N' Even More Puff Lunar New Year being a clear example, which is always a bit of a disheartening sight. We say this as we actually really like the new setting, and its presentation, while familiar, was different enough to actually pique our interest, but as soon as we saw what was under the hood, we couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
As we’ve mentioned plenty of times already, Huff N' Even More Puff Lunar New Year is merely a reskin of a title we saw earlier the same year, meaning it still feels somewhat fresh in our minds, and it was the reason why we could spot the familiar mechanics a mile away. However, just as we said in our review of the original title, both of these games don’t feel all too different from the core foundation of the Huff N’ Puff series, which makes many of the releases just kinda blend together in a confusing mess of bonus games, as it can be hard to keep track of which feature does what, especially across games. All in all, while we might be celebrating Lunar New Year a bit earlier than usual, this game delivers on all the typical features and mechanics that you would expect, be it Free Spins, Mega Hats, Bonus Wheels, or Buzz Saws, just in a different coat.
Huff N' Even More Puff Lunar New Year is another game in the Huff N’ Puff series, reskinning a previous title, and while we enjoy its new setting and presentation, the familiar gameplay feels a bit too overused for us to drop everything for a couple of spins.
