Introduction
In the slot world, pigs and wealth go together like hot chips and sauce, and few have successfully brought swine to the reels like Red Tiger’s Piggy Riches Megaways. So much so that the game has inspired partner Red Tiger to have a crack at a sequel, the logically titled Piggy Riches 2 Megaways. This sequel is particularly interesting because NetEnt was the brains behind the original Piggy Riches (2010) slot before handing control over to RT for the Megaways reboot. Even more exciting is the way Red Tiger has completely overhauled the bonus round, replacing multiplier free spins with a Hold & Respin feature loaded with various special symbols.
Visuals and Theme
Some of the background imagery has been altered, but visually, Piggy Riches 2 Megaways puts up the sort of optics this genre is famous for. Wealth, riches, expensive stuff—things no one particularly needs perhaps, but all useful for ensuring the piggy couple feels like they’ve ‘won’ life and can make darn sure their peers know all about it. We’re talking a big, if saggy, house, water features, and tasteful interiors. Okay, we get it, the pigs are rich, but the question is if they’re going to share the loot?
Game Mechanics
Piggy Riches 2 Megaways is a 6-reel slot, with each reel landing 2 to 7 symbols per base game spin, providing a varying number of ways to win, climaxing at 117,649. Both the volatility is high, and the default RTP is 95.71%, though the return value increases cc6 when buying features. The game’s max win is quite big, but its stake range is not, going from 10c to $/€4 per spin.
Chain Reaction Mechanic
The chain reaction mechanic removes symbols in winning combinations from the grid and fills all of the gaps by dropping symbols downwards. If a new win lines up after the symbol drop, the chain reaction continues. Wealth and royals are one way of describing Piggy Riches 2 Megaways’ pay symbols. Ten to Ace are the low pays, awarding 0.4 to 0.8 times the bet for 6 of a kind, while a piggy bank, a purse, a key, credit cards, and a bag of money are the highs, awarding 1.2 to 20 times the bet for a 6 matching symbol winning combination.
Super Wild Feature
Super Wilds may land on the four middle reels, but they cannot land on reels 2 and 3 at the same time. Super Wilds are fully stacked and have a multiplier of x2 to x7, indicating how many symbols the Super Wild counts for in win calculations. Super Wilds do not disappear after participating in a winning combination, adding another layer of excitement to the gameplay.
Hold & Respin Feature
Landing 3+ scatter symbols triggers the Hold & Respins bonus with 3 free spins. The bonus starts with a number of positions on each reel equal to the number of scatters that triggered the round. At the start of the bonus, a wheel spins to award 2 to 15 Cash cc6 symbols and 1 to 5 Saves. Cash symbols are placed on random reel positions for the duration of the round. Saves are displayed above the reels.
Special Symbols in Hold & Respin
Only Cash symbols, special symbols, or empty symbols may land during the Hold & Respin feature. Cash symbols have values of 1x to 10x the bet and they lock when they land. Special symbols include Piggy Bank, Purse, Key, Money Bag, Gentleman Pig, Lady Pig, and Credit Cards, each adding unique twists and boosts to the bonus round. For instance, the Piggy Bank holds a value of 1x to 10x the cc6 bet and adds its value to all adjacent positions. The Gentleman Pig and Lady Pig offer increasing values and multipliers, enhancing the potential for big wins.
Feature Buy Options
The feature buy section has four choices. They are the Hold & Respin for 75x the bet, the Hold & Respin with 1 extra row for 150x, the Hold & Respin with 2 extra rows for 350x, or the Hold & Respin with 3 extra rows for 900x. The RTP when buying features is 96%. This option allows players to jump straight into the action, bypassing the base game and getting right to the heart of the slot’s excitement.
Verdict
The Piggy Riches trilogy has had an interesting journey. The original was released by NetEnt in 2010 and was followed up by a Megaways reboot by Red Tiger around a decade later. This one, Piggy Riches 2 Megaways, has gone back to NetEnt yet is powered by Red Tiger, showcasing the close collaboration between the two software providers. It’s a good release, too, and not relying on a free spins round with a multiplier again is excellent news. Not disparaging what either of the previous Piggy Riches games could do, but change is as good as a holiday as they say, especially when it comes to slots where repetition and reuse are rife. Piggy Riches 2 Megaways brings fresh cc6 excitement and innovative features to the table, making it a worthy addition to the series.