Brick House Bonanza

Brick House Bonanza: Slot Overview

Once again, Pragmatic Play returns to the realm of children's fairy tales with Brick House Bonanza, a slot that trades subtlety for bold, in-your-face storytelling. Following the timeless escapades of the three little pigs and their nemesis, the big bad wolf, Brick House Bonanza attempts to huff, puff, and blow its way into the hearts of players who can't get enough of anthropomorphic animals and well-trodden narratives.

This isn't the first time the tale has been slotified. Swedish provider Quickspin immortalized it back in 2012 with their iconic Big Bad Wolf. Pragmatic Play's take, however, injects a dose of vibrant animation, a playful soundtrack, and, of course, local jackpots, which seem to be everywhere these days. Whether this overused theme still has enough gas in the tank to entertain or has run its course is up for debate, but there's no denying that Brick House Bonanza aims to build on familiar foundations with Pragmatic's signature style.

Played on a 5x3 grid, Brick House Bonanza offers 243 ways to win, requiring at least three matching symbols to land a winning combination. This is a highly volatile game, as emphasized by its five-bolt rating, with an RTP of 96.06% by default, though alternative, lower configurations may be offered depending on the operator. Bets range from a modest $/€0.20 to a rather chunky $/€240 per spin, catering to a wide variety of bankrolls.

The paytable features a mix of playful pig-themed characters and tools of the trade. At the higher end of the spectrum, the red-helmeted pig stands tall as the top symbol, paying 2x the bet for a full line of five. Following closely behind are the green and blue pigs, paying 1.25x and 1x the bet, respectively, for a five-symbol combination. For the mid-tier symbols, a shovel and saw take the spotlight, offering payouts of 0.75x and 0.35x, while the lower-value card royals (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9) range from 0.20x down to a modest 0.15x for five-of-a-kind. The wolf is the wild, appearing on the middle three reels only.

Brick House Bonanza: Slot Features

Brick House Bonanza comes with a range of features designed to navigate players through the three little pigs' story. From Free Spins with house-building mechanics to a variety of random awards through the Wheel Bonus, it leans heavily on local jackpots. Here's a breakdown of what you can expect.

Free Spins

The free spins round is triggered by landing 6 or more scatter symbols. The feature begins with 6 free spins, during which each scatter's position on the grid is highlighted with a straw square. Whenever a scatter lands on a highlighted position, the highlighting progresses from straw to wood and then to brick, increasing the value associated with that spot. If a scatter lands on a fully upgraded brick square, it randomly upgrades another position on the grid.

If all positions are upgraded to brick during the feature, an extra reward of 10x the total bet is awarded for each scatter. After the free spins conclude, the highlighted positions transform into houses, and the wolf blows them down to reveal random money prizes. The payout increases with the type of house:

• Straw houses: 0.6x, 1x, or 1.5x the total bet.
• Wood houses: 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 6x the total bet (or MINI jackpot worth 12x and 2xMINI worth 24x the total bet).
• Brick houses: 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 100x, or 250x the total bet (or MINI worth 12x, 2xMINI worth 24x, MINOR worth 60x, MAJOR worth 500x, or GRAND worth 5,000x).

Landing 3 or more scatters during the round retriggers the feature, awarding +1 free spin.

Random Awards via the Wheel Bonus

Hit 3 or more Wheel bonus symbols to trigger one of several random awards:

• Mega Bank feature: Reveals a 2x2, 3x3, 3x5, or two 2x2 scatter symbols that can lead to triggering the free spins feature with enhanced starting highlights.
• Windmill feature: Highlights positions on the grid as the Wheel Bonus symbols roll off the screen, upgrading spots as they go and potentially triggering free spins with all highlighted positions locked in.
• Brick House feature: Converts Wheel Bonus positions into brick highlights. If free spins are triggered during this feature, all scatters land as brick highlights for higher payouts.
• Random Jackpot: Awards one of the four jackpots (MINI, MINOR, MAJOR, or GRAND).

Feature Buy

For 100x the bet, players can instantly trigger the free spins feature, guaranteeing a random number of scatter symbols ranging from 6 to 15. Alternatively, for 200x the bet, the Wheel Bonus feature can be activated, offering access to its range of potential rewards.

Brick House Bonanza: Slot Verdict

Brick House Bonanza leans heavily on its local jackpot feature, which, while typically likely more appealing to recreational players, may not resonate as much with hardcore gamers. Local jackpots inherently redirect a portion of the RTP away from the core gameplay, leaving the remaining features and mechanics feeling somewhat underwhelming by comparison.

The max win potential is respectable, and the max win frequency (on paper, at least) isn't as punishing as in some other slots. However, wins in the range of 200x to 500x are more in the realistically achievable range. The free spins and highlighted position mechanics, meanwhile, are fine, but they don't exactly reinvent the wheel, echoing systems we've seen in various slots before.

All said and done, Brick House Bonanza is an okay slot. It's visually pleasing and competently built, but it struggles to stand out in a saturated market. It's the kind of game that blends into the background - a solid choice for casual sessions, though unlikely to leave a lasting impression.