Buildin’ More Bucks

Buildin' More Bucks: Slot Overview

Build an online slot that gets the attention of enough gamblers, and the next logical step is to… build a sequel. This, software provider Play'n GO has done for Buildin' More Bucks, a follow-up to the 2024 release Buildin' Bucks, a charming if underwhelming release that used cute characters to build frames on a gaming grid, which would go on to become buildings that awarded prizes, depending on the materials used in their construction. Play'n GO has essentially replicated the experience for Buildin' More Bucks while expanding winning potential and making a few changes here and there.

Buildin' More Bucks is in part a leprechaun slot, but one which is different from the usual 'Top o' the morning', mugs of beer and four-leaf clover way of doing things. The chums in this game are less interested in bestowing pots of gold on people who find the end of a rainbow, and more concerned with knocking together bits of wood or laying bricks or gold to build things. However, while there are differences, Buildin' More Bucks is a cheerfully presented Celtic and fairy-type slot that does its best to again win hearts with its friendly characters and charming location.

Its building site is a 5x3 matrix, creating combinations with the help of a 243 ways to win pay system. Play'n GO has raised the volatility a notch, while keeping it within the medium part of the spectrum, and kept the maximum RTP at 96.2%. No change to the stake range either, where the lowest bet is $/€0.20 and the highest is $/€100.

Pay symbols in Buildin' More Bucks are J-A royals, tape measure, paint bucket, and three character symbols - Woody Elf, Grout Bricky, and Fairy Mary. Five-of-a-kind royal combinations award 0.5x-0.75x the bet, while the rest pay 1.25x-6x the stake. Wilds appear on all reels and substitute all regular pay symbols. A wild 5 OAK combination pays 6x the bet like Fairy Mary.

Buildin' More Bucks: Slot Features

Not a massive amount has changed here, where the features include spinning a now two-tiered Wheel to win prizes, character respins, and Magic Spins.

Spin the Wheel

Landing 1 or 2 Hard Hat scatters can randomly trigger the first Wheel. From the first Wheel, players can win Woody Elf Spins, the 10x Mini Prize, the 20x Minor Prize or upgrade the Wheel. When the Wheel is upgraded, it is possible to win the 50x Major, the 100x Grand, the 500x Ultra, Grout Bricky Spins, or Fairy Mary Spins.

When a character feature is triggered, the Hard Hat scatters that triggered the Wheel build frames of the character's power before the reels start spinning. Any Hard Hat scatters that land transform into the character's frame - Woody Elf wood, Grout Bricky brick, and Fairy Mary gold. Frames can be upgraded when the grid is full of the character's frames - wood to brick, brick to gold. If reels are full of gold frames and a Hard Hat lands, 100x is immediately paid. 6 respins are awarded with no chance of a retrigger. Magic Spins cannot be triggered either.

Magic Spins

Landing 3 or more Hard Hat scatters in the base game triggers Magic Spins. Hitting 3 scatters awards 3 initial wooden frames, 4 scatters grant 4 initial brick frames, while 5 scatters award 5 initial gold frames. To start with, 6 Magic Spins are awarded. These can be retriggered if 3 or more Hard Hat scatters land to spin the Wheel. The values on the Wheel are +1, +3, or +5 spins. Up to 80 Magic Spins can be won.

During the round, when a Hard Hat scatter lands, it places a wooden frame in its position. If a Hard Hat lands on a wooden frame, it upgrades it to a brick frame. Brick frames are upgraded to gold frames when a Hard Hat lands in them. If a Hard Hat lands in a gold frame, it moves position to create a new wooden frame or a position to upgrade the lowest type of frame if no empty spaces are available. If reels are full of gold frames and a Hard Hat lands, 100x is immediately paid. When Magic Spins end, frames transform into houses and reveal an instant prize. Wooden Houses pay 2x-5x, Brick Houses are worth 6x-12.5x, and Gold Castles pay 15x-25x the bet.

Buildin' More Bucks: Slot Verdict

Buildin' More Bucks takes the whimsical charm of Buildin' Bucks and adds a layer of polish and extra potential, though it doesn't really push things much further. Despite the "more" in the title, the sequel never fully escapes a sense of déjà vu. The presentation remains pleasant, with charming characters and a lush woodland backdrop, but the gameplay loop feels familiar enough that excitement quickly flattens out for anyone who spent time with the first game.

The base game benefits slightly from the Wheel returning with adjusted mechanics and a two-tier setup that teases better rewards, while the three character respins and boosted prize values give the numbers a small lift. Still, the core structure hasn't changed much. The Magic Spins feature, in particular, plays almost identically to the previous version, and while the 7,500x potential looks better on paper, it doesn't really matter much since PnG slots rarely dish out wins anywhere near those numbers.

Overall, Buildin' More Bucks is a neatly constructed sequel that smooths out edges rather than rebuilding from the ground up. Its construction-themed fairy-tale twist still gives it a bit of personality, but the lack of new ideas means it ends up feeling more like a maintenance job than a genuine improvement.