Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox: Slot Overview
Well, hot diggity dog y'all, Yggdrasil Gaming pardner Reflex Gaming has returned to the West in a sequel slot titled Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox. This time around, the three pooches are armed with the Gigablox mechanic, and the game has had a refurbishment. The original Desperate Dawgs released in 2021 wasn't exactly the biggest, meanest canine in town, but hey, let's keep an open mind and see what the team has cooked up for part two.
The first surprise when viewing Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox was the overhauled UI. Past Reflex Gaming slots' menu systems have tended to have a dated Windows 93 thing going on. For Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox, the studio has cleaned things up, modernised it, and made it more pleasant to look at and, hopefully, for players, better to use. A small thing perhaps, yet details matter, and this was a positive one. Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox isn't angling for the gritty end of the Western market, like Dead or Alive 2, for example; even the buzzard looks huggable. It's cuter, cuddlier, and doggier, though still serious when it comes to the actual gambling part.
Taking the Dawgs on requires picking a bet from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin on a tablet, desktop, or mobile device. This time around, the medium-high volatile action occurs on a game board that can grow in size but starts with 6-reels, each holding four symbols and crossed with 40 paylines. Max RTP is higher than last time, tipping the scales at 95.5%, though lower models may be available.
Since the game uses Gigablox, reels can randomly unite to create symbols from 2x2 to 6x6 in size. These larger than normal Gigablox symbols are broken down to regular symbol size to calculate payouts. On the lower side of the paytable are the card suits - clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts, then four premiums – hats, pistols, badges, and the game's logo. Hitting six-of-a-kind winning lines pays 0.8-1x the bet for the suits or 2-4x the stake for the high pays. Lastly, a line of six wilds is worth 5 times the bet, and wilds can also substitute for any regular pay symbol.
Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox: Slot Features
Where the dawgs enter the picture is as the scatters – a yellow Gunslinger, a red Train Robber, and a green Bad Boy. Only one scatter type can land during any spin, and landing 6 or more of the same type triggers its respective bonus round.
Train Robber Bonus
Landing 6+ red scatter symbols triggers this feature. The number of free spins awarded equals the number of scatters that activated the round. On each free spin, 3 train wagons appear in view. Each wagon can hold Gold, Silver, Notes, Dynamite, or a blank space. Gold, Silver, or Notes award 10x, 5x, or 2x the bet, respectively, while Dynamites are added to the Dynamite Trail. Once a Dynamite Trail is completed, one of the 4 Silver Safes or the Gold Safe awards its prize. Silver Safes need two dynamites to pay out up to 30x the bet; the Gold Safe needs 5 dynamites to award up to 200x the bet.
Gunslinger Bonus
Landing 6 or more yellow scatters are needed to trigger the Gunslinger Bonus. The number of triggering scatters awards an equal number of Shots. First, players pick between a lower or higher volatile gun. The first option has multipliers of 1x, 2x, 2x, 3x, 3x, or 4x, while the second one has five 1xs and a 10x. Each Shot selects one value and one multiplier, which gets applied to the value. All prizes during the feature are accumulated.
Bad Boy Bonus
Landing 6+ scatters in view leads to the Bad Boy Bonus – the number of scatters awards the same number of free spins. When a win occurs, 1 extra row and 15 extra paylines are added to the game grid. If new wins are formed on the expanded game board, they are paid, and +2 free spins are awarded. Reels can grow to a maximum of 6x8 in size with 100 paylines. At least one Giga reel will appear on each free spin.
Golden Bet
Lastly, if the Golden Bet button is present, players have the option of increasing the stake by 50%, thereby increasing the chance of triggering one of the bonuses.
Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox: Slot Verdict
Maybe the updated UI influenced the way we processed the rest of Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox's visuals because they seemed like a step up from what we've come to expect in a Reflex Gaming slot. Not always, there were times when the 2000s felt like they were trying to push their way in, yet in general, Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox is a pleasanter-looking slot, all things considered. The experience was not only better presented but offered more depth than the previous slot, more everything really.
Part of that is due to the inclusion of Gigablox, which is what a known, proven mechanic is meant to bring to the table. To its credit, Reflex Gaming hasn't just tacked on Gigablox and left it there. The studio tinkered with it for the Bad Boy Bonus, where the grid can grow both reels and ways to win. It's not a major innovation, but hey, it's something. The other two bonuses are oddly interesting and manage to blend in with the theme quite well. They don't particularly strike one as being hugely lucrative. Could be wrong, though, and Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox does come with a max win figure of 9,872x the bet, which is more than double what was possible in Desperate Dawgs part one.
All in all, Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox felt like a step up for Reflex Gaming. The package as a whole came across as nicer, more modern, and just plain better than a lot of the Reflex Gaming games we've reviewed. It's hardly an unmissable celebration of the Wild West spirit where anything can happen, and people are tarring and feathering anyone who dares step foot in town. However, it feels like a move in a positive direction, and Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox should have enough to entertain players enticed by the thought of a Western Gigablox game with doggies in hats.
It's hardly an unmissable celebration of the Wild West spirit where anything can happen but Desperate Dawgs 2 Gigablox should have enough to entertain players enticed by the thought of a Western Gigablox game with doggies in hats.
