Diner Dogs

Diner Dogs: Slot Overview

Software provider Wicked Games is beating the neon-lit streets of Las Vegas in Diner Dogs, a cluster pays slot that blends classic American dining culture with a cartoon crime caper. There are plenty of ways to make a buck in this world, but some people want to make a lot of bucks as quickly as possible. Diner Dogs' crew is turning to crime to fulfil their dreams, so instead of being a simple food-themed experience, there's a cinematic twist, moving from a relaxed diner setting to a full-blown casino heist during the bonus phase. Along the way, the game orders up a mystery symbol feature, as well as wild multipliers, before amplifying their effects in its three free spins bonus rounds via a persistent framing effect, which might just lead to a carry bag full of cash, if the crew manages to pull this off.

Diners are a North American phenomenon, famous for things like booths, long counters, a low-key casual attitude, and simple, comfort food - burgers, pancakes, and so on. Not to mention, overworked serving ladies who float around taking orders and refilling everyone's coffee cup. That's basically where we are at the start of Diner Dogs, which may or may not have been inspired by Pulp Fiction, even if the location is Las Vegas rather than Los Angeles, as indicated by a sign outside the window. The base game is pretty chilled, as the crew sits around waiting for the call to transition to Oceans 11 mode in free spins where the game moves to a casino and the heisting, get-rich-quick scheme takes over.

Diner Dogs is a 6x6 slot with a cluster pays mechanic, creating a win when 5 or more matching symbols land adjacent to each other, before triggering a cascade feature that does one or two things most do not. The RTP sits slightly above average at 96.11%, while the high volatility hits with a full 5 out of 5 rating. Loads of bet levels are on offer, ranging from $/€0.10 to $/€200 per spin.

The pay symbols are divided into low pay items - keys, cash counters, guns, dice, and lighters, while five character symbols, headed by a Vincent Vega type, make up the highs. Clusters vary greatly in value from 0.2x-1x for a 5 OAK combination up to 500x-5,000x the stake when a 35+ OAK combination hits.

Diner Dogs: Slot Features

Diner Dogs serves a cascade feature, mystery symbols, wild multiplier symbols, three free spins rounds, boosters and feature buys.

Rolling Cascades Feature

All symbols in a winning combination are removed from the reels. In addition, Clear the Table causes all matching low pays in view which were not part of a winning combination to also be removed. Furthermore, Poker Face causes all matching high-pay character symbols that were not part of the win to be transformed into mystery symbols. After removal, symbols drop down to refill the reels, and cascades repeat until no more wins are formed.

Mystery Symbols

When no more winning combinations appear, all mystery symbols on the grid reveal the same pay symbol, though some mystery symbols may reveal a wild.

Wild Symbols

Wilds can only appear through mystery symbol transformations in the base game, and they substitute for all regular paying symbols. In the base game, wilds may have an x2 multiplier. In free spins or super free spins, wilds can land naturally and have an x5 multiplier when they do so. Wild multipliers in the same winning combination are multiplied.

Free Spins

Landing 3 scatters triggers 10 free spins in The Plan bonus round, 4 scatters trigger 10 super free spins in The Master Plan, or landing 5 scatters awards 10 super free spins in The Super Master Plan. Each scatter landed during free spins awards +1 free spin or super free spin and triggers a cascade.

During all free spins features, after a wild carrying an x5 multiplier lands, its position is highlighted with a golden frame. From then on, any mystery symbol revealed in a golden frame produces a wild with an x5 multiplier.

In The Master Plan free spins only, silver frames are placed on positions where wilds are revealed by a mystery symbol. From then on, any mystery symbols revealed in a silver frame become a wild with a multiplier of x2 or x4. If a wild with an x5 multiplier lands in a position with a silver frame, it gets upgraded to a golden frame. Any wild revealed without a golden frame will get a multiplier of x2 or x3. In The Super Master Plan round, an x5 wild lands on every spin.

Boosters and Buys

A selection of boosters and buys are available, such as Tip Off, costing 3x to increase the chance of triggering free spins by 5 times. The Inside Job costs 9x to guarantee that all mystery symbols transform into wilds, but scatters do not land. The Plan can be bought for 90x, The Heist which lands 3-5 scatters costs 150x, The Master Plan costs 270x, or The Super Master Plan can be bought for 750x the bet.

Diner Dogs: Slot Verdict

Wicked Games is getting pretty good at these cinematic things, turning up the storytelling in titles such as Big Black Cock, Last Call, and Cred. Diner Dogs follows suit with its cast of nefarious characters and diner-to-crime storyline, set alongside mystery symbol reveals, wild multipliers, and more. The dozy, tomato sauce-spattered restaurant sets the scene, dropping hints here and there as to what the gameplay might be able to achieve. One of the ways Wicked Games has given Diner Dogs a dash of special sauce is by expanding on the cascade feature. Not only does it remove winning clusters and non-winning matching low-pay symbols (aka Hacksaw Gaming's super cascades), but it also converts non-winning high pays into mystery symbols. This is a nice touch in a game which relies on mystery reveals for much of its suspense, and the cascade package as a whole is capable of keeping the action flowing - when wins are hitting, that is, since dead spins were common.

Wild multipliers are a boon in any slot, and what's encouraging in Diner Dogs is that even though multiplier values aren't especially large, x5 is the biggest they ever get, they multiply each other when part of the same cluster, which can quickly rack up values. What is large, though, is winning cluster values in the 30+ of a kind range. Covering the entire grid with the same symbol is probably not going to happen on every heist, but wild symbols and mystery reveals (assisted by the Clear the Table and Poker Face parts of cascading wins) help in this regard. There are a lot of interconnecting parts that can work together to achieve something special, assuming Diner Dogs' crew follows the plan, which won't always be the case.

If it does all come together, Diner Dogs can grab a swag bag full of loot up to a cap of 20,000x the bet. A sizable haul in a stylish release that demonstrates Wicked Games' ability to create slots with personality. While the volatile gameplay might not appeal to everyone, players who enjoy cluster pays slots with a lawless bent, joined by features that are both familiar and refined, may find much to appreciate in this casino heist venture.