Stumpy McDoodles 2

Stumpy McDoodles 2: Slot Overview

Leprechaun fans, here's some good news, Microgaming associates Foxium have brought back the fun-loving Stumpy McDoodles for a repeat performance. Yep, the Stumpmeister has returned in a slot simply titled Stumpy McDoodles 2. He's not alone either; his hipster-looking (for a leprechaun) wife Penny is with him as they traipse the Irish countryside bestowing metaphorical pots of gold on lucky players via features such as cauldron collections, Stumpy Treasures, Stumpy Random Wilds, and Growing Wild Free Spins.

Anyone partial to a leprechaun slot should be happy with the view when Stumpy McDoodles 2 hits their monitor. Behind a see-through game grid is everything the Irish countryside is famous for – grassy green hills, trees, flowers, blue skies, clouds, and a general sense of positive wellbeing. How you might imagine a stroll through The Shire on the way to The Green Dragon might feel. The graphics are about the same as they were in the original Stumpy McDoodles. Personal opinions vary, of course, but part one had a slightly more Peter & Sons quality to it, though both games basically depict the same thing. It appears Foxium has dedicated more time to developing the gameplay than the outer wrapper; hopefully, let's see.

One or two things have changed under the hood, that's for sure. Foxium has jacked volatility to a high setting, compared to the previous one's medium rating, while RTP has decreased a notch, now coming in at 96.2%, at the highest level. Potential has substantially increased in a game that now accepts bets of 20 p/c to $/€20 per spin, playable on any modern mobile, tablet, or desktop device.

Stumpy's setup consists of a 5-reel, 5-row grid matrix with 40 paylines for landing winning combinations of at least three matching symbols across. These are J-A card icons on the lower side of the paytable; harps, four-leaf clovers, Penny, and Stumpy on the higher side. Landing a five of a kind winning line is worth 1-1.5x the bet for the lows, rising to 3-10x the stake for the highs. Wilds are literally all over the place in Stumpy McDoodles 2, though their main duty is always to substitute for any normal paying symbol.

Stumpy McDoodles 2: Slot Features

Rainbow chasers benefit from a couple of base game only features, such as Stumpy Random Wilds and Stumpy Treasure, while the main focus is on collecting cauldrons and triggering free spins.

Base Game Features

Two features may appear to liven the base game. One, on any paid spin, a pot of gold can randomly appear to add 3 to 12 wild symbols to the reels as part of the Stumpy Random Wild feature. The second is Stumpy Treasure, where a treasure chest can land at random on a base game spin to award 1-100x the bet.

Cauldron Collect and Free Spins

When exactly 2 scatter symbols land, they are collected by the meter sitting to the left of the reels. The more you collect, the more free spin are awarded once 3 scatters land to trigger them. The number is 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, or 25 free spins when 0, 1, 4, 8, 12, or 16 cauldrons have been collected. Cauldron collect progress is stored at each bet level. Now, the free spins round starts with a wild symbol on the reels, which changes positions between each spin. Landing a special wild coin awards +2 extra free spins and increases the size of the wild. At full expansion, the Super Wild is 5x5 in size meaning consecutive wins for the rest of the feature.

Stumpy McDoodles 2: Slot Verdict

If you're thinking this is Fat Rabbit with leprechauns, then we're on the same page. It's not a direct copy, of course, there are extra bits to consider, plus the math model and numbers push Stumpy McDoodles 2 into a different league than the Push Gaming classic. Free spins are a close copy, though money-motivated players might be able to shrug that off and concentrate on squeezing as much value out of Stumpy McDoodles 2 as they can, regardless.

Winning potential will probably be one of the main ways Stumpy McDoodles 2 lures players away from Fat Rabbit. Let's just come out and say it, Stumpy's pot of 11,600x the bet is a big one, and yet, there are question marks on how you'd go about achieving it. Arguably, the best way to score big is with the 5x5 Super Wild. Since a winning line of wilds is worth 10x the bet, full-screen Super Wilds pull in 400x a pop, meaning you'd need quite a lot of them to get anywhere close to hitting the game's max win. Not saying it's impossible, and you can win quite a lot of free spins if the cauldron collecting is going well. The mathematical reality is just something to factor in before taking Stumpy McDoodles 2 for a whirl. On the other hand, players not bothered by the cold steel of numbers, who are simply after a cheerful slot with a bit of bite and an impressive max win, should find that in Stumpy McDoodles 2. Of course, a predilection for leprechauns is a requisite.

And yet, Stumpy McDoodles 2 was a bit of a disappointment as well. Not a huge amount of time has passed since Foxium dazzled with Cossacks the Wild Hunt and its innovative Wonderways mechanic – which we haven't seen since. There have been a couple of releases since then, including another sequel, The Great Albini 2, and an underwater version of 9 Masks of Fire called Gods of Seas Triton's Fortune. Both were okay in their way, but factoring in them and the Fat Rabbit imitation of Stumpy McDoodles 2, it feels like Foxium has cashed in much of the scorching creative spirit they displayed not long ago.