Buggin Slot

Buggin Base Game and Features

Buggin is a 7-reel, 7-row Video Slot with a Cluster Pays mechanic. Wins occur when 5 or more of the same symbol land adjacent to each other, either Horizontally or Vertically.

Buggin can be played for as little as £.€0.20 per spin, up to a maximum of £.€100 per spin, with multiple options in between the two. This game also has a theoretical RTP of 94.00% and a max win cap of 10,000x.

The highest-paying symbol here is the Ladybug, followed by the Snail, Ant, and Cricket. Low-paying symbols fall to Mushrooms, Grapes, Blueberries, and Leaves.

Wilds substitute for all High and Low-paying symbols from the paytable. Wild symbols can appear with Multipliers that automatically multiply a win they are part of. More than one Wild Multiplier in a win will have their values added together and applied.

Big Symbols

During gameplay, any High or Low-paying symbol can appear as a big symbol in a size of 2×2 or 3×3. Big symbols pay the same as the number of regular 1×1 symbols they represent. I.E. a 2×2 symbol amounts to 4 regular symbols and a 3×3 symbol amounts to 9 regular symbols.

Progress Meter & Feature Wilds

Each game round begins with the Progress Meter reset, Wild Inventory empty, Wild Redrop target randomized, and a new grid drop.

Each time a win is formed, all winning clusters will be removed from play, triggering additional symbols to drop down from above via a Cascade Feature.

Wilds in a winning cluster will not be removed, but rather merge into 1 Wild symbol with a Multiplier equal to all merged Wild symbols. If there are no Wilds in a winning cluster, a Wild symbol will be generated with a default Multiplier value of x1 in a random empty position.

When the Progress Meter is filled, a random Feature Wild is collected to the leftmost slot in the Wild Inventory, and the meter is reset. When wins are complete, each collected Feature Wild will be distributed to 1 or more positions on the grid. A feature wild that is part of a winning cluster will activate, performing its function, and remain a regular Wild symbol thereafter.

• Feature Wild: Make Big – Selects a position with a paying symbol and transforms the symbol into a bigger version, from 1×1 to 2×2, and 2×2 to 3×3. Any symbols covered will be removed.
• Feature Wild: Multiplying – Adds its Multiplier value to all regular symbols that are not part of a win.
• Feature Wild: Random – Spreads a regular Wild symbol to at least 2 positions on the grid and replaces any existing symbols.
• Feature Wild: Removing – Removes all instances of the Lowest-paying symbol from the grid.
• Feature Wild: Upgrading – Upgrades all instances of the Lowest-paying symbol to the nearest Higher-paying symbol.

Wild Redrop

Collecting a Feature Wild on the locked Wild Redrop target triggers the Wild Redrop with the same amount of Feature Wilds. Collecting additional Feature Wilds only adds to the number of Feature Wilds in the Wild Redrop.

The Wild Redrop triggers when no more wins occur. Regular Wilds will remain on the grid and the collected Feature Wilds will be released. Wild Redrops can retrigger, yet they are not available during the Super Free Spins round.

Free Spins

Landing 3 Bonus Scatters in the base game triggers the Free Spins round, awarding 7 Free Drops. All regular Wilds will remain sticky into the Free Spins round and between each spin.

Landing 3 Bonus Scatters during this time will award an additional +3 Free Drops. If at least 1 of the Bonus Scatters is Super, your game round will be upgraded to Super Free Spins.

Super Free Spins

During the initial Free Spins trigger, if 1 Bonus Scatter is a Super, you will automatically enter the Super Free Spins round with 7 Free Drops.

At the start of Super Free Spins, all Feature Wild positions in the Wild Inventory are locked. Each position will unlock when collected for the first time. The following Free Drops begin with a prefill and release of the number of unlocked Feature Wilds.

Landing 3 Bonus Scatters during this time will award an additional +3 Free Drops.

Buggin: Our Verdict

If there’s one thing ELK Studios slots are proficient at, it’s building momentum. Rarely do their features just explode instantaneously with huge wins, despite being capable of doing so on occasion. It feels as if they prefer to take their time with features that give the game longevity, and Buggin feels like one of those slots.

The Feature Wilds start off rather humble, but as the multipliers and the subsequent wins grow, you feel a real sense of anticipation. It’s very varied and quite interesting with Wilds that go the extra mile to do things other than their conventional job, with Wild Generation and Wild Merge as just the tip of the iceberg. Underneath it all lies extra features, such as Big, Multiplying, Random, Removing, and Upgrading Wilds that can send Buggin in seemingly different directions, while still being harmonious with each other.

The Bonus Round perfectly showcases their capabilities, and the Super Bonus is an even more spectacular showcase. Unlike some ELK Studios slots in the past, the Super bonus isn’t locked behind a buy and is available to land organically with a touch of luck.

the maximum win in Buggin is 10,000x the bet, which puts it level with many of other ELK Studios slots – a respectable figure indeed.

Overall, we have no real complaints about Buggin. It’s well-put-together, interesting, capable, and diverse.