Peppe’s Pepperoni Pizza Plaza: Slot Overview
Pragmatic Play’s partner, Reel Kingdom, is often associated with the wildly popular Big Bass Bonanza series. However, this slot studio isn’t only about aquatic adventures—it has dabbled in other themes, like Italian cuisine. After the success of Pizza! Pizza? Pizza!, Reel Kingdom returns with another slice of Italy in Peppe’s Pepperoni Pizza Plaza. Just like its predecessor, this slot borrows heavily from the Big Bass formula, integrating familiar mechanics such as Money symbol collection, wild symbol collection, and multipliers, but with Hawkplay an Italian twist.
A Flavorful Visual Feast
The game’s visual design sticks to the pizza theme, presenting a slice-shaped grid in a playful, lighthearted game world. The call to action on the home screen reads, “Win lots of dough!”, setting a fun and engaging tone. Things get even more entertaining during the free spins round when the Pickle Palooza bonus triggers. Pickles jump from a conveyor belt, bringing with them bonus round modifiers that could be the key to bigger rewards. It’s weird, it’s quirky, but it’s also a welcome departure from the usual fish-based themes.
Game Mechanics: A Slice of the Action
Peppe’s Pepperoni Pizza Plaza features a 2-3-4-5-6 grid setup with symbols that pay from left to right in portrait mode or from bottom to top in landscape mode. Instead of paylines, the game uses a “ways-to-win” system, creating 46,656 possible ways to land a win. The game’s high volatility makes it an exciting choice for players who are after big payouts. With a wide betting range between 10c and $/€250 per spin, players can adjust their stakes to match their preferred risk level.
Toppings, Symbols, and Paylines
The toppings are the stars of this pizza-themed slot, serving as the higher-paying symbols. Chilli Money symbols, mushrooms, olives, leaves, and salami slices can each pay out between 1.5x to 3x the stake when five of a kind land. The lower-paying symbols are represented by the 10-A card ranks, awarding 0.5x to 1x for a five-of-a-kind hit. Regular Wilds and Golden Wilds only appear during the free spins feature, where they substitute for other symbols to form winning combinations, except for scatters and Money symbols.
Money Symbols: A Hot Slice of Luck
The chilli pepper symbol also functions as the Money symbol, carrying values between 2x and 2,000x the player’s bet. These symbols are collected during free spins, potentially leading to huge payouts if you manage to fill the screen with them. The Money symbols keep the heat on, rewarding persistent players with spicy wins.
Free Spins: A Delicious Bonus Round
Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols in the base game triggers the free spins feature, awarding 10, 15, or 20 spins, respectively. Before the feature begins, up to five modifiers are randomly applied to the round, giving players a chance to boost their free spins experience. These modifiers include:
- More Money Symbols: Increases the number of Money symbols on the reels.
- More Wilds: Adds extra Wilds to the reels, helping to complete winning combinations.
- More Golden Wilds: Increases the number of Golden Wilds, which play a key role in the game’s progression.
- Start From Level 2: Starts the feature on a higher level, giving players an early advantage.
- +2 Spins: Adds two extra spins, with additional spins added for every retrigger.
During free spins, each Wild that lands collects the values of the Money symbols present on the grid. If a Golden Wild hits, the grid expands, increasing the potential ways to win. The expanded grid (6-9-12-15-18) remains in place for the remainder of the feature, allowing for larger wins and additional symbol collection. The grid reverts to its default size once the collection process is complete.
Retriggering the Free Spins Feature
Wild symbols are collected until the end of the round, and every fourth Wild symbol that lands retriggers the free spins feature, granting +10 spins with a multiplier for Money symbol collection. The multiplier starts at x2 for the first retrigger, x3 for the second, and x10 for the third. After the third retrigger, the feature cannot be retriggered again. As a fun twist, when only one Wild Hawkplay symbol remains on the screen, Money symbols may appear to boost your chances of landing even bigger payouts.
Feature Buy: Hawkplay Your Way to the Action
For players who want to dive straight into the action, Peppe’s Pepperoni Pizza Plaza offers a Feature Buy option. By paying 120x the bet, players can buy access to the free spins feature, which is normally triggered by landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols. If you want to skip the wait and jump straight into the pizza-fueled madness, this is the way to go.
Peppe’s Pepperoni Pizza Plaza: Verdict
While Reel Kingdom’s constant return to the Big Bass Bonanza formula may seem repetitive to some, Peppe’s Pepperoni Pizza Plaza adds a flavorful twist by combining the familiar mechanics with a pizza theme. The quirky modifiers, the fun visuals, and the chance to collect big payouts keep the gameplay fresh and engaging. Sure, it’s another iteration of the Big Bass concept, but the pizza twist makes it feel like a tasty treat rather than a recycled concept.
Players who enjoy high volatility and the excitement of collecting symbols for big payouts will likely find Peppe’s Pepperoni Pizza Plaza to be a fun addition to their game library. And, if you’re looking for a Hawkplay platform to play it, why not check out Hawkplay for a smooth and thrilling gaming experience?
