Big Bad Wolf Slot

Big Bad Wolf is Quickspin’s take on the three little pigs. It was the studio’s breakout release and is still the game most people name when they name Quickspin at all. The theme is played straight rather than for laughs: a storybook set of pigs, their houses and the wolf outside, wrapped around tumbling reels and a free spin round where the wolf works through the houses one at a time.

• Tumbling reels
• Pigs turn wild
• Free spins
• Blowing Down the House

Studio

Quickspin

Released

2013

Layout

5 reels, 3 rows

Ways to win

25 fixed lines with tumbling wins

Volatility

Medium

How It Plays

Five reels, three rows and twenty-five paylines that are always active. Wins are paid for three or more matching symbols running from the leftmost reel to the right, and because the line count is fixed, the stake is set for the spin as a whole rather than by adjusting a line bet.

The reels tumble rather than simply stop. Symbols that form a win are removed, the ones above drop into the gaps, and new symbols fall in from the top. If the new arrangement forms another win, it pays too and the reels tumble again. A single paid spin can therefore resolve in several steps, and that chain is what the rest of the game is built on.

Symbols

The high symbols are the three little pigs, each drawn separately, and the low end is filled by playing card ranks. The pigs pay the most, and a line of five of the top pig is the largest ordinary combination on the reels.

There is also a scatter, which pays no line win but counts wherever it lands and opens the free spin round, and a wild that substitutes for the regular symbols. The wild is not a symbol you find on the reels at the start of a spin — it appears through the pigs turn wild feature described below.

Bonus Feature

The base game feature is called Pigs Turn Wild. Two wins in a row from tumbling reels turn one of the pig symbols wild for the remainder of that spin, and further tumbles in the same sequence can turn more pigs wild. Once a pig is wild, every one of that symbol on the reels counts as a wild, which is why a long tumble chain tends to keep going rather than stopping neatly.

Landing enough scatters starts the free spins, which begin at ten. The round keeps the tumbling reels and adds the feature the game is named for: Blowing Down the House. Tumbles during the free spins are counted, and once enough of them have been made the wolf blows one of the pigs’ houses down.

Each house that comes down improves the round — a multiplier is applied to wins from that point on, and clearing the houses adds more free spins on top of the ten. The game shows the current multiplier and the houses still standing on the sides of the reels, so the state of the round is visible at all times rather than hidden in a menu.

Controls

The panel sits under the reels. Balance and total win are on the left, the spin button on the right, and the bet control between them. Because all twenty-five lines are always in play, one control sets the cost of the spin and there is no separate line bet to keep track of.

Autoplay runs a set number of spins and can be told to stop on a win over a chosen size, when the balance moves past a limit you set, or when the free spins are triggered. A paytable button opens the full symbol values and the feature rules, and the information panel there is also where the return figure for this particular build is shown.

Every game also carries an information panel with its rules and its return-to-player figure for the build running here. That panel is the accurate source; a number copied from elsewhere may describe a different build — see how to read RTP.

Pros and Cons

Big Bad Wolf sits in the middle. It is not a game that pays a trickle of small wins, and it is not one of the extreme modern releases either — most of what it gives back arrives in the free spins, where the multiplier and the extra spins stack up while the houses come down. Sessions without the round can be quiet, and that is worth knowing before you start.

It suits someone who likes a feature to build towards and does not mind waiting for it, and it is a reasonable choice on a small stake because the tumbles give a paid spin more to do. It is a poor fit if you want a decision to make, a gamble round, or a jackpot. One thing to be clear about: the reels do not remember anything. A long stretch without free spins does not make them any closer, because every spin is settled on its own.

18+ or the legal age where you live. This game carries a house edge like every other. Play only with money you can afford to lose.

More From Quickspin

Other titles by the same studio in our lobby.

Questions

How do the free spins start?

By landing enough scatter symbols on a single spin. The round begins with ten free spins and can be extended by the Blowing Down the House feature.

What does Pigs Turn Wild do?

Two wins in a row from tumbling reels turn one of the pig symbols wild for the rest of that spin. Every copy of that pig on the reels then counts as a wild, and more tumbles can turn further pigs wild.

What is Blowing Down the House?

A counter that runs during the free spins. Tumbles are counted, and once enough have been made the wolf blows down one of the three houses. Each house that falls raises the multiplier applied to wins, and clearing them adds more free spins.

Are the reels ever “due” for the bonus?

No. Every spin is independent and the outcome is drawn fresh each time, so a long run without the free spins does not make them any more likely on the next one.

Can I try it without money?

Yes, the game has a demo mode on virtual credits. It is the cheapest way to see how often the tumbles chain and whether the pace suits you.