The new “Build the Bank” game from Crazy Tooth Studios marks my introduction to the developer’s “Mega Pile” payout mechanic. It looks to have been at least partially inspired by Big Time Gaming’s ever-popular Megaways system, but the two do not share enough similarities for me to identify Mega Pile as a copy. This is a futuristic take on a bank-themed slot, complete with pumping, high-BPM techno music. The action takes place on a 3,125 payway layout with an RTP of 96.09% and a top win of roughly 4,000x your bet.
The scatter symbols featured in Build the Bank are a little unique in that they can contain credit awards, multiplier symbols, special prizes, or a re-spin upgrade feature. The headline Mega Pile feature is triggered by hitting any three scatter symbols, causing the playfield to expand and an alternative reel set to take over as you look to build an enormous pile of gold. Finally, let’s not forget about the bank prizes, which start at a fixed multiple of the current bet but will increase periodically until they are won. Think of them as “personal progressives” – it’s almost like keeping your money in the bank! Almost.
Okay, folks, that’s your introduction – it’s time to take a trip into the future with our free demo slot of Build the Bank. Just don’t forget your earplugs.
| Provider | Microgaming |
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 5 |
| Paylines | 3,125 |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.25 - 500 |
| Volatility | Medium |
| Max Win | 4,000x |
| Bonus Buy | No |
| RTP | 96.09% |
| Our Rating | 7.4 |
Build The Bank Slot Casino Bonuses
Build The Bank Slot Free Play
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Build The Bank Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
It isn’t difficult to understand why banks are so commonly used as the inspiration for online slots. The association with huge amounts of money makes perfect sense, leading to the creation of popular franchises such as the Action Bank and Bust the Bank games. The first bank-based game to really break through into the mainstream was probably Microgaming’s Break da Bank Again, a slot that doesn’t seem to get much of a mention these days but was one of the most popular high-variance games out there after it was first released over a decade ago.
Build the Bank has had years to expand on what Break da Bank again was doing all that time ago, so we can expect great things from the paytable, right? This is where things start to get a little bit confusing. Four solid gold high-paying symbols are represented by a hard hat, hammer, shovel, and a pile of gold bars. All four will pay you 0.12x your bet for winning combinations of three, four, or five-of-a-kind. Then there are the low-paying symbols, represented by royals, all of which share the same payout of 0.08x your bet for a winning payway of three or more symbols. If all the symbols share near-identical payouts, how do you win anything significant? Check out the base game and bonus round sections below for the answer, assuming that the unusual configuration of the game hasn’t put you off already!
The minimum and maximum wagers available in Build the Bank have been set at €0.25 and €50.00 per spin, respectively, with plenty of intermediate bets available for those who don’t want to play at the extremes.
Base Game & Modifiers
If you read the paragraph regarding the paytable in the previous section, you are undoubtedly curious to discover what’s going on with the payouts in Build the Bank. The simple answer is that the default 5×5 playfield with 3,125 payways is not the genuine game here. The real action takes place after triggering the Mega Pile feature, which we’ll discuss in the next section.
Hard Hat Jackpot
Hitting a full screen of the hard had symbol during the base game triggers a special payout of 375x your bet. I couldn’t find any mention of why this symbol has such a reward attached to it, which is a little mysterious, in my opinion!
Build The Bank Slot Bonus Features
Many different scatter symbols are included on the reels in Build the Bank, any three of which will take you to the secondary Mega Pile screen. The exact triggering scatters determine what blocks your pile will start with, so it’s worth hoping for the multiplier or re-spin upgrade scatters specifically.
Mega Pile Feature
Each time the Mega Pile is triggered, the game board will expand by two additional rows to create a 5×7 layout. All symbols will now drop from the top of the screen in what looks a little like a game of Tetris. Not all positions are filled with each row, allowing gaps to form and distinct piles to develop at the bottom of the screen.
Each symbol appearing in the Mega Pile feature can have a cash value, a multiplier, or a special award. Those special awards will enhance the value of other symbols which appear nearby where they land, but it’s the jackpot prizes which are likely to be of particular interest as they can be worth up to 2,500x your bet.
The Mega Pile feature is a lot of fun and is where you will spend the majority of your time whilst playing this game. For that reason, I can’t help but wonder why Crazy Tooth didn’t decide to scrap the normal reel set and build the game around the Mega Pile directly!
Build The Bank Slot Review Final Thoughts
I’m certainly not convinced by the “base game” of Build the Bank – I was worried this would be another Rhino Rilla Rex when I first saw the paytable. Thankfully, the Mega Pile manages to rescue the game from certain obscurity with its fun gameplay and the potential for monster wins.
Crazy Tooth should concentrate on scrapping the base game and making the Mega Pile the main game mechanic. If that happens, Build the Bank 2 could be a serious hit next year.
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