The Dog House Megaways: Overview
Sometimes in life people are split into two broad
categories – dog people or cat people. 🍌 For those in the former group who can’t resist a
bit of drool or picking up warm business on a 🍌 walk, developer Pragmatic Play has your
back. Released back in May 2024, the original version, The Dog House, turned out 🍌 to be
a big hit for the studio and one that resonated well with the casino community. Feel
good cartoon 🍌 hounds warmed players to its charm as much as anything else and the good
news is that they have all 🍌 returned in a version that barks louder and bites harder. As
with many Megaways makeovers though, some bits remain in 🍌 place, while others have been
surgically removed like a neutered puppy. After the switch, is The Dog House Megaways
still 🍌 man’s best friend?
If you’re the type of player who likes a sequel but fears
change, then the visuals should provide 🍌 great comfort. The pals are back, hanging out
in pretty much the same white picket fence suburban yard, as wide-eyed 🍌 and innocent as
ever. The main difference is the game area which has been enlarged to accompany the 6
reel 🍌 Megaways set up. On each spin, 2 to 7 symbols appear on each reel providing a huge
number of win 🍌 ways that can range from 64 to 117,649. The number active on every spin
is displayed just above the reels 🍌 for your reference.
Eagle eyed readers will notice
there is no bonus reel, nor is there any sort of cascade or 🍌 reaction feature. Not even
in the bonus game do they appear. Wins come, the next spin occurs. It’s a controversial
🍌 decision on Pragmatic’s part and one which may rankle some.
Playable from 20 p/c
toR$/€100, the math model throws out similar 🍌 stats to the original, starting with an
agreeable default RTP rating of 96.55%. Running alongside this is high volatility rated
🍌 5/5 by Pragmatic which is as high as it gets. Despite triggering free spins quite early
on during testing, sessions 🍌 can be tough. However, potential is there, almost double
what was possible from the first Dog House game.
The symbols here 🍌 are carryovers from
the original Dog House game, so we get chunky 10 to A tiles, bones, collars,
dachshunds, pugs, 🍌 Shih Tzus, and Rottweilers. Values have decreased as win ways have
amplified though, so a line of the premium dog 🍌 symbols are now worth from 1.5 to 7.5
times the stake.
The dog house symbol is once again wild, appearing on 🍌 reels 2, 3, 4,
or 5 to substitute for anything except the scatter. Whenever a wild symbol hits, it may
🍌 have a random multiplier of x2 or x3 attached. If more than one wild ends up part of a
winning 🍌 combination, then any multipliers are added to each other.
The Dog House
Megaways: Features
Like the rest of the game, the features 🍌 are similar to the original
with one or two adjustments. It starts with dog paw scatter symbols that can appear 🍌 in
any position. Landing 3 or more triggers the bonus game where players choose either
Sticky Wilds Free Spins or 🍌 Raining Wilds Free Spins. Keep in mind that neither feature
can be retriggered.
Landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters awards 🍌 7, 12, 15, or 20 free spins
if players choose the Sticky Wilds Free Spins option. Here, it is possible 🍌 to land 2 to
7 sticky wilds on each reel carrying multipliers of x1 to x3. These wilds remain on 🍌 the
reels until the end of the round, changing in size with the reels depending on the
number of Megaways 🍌 generated.
A new addition is the Raining Wilds Free Spins feature -
triggering it with 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters 🍌 will award 15, 18, 25, or 30 free spins
respectively. During this round, up to 6 wild symbols carrying a 🍌 multiplier of 1x to 3x
can be added to the screen in random positions.
Finally, rather than waiting for 3+
scatters 🍌 to appear, players get the option to buy the bonus. For the cost of 100 times
the stake, a random 🍌 number of 3 to 6 scatters will hit on the next spin.
The Dog House
Megaways: Verdict
As mentioned in the intro, 🍌 The Dog House was a big deal for Pragmatic
Play, so there are bound to be plenty of players rubbing 🍌 their hands in anticipation
over a Megaways version. Does it live up to expectations? Yes and no, depending on
quite 🍌 what you were expecting. Players craving more or less the same experience, but on
a Megaways grid, will be over 🍌 the moon. Otherwise, the situation isn’t quite so
glittery.
For one, the base game is in constant danger of getting tedious 🍌 without
modifiers to offer a boost, or a cascade style feature to enhance the experience. The
pup’s cuteness factor helps, 🍌 but it can descend into little more than waiting game for
free spins at times. Or not, depending on how 🍌 you feel about bonus buys, and whether
they are available in your jurisdiction.
The bonus games turned out to be something 🍌 of
a crapshoot as well, ranging from heart-rending to pretty darn tooting. As always, it’s
luck of the draw, and 🍌 should luck be on your side, then wins of over 12,000 times the
stake are technically possible.
All up, The Dog 🍌 House Megaways is another dependable,
good looking Megaways title for sure, though there isn’t anything particularly new or
overly exciting 🍌 going on. Fans of the original get the chance to go gaga over the
ragtag bunch again, but if you’re 🍌 not enamoured by doggies, then The Dog House Megaways
isn’t exactly an unmissable experience.
