Huff N’ Puff We’ve Had Enuff Slot Machine

If you are hearing about the Huff N’ Puff We’ve Had Enuff slot machine for the first time, you are probably thinking what I initially did, too. Specifically, Light & Wonder might be realizing that they are perhaps over-pushing their hit slot series.

That’s what I genuinely thought the title referred to. I thought it was referring to us, the players. Because, genuinely, I am feeling a little Huff N’ Puff fatigue here. It’s not that I dislike the series. I love it. I’ve loved it since the very first one.

What causes me fatigue is the speed at which the series is expanding. It’s no exaggeration to say that, generally speaking, when I go to a top land based casino looking for the new version, it’s no longer the new version. They seem to be coming out that fast.

Light & Wonder would likely reply with something like: ‘aha! But you are going looking for these games, so clearly you want them.’ Okay, that’s fair. They are all variations on a theme, and the theme is awesome. No one is disputing that.

However, the previous two variations, Money Mansion and High Rise, really haven’t wowed me. In fact, they have outright disappointed me. So you do start to wonder whether L&W is taking the time to properly develop these games now or just relying on the Huff N’ Puff name to sell it. It’s a legitimate question.

So, let’s take a more in-depth look at the Huff N’ Puff We’ve Had Enuff slot machine to see if we can figure out whether it gets us any closer to an answer to that question.

Like all Huff N’ Puff games, the theme is the Three Little Pigs fable. Pigs still build their houses of straw, wood, and brick (gold), and the wolf still comes and huffs, and puffs, and blows their houses down.

The difference is that, this time, the pigs have had enough (enuff). They are no longer simply accepting that this is how it has to be; they are instead chasing the wolf around and making his life a pain. Just how big of a pain, I don’t know, given he is still blowing down houses. The thought occurs that his life hasn’t really changed all that much. I mean, if you are not sufficiently scared of pigs to decide not to destroy their property, you are unlikely to be scared of them afterwards either.

But, that said, it is a new variation and storyline, and that’s something relatively creative for Light & Wonder in the Huff N’ Puff series, so I am not going to criticise them for it.

Beyond the theme, nothing has really changed in terms of visuals of sounds. You still get the very satisfying thud when the hats land, as well as the scream of the buzzsaws. With Huff N’ Puff, Light & Wonder have created something instantly familiar and distinctive, just like Aristocrat did with Buffalo, so the last thing they should do is change the elements that deliver that. I am pleased that they haven’t messed around with it.

Where the Huff N Puff We’ve Had Enuff slot machine offers something new is in the mechanics of the gameplay. You are no longer simply looking for six hats.

When I first started playing it, that was a relief, because those six hats had been becoming increasingly hard to land (and they were never exactly easy at the very start). It has felt that the series has been gradually increasing its volatility and becoming tighter over time.

I must admit, though, that on a spin when I landed six hats, and it didn’t trigger the bonus, I was not very impressed! That says more about me and my failure to manage expectations than it does the game, though.

On the Huff N Puff We’ve Had Enuff slot machine, you only need three hats, and you have four spins to get them. Sounds good, right? Well, not quite, as you need them in very specific places.

If a hat lands, it immediately gets surrounded by straw, and the straw outline remains on the screen, just as it would in a normal Huff N’ Puff bonus. You then have three spins to land another in that square, and if you do, it’ll go to wood, and then gold, and so on.

To get the wolf to come and blow them down and give you the rewards from the rubble, though, you need to fill one entire reel of them before your spins run out. If that happens, you don’t get the bonus either. You simply win the credit values it reveals. You do get the bonus if a wheel is behind them.

You can also get straight to that bonus wheel with three red buzzsaws.

Other than that, it’s all very standard Huff N’ Puff stuff. Occasionally, a pig will come and let you know something is about to happen. Sometimes, after the wolf blows down the houses you’ve won, the foreman pig will come and order him to blow again to boost the credit awards slightly. How that works conceptually, I don’t really know. And the boosts aren’t really worth that much in my experience.

At a glance:

• Layout: 5 x 3 (larger in bonus)
• Denominations: Multiple
• Minimum Bet: $0.75 on a 1c denomination
• Theme: Three Little Pigs
• Return to Player (RTP): Approximately 90 - 95% but dependent upon casino and local regulations
• Volatility: Medium

The bonus on the Huff N’ Puff We’ve Had Enuff slot machine has a large degree of familiarity with it. It’s all about winning and spinning the wheel, as usual. It’s a bit of an underpowered wheel ,too, but it does have three levels to it.

I’d say the basic wheel offers a bit less than usual, the upgraded one is about the level of the standard one in previous games, and the double upgraded one is a bit better. I definitely think the wheel is easier to get on We’ve Had Enuff than usual, though, so I am happy enough with the trade-off.

The wheel has the usual mix of Hard Hat Bonus, Buzzsaw Bonus, and progressive jackpot wins. There are Mansions too (called the Estate feature for some reason), but only on the upgraded wheel.

Inside the bonus itself, it is neither the 5x3 grid of Huff N’ More Puff nor the expanded one in some of the Huff N’ Even More Puff bonus rounds. It’s actually right in the middle of them both. You start off with the 5x3, and can progressively unlock other tiers to expand the screen as you go by landing buzzsaws. Think Ultimate Fire Link for a rough comparison.

And, like in Ultimate Fire Link, the game teases you by showing what is on those tiers while they are locked. In fact, houses can be built whilst they are locked, so you get to sit and watch six gold mansions build on the top tier, knowing you’re very unlikely to unlock it.

That is the mechanic for all the bonuses. The only real difference is that on the buzzsaw bonus, you get more hats to start on the locked tiers of the game.

Without question, the big disappointment is the Estate feature. It is the same as in previous games, in that hats you land go straight to gold and skip straw and wood, but only on the tiers you unlock. That is maddening. The bottom tier, the one you start with, just has straw and wood as usual, and all the while you sit there watching mansion after mansion land above them, but behind locked gates. I really don’t like that. Mansions should be mansions in that feature. The end. 

The perks and player rewards are the same as they are for any game in land-based casinos. Join the player’s club and insert your card before you hit the spin button. That way, you can still get something back for your play even if the bonuses aren’t hitting. I’d also say that, due to its medium volatility, the Huff N’ Puff We’ve Had Enuff slot machine is the best in the series for recycling money and earning rewards.

Those rewards can then be turned into hotel comps and freeplay, so they are well worth having.

Speaking of comps, if you’re in the US, especially, you should also keep an eye out for your waitress. If you’re playing, you will almost certainly be eligible for free drinks. In some places, like Las Vegas, those drinks will be alcoholic, but almost everywhere now offers complimentary soft drinks for players. Just remember to tip, especially in the US. 

I actually really like Huff N’ Puff We’ve Had Enuff. Of course, there are things I dislike, and I have mentioned most of them in the review.

I mainly dislike the Estates Feature, and the unlockable tiers in the bonus. I also really dislike the knack it has of always giving you two hats on another reel on the spin when you need one on a different one.

However, let’s be fair here. Most of us, myself included, have been very critical of Light & Wonder for constantly squeezing Huff N’ Puff in terms of rising volatility and slowly reducing the rewards for players. We have been asking for a medium volatility variation, and they have delivered one.

That means that any real criticism I have is just a result of reducing the volatility. The wins are easier to get, but big wins are very rare. It would be unfair and unrealistic to demand lower volatility and then complain about the cost.  

If you want the bigger wins, go back to a different Huff N’ Puff and play that. You’re certainly spoilt for choice. If not, play Huff N’ Puff We’ve Had Enuff.