Piggy Riches Begins: Slot Overview

Piggy Riches Begins is an online slot from software provider Red Tiger, extending a series that’s been running for more than a decade after partner NetEnt kicked it off back in 2010. First, credit to the piggy clan for surviving all these years and somehow keeping hold of their fortune through the ups and downs in between. Second, the title is slightly misleading: while “Begins” suggests a back-to-basics return, Piggy Riches Begins actually plays differently to the original Piggy Riches, focusing on a Hold and Respins mechanic rather than free spins with a multiplier. Maybe it’s the start of a new branch of the franchise or a fresh direction altogether; either way, let’s dig in.

Visually, Piggy Riches Begins also sits closer to Piggy Riches 2 Megaways than to the first instalment. The original leaned into that old-school look with a grid covered in payline numbers taking over the display, a style that’s largely disappeared over time. Here, the familiar mansion backdrop returns—slightly drooping in the middle—along with a swimming pool, dollar-sign topiary, and plenty of other not-so-subtle symbols of wealth.

If you judge by scale, Piggy Riches Begins dials things down compared to its Megaways relatives. The frantic reel expansions are out, replaced by a fixed 5×4 grid with 1,024 ways to win. Stakes run from 10 cents to $/€4, and even with the cleaner setup, volatility remains high. A positive note: the top RTP nudges ahead of the previous two entries, coming in at 96.01%.

There are nine standard symbols on the paytable: the familiar 10 to A royals, plus hats, watches, dollar bills, and safes. Hitting five of a kind returns 0.3x-0.4x the bet on the low symbols and 0.8x-10x on the higher-value ones. Wilds can show up on reels 2, 3, and 4, beginning as simple 1×1 symbols. The twist is that each time the Hold and Respin feature is triggered, the wild increases in height—adding one row per level—until it reaches a full 1×4.

Piggy Riches Begins: Slot Features

To move Piggy Riches Begins through its four stages, you may need a bit of patience and persistence, as each step increases wild size and boosts Cash, Prize and Multiplier values. On top of that, there’s the Hold and Respin round to aim for.

Cash and Collector Symbols

Cash symbols carry a random value that changes with the current progression level. A single Collector symbol can appear on the rightmost reel in the base game. It collects the value of every Cash and Prize symbol on screen when there are fewer than 6 of them in total. When there are 6 or more Cash and Prize symbols, the Hold and Respins bonus starts, and then only Cash symbols are gathered by the sticky Collector.

Multiplier Symbol

Multiplier symbols can land on the rightmost reel and display a random multiplier based on the progression level. This Multiplier applies to ways wins, not to Cash or Prize symbols. Only one Multiplier can appear on any spin, and it cannot land alongside a Collector.

Progression

The game includes 4 levels of progression. A new stake begins at level one. During the first 3 levels, each time the Hold and Respin feature is triggered, the level increases. Levels 1-4 expand wild size from 1×1 to 1×4, improve Cash values from 1x-3x up to 1x-20x, increase multipliers from x2-x10 to x2-x1,000, and at Level 4 introduce prize symbols: 25x Mini, 250x Minor, 1,000x Major, and 20,000x Mega.

Hold and Respin Bonus

The Hold and Respin bonus activates when 6 or more Cash and Prize symbols land. All Cash, Prize and Collector symbols are held, and 3 respins are granted. During the feature, only Cash, Prize, Collectors, or blank spaces can appear. Any new non-blank symbol resets the respin counter to 3. Each Collector sticks where it lands, collecting the value of all Cash symbols as it appears and clearing those positions so new symbols can drop in. The feature ends when the grid is full or when respins go to zero. Once finished, the player receives all Cash or Collector symbols plus the values of any Prize symbols awarded. Only one Mega Prize symbol can land.

Piggy Riches Begins: Slot Verdict

The Piggy Riches franchise has certainly taken a winding route. It first found success with NetEnt’s 2010 release, then returned a decade later via a Megaways rework from Red Tiger, before getting another follow-up four years later in Piggy Riches 2 Megaways. Now Piggy Riches Begins arrives at the gold-trimmed entrance, and it initially raises as many questions as it answers. The big “Begins” question is explained by the progression mechanic: four images above the reels represent the game’s four levels, tied to expanding wilds that show a young piggy growing older and richer—until, at level four, the pig resembles the gentleman from the original game.

Red Tiger often asks players to spin their way into a title’s strongest mechanics, and it has used this approach more than once. Connecting that idea to a storyline for a slot that’s 15 years old at the time of writing is a clever angle. The feature set also ramps up significantly as progression, well, progresses: wilds grow from 1×1 to 1×4, the maximum multiplier climbs from x10 to a huge x1,000, and you also gain the opportunity to land Prize symbols. How essential the Mega Prize is to reaching Piggy Riches Begins’ full ceiling isn’t entirely obvious, though its value sits not far below the game’s max multiplier potential of 20,556x the bet.

It’s a shame we don’t get Mrs Piggy’s rise from modest beginnings to high-rolling matriarch. Maybe she’s a trophy wife; maybe she arrived with her own fortune; maybe her tale is being saved for a later instalment. Piggy Riches Begins is a curious entry because it steps away from Megaways rather than leaning further into it, but it replaces that with a progression system that can reward players willing to stick with this style of slot—alongside an origin story that unfolds as the levels advance.