There’s no shortage of online slots featuring tiny men in green hats, and AreaVegas has decided to add another to the pile. This specific outing focuses on a build mechanic that’s a bit more involved than your standard Irish themed fare. The game moves away from simple symbol matching once the bonus rounds kick in, introducing a progression system where frames upgrade through different levels.
The setting is exactly what you’ve come to expect from an online casino game in this genre. You’re looking at rolling green hills under a bright sun, with just enough white clouds to keep things from looking too perfect. The reels themselves are framed in a bright yellow against the dark background of the symbols. To the left, a large wheel spins constantly, displaying the various jackpot amounts. There isn’t a specific leprechaun character dancing on the screen, but his presence is felt through the various instruments and overflowing beer pints that fill the grid.
The paytable for this game is quite straightforward, with the lower values assigned to standard card ranks and the higher values reserved for thematic items. All potential payouts are based on a 2.00 unit bet.
Landing six or more coin symbols anywhere on the grid triggers the main attraction of the game. You start with eight free spins, and the standard payline mechanics are switched off. Each triggering coin leaves behind a vine frame that stays for the rest of the round. When new coins land, they either create a new frame or upgrade an existing one to gold or rainbow status. At the end of the round, every frame on the grid pays out a potential prize based on its level.
This feature triggers when three wheel symbols land simultaneously. A single spin on the big wheel to the left can award one of the fixed jackpots or a specific version of the free spins. If you potentially win a bonus round here, it starts immediately with special modifiers like multipliers or a headstart on the frame building.
Collecting coin symbols during the base game can randomly lead to a separate pick game. You’re presented with a screen of icons and need to match three identical ones to claim a potential prize. This can only happen on spins where no other major feature has triggered.
This is a specific variation of the bonus round that can only be accessed through the wheel. At the start, several positions on the grid are assigned a multiplier value of up to 5x. Any potential prize that lands in one of these framed positions at the end of the feature will have that multiplier applied to it. The rest of the round plays out with the standard frame upgrading rules.
Another wheel-specific bonus, this version changes the rules on how many coins can land in a single spot. It allows up to three coin symbols to occupy a single position on the grid. This speeds up the process of reaching the rainbow frame level across more of the board.
The game uses a standard 5x3 setup with 20 fixed paylines for all your potential wins. Combinations must start from the leftmost reel and continue across adjacent reels. While the base game is quite traditional, the mechanics shift entirely during the free spins where the focus moves from left to right matches to filling the grid with persistent frames. The wild symbols help bridge gaps in the base game but don't play a role in the collection phases of the bonus rounds.
If the emerald hills and pot of gold themes are your thing, there are plenty of other slot games worth looking at Heart Bingo:
Area Build'R Leprechauns is what happens when a developer realizes that just having a leprechaun isn't going to cut it anymore. The frame building mechanic is actually clever since it gives you something to watch other than just the symbols spinning by. It’s a bit of a grind to get those frames up to rainbow status, and if the wheel doesn't go your way, the base game can feel like it’s just killing time. It’s probably best suited for players who enjoy seeing a board slowly transform over the course of a bonus round rather than those looking for instant gratification.