According to Brett Colbert, Light & Wonder’s Director of Product Management, the just-released third iteration of the company’s popular Huff N’ Puff series very much pushes the light, “cartoony” theme that’s at the core of the popularity of the series.
Huff N’ Even More Puff, a follow-up from the original in the Lock It Link series, was released in April (in Class III casinos across the U.S., on the company’s social platform, with an iGaming release scheduled for 2025). It has all the popular features of the first two games, only this time Light & Wonder has enhanced it, adding a second-level wheel bonus and expanded reel arrays, for example.
“Right now, in the market, we’re seeing a lot of great games that have this entertaining, lighthearted feel to it,” Colbert said. “[Huff N’ Even More Puff] has a fun feel that’s very familiar to players. Its bright colors make it stand out. Sometimes you see these light-hearted types of games, and expect a fun, even ride, with wins here and there. Huff N’ Even More Puff gives players the opportunity for some really big wins,” which in part has led to its popularity.
Colbert saw the popularity of the first iteration of the game, released in 2019, when he joined Light & Wonder in December 2020.
“Before I joined the company, I heard the rumbling about how amazing it was,” he said. “It kind of settled in a bit, and then it just took off.”
The base game is a 5-reel slot, with 243 ways to win, and comes built into the new Light & Wonder Cosmic Cabinet with a 49-inch portrait screen monitor and 4K resolution. So, it’s bigger and bolder. There are more denominations with this version of Huff N’ Puff. It features a new “Super Wheel” triggered through the upgrade wedge in the first wheel or through the new upgraded Buzzsaw symbol. “Super Wheel” allows for double the array in the feature “With the hold and spin style mechanic, with the upgrades, that is the main focus of this game,” said Colbert.
“What’s also unique about this game is normally with hold & spin, you have cash values on reels, so you know when you land it, and you know what you get. This is a different hold & spin game without cash on reel prizes. That’s what makes this game so unique too. You get those six hard hats, and in the feature you’re upgrading and upgrading (landing a hat on a space that had a hat before upgrades it from a straw to a stick house, then on the third appearance in the same space it upgrades to a mansion), and it’s the anticipation [for the player], the build-up, to the big reveal at the end.”
Colbert describes the game as a “derivative spinoff” of Lock It Link series.
“Lock It Link was a great umbrella brand for us, they all have great hold & spin mechanics,” he said. Huff N’ Puff has become its own entity, its own brand.”
More incarnations of the series are on the way.
“Huff N’ Puff is one of our key focuses right now,” Colbert said. “We will launch Huff N’ Puff Money Mansions in August. It’s coming out on our Cosmic Cabinet and Mural Cabinet. This is a big, exciting reveal for us. We’ve kept that familiar, free game mechanic hold & spin, and added a new twist to it, a light box prize mechanic.”
There will also be a couple more in the series coming out later in the year – a Huff N’ Even More Puff Big Money Edition, on the Horizon and Mural cabinet. Then there’s going to be a Huff N’ Puff High Rise Edition debuting at the next G2E in October.
“Then we have even more new games coming out in 2025,” Colbert said. “We are doubling down on this franchise.”
Colbert also touched on the aesthetic impact of having the big, curved monitor on the Cosmic Cabinet, with the topper integrated into the cabinet. In the end, it’s about visual impact, which helps get more foot traffic into land-based casinos – slots that are flash and bang, colorful, fun, with big potential wins.
“With the Cosmic, ergonomically, the sight lines are great. It feels comfortable, and with the big monitor on there, it has this gorgeous field of view,” he said. “We want to make the game content familiar. People want to be able to sit in front of the game and within a session really understand where the money is. What are you playing for?
“So, when we’re looking at games like Huff N’ Puff, we’re looking at the market and finding out where our games fit in. How do we evolve that hold & spin mechanic without making it too complex or too many degrees of separation away? On the land-based side, being able to portray what the story of the game is, that is our focus. We don’t want to blow you away with lights and sounds, we really want to make you feel comfortable and understand what the game is all about.”
