Games Global partner studio Area Vegas invites you deep into a bank vault, where three colorful piggies watch over four jackpots. Pigs and gold will forever be connected, especially in the world of online slots, where pigs have been portrayed as bank robbers, bank clerks, and just about any other role associated with a bank you can think of. Does Area Link Piggy Bank, a game tied to its titular gameplay mechanic, manage to crack the code and stand out from the pack? In this Area Link Piggy Bank slot review, I’m going to hit the spin button and find out. 

Area Vegas and Games Global have opted for a reasonably straightforward design with the Area Link Piggy Bank slot. The game’s reels sit in front of a giant pile of gold coins, while three piggy banks, one purple, one red, and one green, all sit above the reels. The symbols in the game consist of various items you might find in a bank vault, such as expensive jewelry, gold bullion, and diamonds.

An upbeat soundtrack plays as you spin the reels, while a few animations help to bring the action to life. Overall, it’s a fairly generic design for the game’s theme and genre.

The Area Link Piggy Bank slot has a simple base game. The fun unfolds across a 5x3 game grid, with 20 fixed paylines on each spin. Players will secure a win when they hit three matching symbols across a line, starting on the leftmost reel.

I found the game screen to be very intuitive. The stake is clearly displayed at the bottom of the screen, letting you choose between prices from $0.20 to $50. You can access the paytable and information pages with ease by clicking the 'i' button in the bottom menu and the ‘Help’ button.

The bonus action in Area Link Piggy Bank by Games Global focuses on the three Area Link bonus features. Three different Piggy Coins can land during the game, one for each of the colored piggy banks on top of the game grid.

These coins are collected and, at random, can trigger the Area Link bonuses. You play on a separate grid during the bonus, with the feature using only Gold Coins and blank symbols. If a coin lands, it will stick on the reels and reset the spin count, with all the coins added and paid out at the end of the round.

The Red Piggy Bank Upgrade gives a random multiplier on every spin. The values can be 2x, 3x, and 5x, and they multiply all Gold Coins on the game board. The Purple Piggy Bank Upgrade launches an additional reel set and has two games playing simultaneously—the round ends when it’s full or there are no spins left. Finally, the Green Piggy Bank Upgrade adds a collect feature that collects all coins and pays out whenever a Green Coin lands.

During the round, there are four jackpots up for grabs. They include the Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand Jackpots, and can bring you 10x, 20x, 500x, and 5,000x your bet size, respectively. Coins displaying the smaller three jackpots can land and be paid out during the round, while you can only win the Grand Jackpot if you fill the grid.

Unfortunately, the Area Link Piggy Bank online slot doesn’t have a bonus buy feature.

I had played a handful of Area Link slots, so I had a good idea of what to expect when I took Area Link Piggy Bank for a spin. I tested the game using the demo before playing around 75 spins for $0.60 a spin.

The base game is mildly engaging, throwing up the occasional win and keeping me engaged with the potential of the Area Link game on every spin. 

When I launched the Area Link bonus, I did it with the Green Piggy Bank Upgrade. The collection feature turned out to be very useful, with some decent wins paying out and the action rolling for around 15 spins overall. The highlight was winning the Minor Jackpot, which saw 20x my stake.

Area Link Piggy Banks has a fairly standard math model. The maximum win is 5,000x your stake, which is the Grand Jackpot, and the RTP clocks in at an impressive 96.45%. It's not one of the best RTP online slots, but this rate puts it higher than what I consider average. The slot has a high volatility rating, which I felt was reflected in my own gameplay experience.

Your enjoyment of the Area Link Piggy Bank slot will depend on how much mileage you can get out of the Area Link bonus features. The game relies solely on this mechanic to keep players engaged. While there is plenty of fun to be had with it, the slot does little to stand out from other games with the Area Link bonus or with similar re-spin style features.

Overall, if you enjoy respin bonuses and want a slot with a good RTP and a few jackpots to win, Area Link Piggy Bank will appeal. However, if you’re looking for something more creative, you might want to check out something else.

If you want some top-quality piggy-themed action, Piggy Riches Megaways from Red Tiger Gaming is very much the gold standard of the genre. I also recommend Pig City Life by All for One Studios. Finally, if you enjoy respin-style bonuses, check out Bears Make Bank! Power Combo, which utilizes very similar gameplay mechanics and shares the same theme.