Diamond Mine Extra Gold Megaways: Overview

Diamond Mine Extra Gold Megaways is the follow up to Blueprint Gaming’s debute Megaways slot Diamond Mine Megaways. The first game was hugely entertaining, sending players on a high volatile ride down into the mine in pursuit of treasure and riches. It earned a strong reception from the gambling community, making great use of the Megaways engine while still bringing plenty of character and charm.

Sequels are a tricky business. There’s a fine line to walk and some hard choices to make. Do you go all-in on a totally new direction that could alienate fans of the original? Or do you keep things familiar with only a couple of adjustments so loyal players aren’t thrown off? Both approaches come with risks, but it’s clear which path Blueprint chose. Is this slot a nice extra treat for existing fans, or just another attempt to cash in on the Diamond Mine name? Let’s take a look.

The screenshots tell you a lot straight away. Visually, it’s essentially identical to the previous game. The same cactuses and rocky scenery sit in the background, and the same rickety scaffolding frames the reels. You still get Megaways on the max setup too, meaning 6 main reels with up to 7 symbols per reel, plus the 1×4 extra reel above.

Win ways can climb all the way to 117,649 when the reels are fully stacked. That figure is possible because wins are created by matching symbols from left to right, regardless of which row they land on. Wins can also trigger chains, since winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in to replace them. Cascades keep paying as long as fresh winning combinations continue to land. Most players know how this works by now, but that’s the rundown for anyone new to it.

The numbers are largely unchanged this time around too. You get an RTP of 96.43% paired with high volatility, which can produce some seriously memorable sessions. The symbols are, unsurprisingly, the same as well. At the lower end of the paytable are 9 – A icons with a wild west look. Above them sit a shovel/pickaxe, a lamp, and the prospector, who still resembles Santa Claus dressed for the mines. These symbols pay for 3-6 of a kind. The other standard symbol is the diamond, which only needs 2 or more and pays 50 times the stake for 6. That’s decent, but because of the Cascade mechanic, most other symbols only feel worthwhile when they’re part of longer chains. And as usual, the features are what really determine what the game can deliver.

Diamond Mine Extra Gold Megaways: Features

Three additional symbols round out the set – a wild, a mystery symbol, and a scatter. The Wild is represented by a bundle of dynamite, and it can land on the 1×4 reel to substitute for any regular paying symbol in a winning combination.

The Mystery Symbol shows up as a barrel of TNT and can appear anywhere on the grid. No matter how many land, they will all transform into the same common symbol, which can be anything except the scatter.

The scatter is fittingly shown as a sack of gold. It can land anywhere, except the on 1×4 bonus reel at the top. When 4 scatters land, they award players with 8 Free Spins. Any additional scatter in view will add 5 more spins to that amount. A feature returning that will reassure fans is the Unlimited Win Multiplier. It begins at x1 and increases by 1 after every cascade win. As the title implies, there’s theoretically no ceiling on how high it can rise, which can massively influence the results of a session. Scatter symbols also keep appearing on the 1×4 reel, where 3 or 4 award 5 or 10 free spins to extend the bonus round.

Next up is the new addition that earns the ‘Extra Gold’ part of the name – the Free Spins Gamble feature. Before the free spins start, players can choose to gamble the number of free spins they’ve won. There are two choices – spin a wheel that can increase or reduce the free spins total, or simply collect and go straight into the round.

Lastly, depending on their country of residence, players may be able to trigger free spins instead of waiting for them to arrive naturally. To do this, press the Golden Bet button on the left side of the screen, which guarantees at least 3 scatters on the next spin. The time saved comes at a price of 50x the total bet, which is fairly reasonable compared to some feature buys seen lately.

Diamond Mine Extra Gold Megaways: Verdict

It’s a solid slot, though copying a proven hit makes that easier to achieve. It would be simple to criticise Blueprint for taking a popular game, adding one extra feature, and putting it back out again. And with the gamble element included, it’s essentially Big Time Gaming’s slot Extra Chilli – only set in a mine. Even if we shouldn’t be rewarding developers for playing it this safe creatively, Extra Gold is still a fun and exciting game. The main attraction is, naturally, the free spins paired with that unlimited win multiplier. The gamble option pushes volatility higher and gives players additional opportunities to squeeze even more value out of free spins. Big wins are definitely on the table, and just like before, the maximum potential is 10,000x or $250,000 per game.

So yes, it’s not original at all, and that will definitely annoy some players. Still, it’s difficult to take away too much, because the gameplay remains as strong as ever. Possibly even better, if the new gamble feature is your kind of thing. That extra layer can absolutely create tense, dramatic moments. If you like chasing the edge in search of big glory and bigger coins, it could be right up your street. Of course, it can just as easily end in disappointment when luck turns against you. But, as Bodhi said in that old surfing movie – ‘if you want the ultimate, you have to be willing to pay the ultimate price.’