Let us reveal the mystery right away, as it is hidden in plain sight anyway. The game is about gold and all the exciting ways to retrieve it.
The latest brainchild from Atomic Slot Lab is a perfect mix of classic and innovation. Three of the features - Free Spins, Respin, and the Jackpot symbol collection - are common and well-known. However, the fourth feature - the game-specific Dynamite Reveal feature - rounds them up perfectly and connects them into one continuous mission of productive gold extraction.
Atomic Slot Lab is a Bragg Studios brand that primarily caters to US and EU markets, although they calibrate their premium online casino games to the specific tastes of online slot players in localized markets worldwide. Atomic Slot Lab's premium casino content is available exclusively on Bragg gaming platforms.
In a nutshell, Mystery Mine has 25 lines over a 5x3 grid. There are six low-paying symbols, five high-paying symbols, and no less than 4 special symbols: the paying Scatters that trigger the Free Games, the substituting Wilds, the Gold Cart symbols that award cash prizes, and Dynamite Sticks that reveal either Wilds, Scatters, or Gold Carts.
The first thing we noticed is the pacing which is top-notch precisely due to the abundance of ways players can win some moolah. The game has medium volatility that translates into a decent amount of winning action, but the highest payout is at a more-than-decent 10.400 times the total bet in a single spin.
Let's see what the Mine is made of!
Dynamite Reveal
When you're in a hurry to excavate some serious volume, dynamite sticks are your friend.
Whenever these bad boys appear, the hopes of a big win intensify. Each Dynamite symbol can randomly turn into any other special symbol: Wild, Scatter, or Gold Cart.
But the Dynamite packs two extra punches! First, every Wild revealed by the Dynamite can expand across the whole reel and trigger the Respin feature (more on that below). Second, when it turns into a jackpot symbol, that symbol can feature one, two, or even three Gold Carts. Given that the Jackpot payouts start at as little as three Cart symbols, the winning margins with a triple cart symbol increase dramatically.
Respin
As mentioned, the Dynamite can reveal a Wild symbol that expands and turns into a Wild Reel. This starts two Respins with the Wild Reel locked into position. If another Dynamite appears, it also turns into a locked Wild Reel and adds another Respin to the counter.
Since Dynamite symbols appear on reels 2 to 4, this can be repeated up to two times, giving the player a total of 4 Respins with the middle three reels as Wild. Landing two matching stacked high-pay symbols on reels 1 and 5 is the ideal scenario.
Gold Cart Jackpots
Jackpot prizes are prominently displayed above the reels for a reason - they make a worthy goal! Only the top 5 jackpots are shown, but players win cash for collecting as little as 3 Gold Carts. Notice we didn't say Gold Cart symbols? That's because the Dynamite can unearth a jackpot symbol with up to 3 Gold Carts. This triple symbol counts as three single Gold Cart symbols and all three Dynamites revealing triple Gold Carts in a single spin win you no less than the top Jackpot prize!
The Gold Cart symbols can be found scattered across the reel positions on all 5 reels, but in some places, they are clustered together, and those form the big wins. All you need is some luck with two reels and the Dynamite, and 2000 times your bet drips right back into your balance.
Free Games
Free Games are where it all comes together. Scatters trigger the feature that awards the initial 5 free spins and x1 multiplier. On a side note, the number of Scatters doesn't affect these two numbers, only Scatter payout: 3 symbols pay 2x the bet, 4 pay 20x, and 5 pay 200x the bet. Back to the feature, we are faced, to some surprise, with a wheel of fortune - or should we say a wheel of free games and multipliers? - with 7 wedges containing different values for additional spins or multipliers.
We must press the SPIN button in the middle of the wheel to spin it and win a value that is added to the count. The hit wedge changes to START BONUS, and we spin again.
You can see the beauty and elegance of this intermediate step. The player is always guaranteed at least 7 free spins or 5 free spins with at least an x2 multiplier. With each hit, the numbers increase, and the chances of adding another value diminish by a seventh. The luckiest players start the feature with 25 free spins and an x5 multiplier when there are no more values to add.
Now for the serious part. All wins - and we mean ALL! wins - are subject to the Free Games multiplier. Line wins, Wild wins, Scatter wins, AND the Jackpot wins. That's right, under the right conditions, the 2000 x the bet Jackpot win can skyrocket to 10.000 x the bet, which is the ultimate prize in the Mystery Mine.
Last but not least, Free Games can be retriggered! 3 or more Scatters add the same amount of spins you won when the feature started, and the multiplier stays the same. Mystery Mine isn't keen on excuses!
Our verdict
We don't often encounter a game so well-balanced and focused. The features are well spread out and masterfully connected with the unpredictable Dynamite symbol so that you never have a feeling you are in a rut. Metaphorically speaking, there are no dead ends in Mystery Mine. Wherever you look, the enigmatic ore looks right back at you. The prospect of the Free Games multiplier augmenting the already sizable rewards also ticks all the right boxes of slot players who welcome a challenge. Combine all that with a cheerful atmosphere and uplifting soundtrack, and you have a game you will want to return to time and time again.
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