Blueprint Gaming digs deep into its archives and finds its first ever Megaways slot worthy of a remake. In Diamond Mine 2 Megaways, the developer has created a shining sequel to the Wild West mining classic.
The rewards promised are largely the same, but there are new and exciting feature additions. Discover more in this Diamond Mine 2 Megaways review.
Introduction to Diamond Mine 2 Megaways
If you played the original, you’ll notice that the new release contains few changes. In fairness, improving a slot as popular as Diamond Mine Megaways is almost impossible. Nevertheless, Blueprint Gaming manages to touch up the free spins mode impressively in the sequel.
A much less predictable bonus game offers the choice of a regular free spins game, or a fresh Gold Spins feature delivering unlimited multipliers. Unfortunately, the slot caps off its changes with a lower-than-average RTP of 95.00%.
Limits and Layout
Diamond Mine 2 Megaways has an identical grid to its prequel, with 6 reels, plus a horizontal tracker reel sitting above the layout. The Megaways mechanic puts the maximum number of paylines at 117,649 thanks to a variable formation of between 2 and 7 rows. Like the original, this slot has a medium to high volatility level.
In terms of visuals, there are a few minor tweaks to the background, with a more rocky foundation supporting the mining beams. The upbeat banjo soundtrack maintains a hopeful and positive vibe.
Reducing the slot’s RTP to a default of 95.00% is disappointing, especially considering that other rewards haven’t been increased. However, since players can only wager between $0.10 and $10, this sequel appears to be more suited to casual gamers. The maximum potential win does at least remain 10,000x.
Gameplay and Features
As mentioned earlier in this Diamond Mine 2 Megaways review, only the bonus game receives a facelift. Pretty much all of the base gameplay features from the original reappear in this sequel.
Similar to most Megaways online slots, a cascading reels feature known as reactions is present. Look out too for the mystery symbols, which take the form of TNT barrels. Whenever one or more appears on the reels, each transforms to the same base icon.
Bonus Game
This game mode triggers when three or more scatter symbols land anywhere on the reels. When activated, players are led through a menu where they choose between a standard Free Spins round or Gold Spins mode.
Landing 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 scatters trigger 8, 12, 16, 20 or 24 Free Spins. The same number of scatters offer 5x, 7x, 9x, 12x or 15x Golden Guarantees when opting for the Gold Spins round.
Free Spins
Choosing Free Spins further presents a Gamble option. You can either stick with your guaranteed number of spins, or spin a wheel to win up to 30. Naturally, the catch is that you may also end up with nothing.
During free spins, there’s a multiplier feature that starts at 1x and increases with each cascade win. Hitting three or four scatters further rewards you with an additional five or 10 free spins, respectively.
Gold Spins
This feature starts with up to 15x Golden Guarantees, depending on how many scatters were present upon activation. Multipliers are also added to winning combinations, starting at 1x and increasing with each cascade.
If scatters land on the horizontal reels during the Gold Spins, the Golden Guarantee increases by +1. The round ends when the win multiplier and Golden Guarantee are equal.
Regular Symbols
Like most new slot games, playing card symbols serve as the game’s lower-paying icons. A diamond is the highest-paying, while other valuable symbols include lanterns and a white-bearded miner.
Scatter Symbols
The scatter is a sack of gold that may appear on any reel during the main game. However, during either of the bonus rounds, scatters only land on the horizontal reel above the regular grid.
Wild Symbols
A bundle of dynamite sticks is the wild symbol in Diamond Mine 2 Megaways. This substitutes for all symbols besides the scatter and only appears on the tracker reel.
Expert Opinion on Diamond Mine 2 Megaways
Unlike its predecessor, Diamond Mine 2 Megaways comes at a time where the industry is crawling with Megaways slots. Although this mechanic remains as popular as ever, it’s hardly the unique and thrilling experience it once was. It would have been nice to see Blueprint Gaming introduce new features to this sequel to try and improve what was a successful game.
The gamble feature is certainly different. But it won’t really entice anyone to play this over the original, with its superior RTP and identical maximum win potential. That said, casual gamers may find the crisp graphics and exciting bonus round enjoyable enough.
Slots Similar to Diamond Mine 2 Megaways
Here are some real money slots that share similar elements with Diamond Mine 2 Megaways.
- Bonanza: This slot is the brainchild of Big Time Gaming, the studio behind the popular Megaways mechanic. It shares the same slot layout as Diamond Mine 2 Megaways, but has a bigger max win of 12,000x.
- Diamond Mine Extra Gold Megaways: Another Blueprint Gaming release that draws inspiration from the original Diamond Mine Megaways. It has a higher RTP than Diamond Mine 2 Megaways, but lacks theGold Spins feature.
