Gold Mine Stacks 2 Slot Review

January 13, 2023 Casino Slots

Have you ever talked with someone and later thought of the perfect comeback or response, but it was too late because the other person was no longer available? This is the situation the software provider Nailed It Games seem to have found themselves in. They recently released Gold Mine Stacks (2022) and swiftly followed it up with Gold Mine Stacks 2. While there are differences between the two games, they are not significant.

To play Gold Mine Stacks 2, you must put on a virtual hard hat and explore the underground mines. The game is set in a snowy mine entrance and continues underground in the hold ‘n win bonus round, which also takes place in a snowy environment. The theme of mining is common in slot games, so players should have no trouble finding the necessary equipment. The snowy setting may be due to the weather in Poland when the game was designed, but it adds some visual variety to the game.

Gold Mine Stacks 2 features a high volatility math model and offers operators four RTP options ranging from 96.07% to lower. Players can win by getting three to five matching symbols on one of the 20 paylines across the game’s 5×3 grid. The game is available on any device and allows players to bet as little as 20 pence/cents up to £/€40 per paid spin. The frequency of hits is 44.71%.

Gold Mine Stacks 2’s symbols may be simple but effective. The lower value symbols on the paytable are metallic card ranks J-A, which pay out twice the bet for a line of five achieving icons. The higher value symbols are four gemstones that award 8 to 20 times the chance for a string of five endearing characters. Wild symbols appear on all five reels, have the same award values as the top gem symbol, and can substitute for all other symbols except the bonus symbol. They can also create wins on their own.

Quick Info

Title: Gold Mine Stacks 2

Developer: Nailed It Games

Reels: 5

Rows: 3

Paylines: 20

RTP: 96.07% | 94.04% | 92.08% | 86.89%

Hit Freq: 44.71%

Max Win: 50,000x

Volatility: High

Min/Max Bet: 0.20/40

Release Date: February 16, 2023

Features

In addition to substituting for other symbols and creating wins on their own, wild symbols in Gold Mine Stacks 2 may appear stacked on the reels; if a stack of three wilds lands, the player is awarded a Wild Stack Respin. The wild stack is locked in place during the respin, and all other reels spin. The respins will continue until no full wild stack is visible on the reels.

Gold Mine Stacks Bonus

In the base game of Gold Mine Stacks 2, landing three or more bonus symbols will trigger the Gold Mine Stacks Bonus round. The triggering symbols become sticky for the bonus round; only bonus symbols or blank spaces will land on the reels. Above the game grid, bonus prizes may be revealed on the bonus symbols. The round starts at Level 1 and can progress to Level 16. As the level increases, the potential bonus prizes displayed above the grid also increase. At Level 1, the awards can range from 1 to 20 times the bet, while at Level 15, they can be worth 15 to 300x the bet. If you reach Level 16, you will be awarded the maximum win. Players can advance to the next level by filling a whole reel with bonus symbols, which also clears the grid of bonus symbols.

Before the bonus round starts, there is a two-reel Randomizer that spins. The left reel will land on a prize value or a safe symbol, and the proper revolution will land on a multiplier up to x20. If the prize value appears on a bonus symbol, it will be multiplied by the awarded multiplier. If the safe symbol lands, all prize values will be multiplied by the multiplier.

Players start the bonus round with three spins and can reset the spin counter by landing new symbols—the game ends when the spins run out or when Level 16 is reached. Before the spin begins, players may be given the option to gamble for Super-lives on a segmented wheel. A successful spin will award a Super-life (up to a maximum of 2). An unsuccessful spin will end the bonus round. It’s worth noting that if 4 or 5 bonus symbols trigger the feature in the base game, players will automatically receive 1 or 2 Super-lives, respectively.

Bonus Bet & Buy Bonus

The availability of these features may vary depending on the market. If they are available, activating the Bonus Bet will double the chance of triggering the Gold Mine Stacks Bonus, but it will also increase the bet by 25%. Players can also buy access to the bonus round for 100x or 250x the bet. They can also get the Gold Mine Stacks Bonus with the Safe icon on The Randomizer.

Verdict

Gold Mine Stacks 2 was a pleasant surprise. Despite not having much experience with Nailed It! Games, the game turned out to be better than expected. At first glance, it may seem basic and unassuming, but it offers more than just a mediocre main game and a typical hold ‘n win bonus round. Without any special symbols in the bonus, it doesn’t compare to something like Relax Gaming’s Money Train series, which is known for its high-quality hold ‘n win gameplay. Instead, Nailed It Games has kept the concept simple while adding complexity to the details, resulting in an enjoyable and impressive game.

The base game has an excellent flow thanks to the high hit rate and frequency of Wild Stack Respins. Nailed It Games are upfront that filling the reels with wild stacks can lead to the maximum win of 400x the bet in the main game. While this amount may not be impressive, the bonus round offers the potential for a staggering 50,000x stake. Reaching Level 16, where this maximum win is possible, will not be easy. Even getting the mid-level will require a lot of dedication. However, the hold ‘n win round is still enjoyable to play, even without special symbols. It’s worth noting that the advertised maximum win potential is quite ambitious, and it’s unclear if it is achievable. It would have been helpful if the provider had shared maximum win frequency data for transparency.

Gold Mine Stacks 2 is an appealing game due to its various features, such as the Randomizer, multiplier, and increasing Bonus Prize values, which all work together to create a unique and clever product. The game’s massive top prize adds to its appeal, but even without it, the other features would still make it worth checking out.