It could take years to mine OJO’s collection of 3,000 slots for rich seams of treasure, so I’ve saved you some trouble and dug out arguably the two great mining themed slots of the last few years. Get ready for a dirty, dust-covered, no-holds barred, winner-take-all battle for slots supremacy – it’s Dynamite Riches vs Diamond Mine!
They’re both Megaways slots, they’ve both got up to 117649 ways, and they’re both high variance cart rides through the subterranean slots world. Which game deserves the moniker of GOAT of Mining Slots? And which must slink back to its cave in defeat? You decide!
Dynamite Riches Megaways
In 2016, Big Time Gaming released the iconic Bonanza, the first of the great mining slots. Diamond Mine emerged in 2018, so Dynamite Riches Megaways was something of a latecomer when it landed in 2021. Red Tiger had already struck gold with the original Dynamite Riches slot but the addition of Megaways mechanic really catapulted the game into the UK’s top 100.
Like most Red Tiger slots, this one’s stuffed full of features, including a series of reel modifiers you unlock as you play. I love these progression mechanics because it gives you something to aim for, and it ties your whole play session together, instead of playing lots of isolated spins.
Every time you land a dynamite wild, you get closer to the next feature unlock. At 15 wilds, all low paying symbols are removed. Once you hit 30 dynamites, wilds rain down on the reels. At 45, you unlock a one-time 10x multiplier for your next spin, and at 60, a mega wild covers one of the reels.
If that’s not enough, you could trigger at least 8 free spins with a multiplier that starts at 1x and rises every time you spin a win, up to a maximum of 20x.
The RTP for the standard game is 96.43%, and around 95% for the Jackpot King version. Given Dynamite Riches is a Must Drop Jackpots slot, I’m using the Jackpot King game to ensure a fair fight.
Diamond Mine
This one’s got a more cartoony vibe and a bluegrass backing track you may want to dial down if you’re planning on playing a lot. Diamond Mine is much more from the Bonanza side of the slots family tree, with that extra row above the reels.
Blueprint managed to fit all of the slot’s features on one slide of the paytable rules, which tells you something about its range of features. As well as the standard wild symbol, there’s a TNT barrel mystery symbol that transforms into any symbol except the scatter, and helps you form new wins. Land several on the same spin and they’ll all become the same symbol.
It’s a nice modifier but nothing new, and the game’s core bonus is the free spins feature. Land 4 scatters and you’ll trigger 12 free spins, while every extra scatter gets you an extra 5 free spins. In theory, given there are a maximum of 42 reel positions, you could bag yourself over 200 free spins.
Unlike Dynamite Riches which caps the free spins multiplier at 20x, here the multiplier is unlimited. You can retrigger 5 or 10 more free spins by hitting scatters on the extra row at the top during free spins too.
Slim though the bonus pickings may be in comparison to many modern video slots, you can’t argue with unlimited multipliers and a 50,000x max win.
It’s game time!
So, Dynamite Riches vs Diamond Mine. Struggling to compare the Messi and Ronaldo of the mining genre? Don’t blame ya. Here’s a comparison that shows you just how even this contest really is. Dynamite Riches is the young gun with better looks and features, but the Diamond Mine slot packs a punch where it counts, with a much higher max win and an RTP edge too.
Which of these mega mining slots have you enjoyed playing the most? If you haven’t played them before, get a taste for free with our Dynamite Riches and Diamond Mine demos, or play for realz from 10p per spin. Happy hunting…
