Dynamo Express

Dynamo Express: Slot Overview

Toot, toot, all aboard the Dynamo Express as we go prospecting for gold nuggets with software provider Push Gaming. Accompanying passengers on this gold-hunt ride is a prospector-slash-train driver who does the job of collecting nuggets, alongside a nudging collector symbol system - bolstered by multipliers in the bonus round. If it sounds familiar, it will probably be because it is an offshoot of Push Gaming's Fish 'n' Nudge, the studio's first instant prize collector game, released about three years before this one. However, Dynamo Express is not the exact same game, decreasing certain key attributes while introducing a couple of new symbols to the bonus round. 

Dynamo Express is a mishmash of themes, bringing together trains, a desert frontier, and flashes of electricity. The scene depicts train tracks blasting through rocky terrain beneath a clear night sky a-blaze in stars. Mysterious lights float up from the bottom of the screen, and when triggering free spins, you'll actually get to see a train. A jaunty Western song accompanies the visuals, creating a pleasant if slightly odd game world.  Dynamo Express does not possess the most eye-arresting optics that Push Gaming has ever created, and the scene is a little peculiar, but peculiar might be good in a genre as packed with choice as the Western one is.

The active play area is a 5x4 matrix with 20 paylines in the base game, transferring to a strictly Golden Nugget collection event when the free spins round is in play. On the highest return model, the RTP is 96.44%, while the volatility has been set to low across the board. Players may stake $/€0.10 to $/€100, plus a Push Bet and bonus buys are also options. 

Dynamo Express' regular pay symbols consist of three ticket symbols, a hat, a whistle, Golden Nuggets, watches, lanterns, and bells. Tickets pay 1x for 5 OAK, while the rest are worth 2x to 20x the bet for a 5-of-a-kind winning combination. 

Dynamo Express: Slot Features

The features in Dynamo Express are a Golden Nugget symbol collection system, free spins, Push Bet, and feature buys.

Gold Collector Symbol

Gold Collector symbols are overlays that appear in stacks of 4 anywhere in the base game and bonus round. In the base game, after wins are evaluated, the Gold Collector symbols nudge down one position on the next spin, repeating in this way until they nudge off the reels. The instant prize values attached to Golden Nugget symbols are awarded when they land in a Gold Collector symbol. Possible values are 0.5x to 100x.

Prospector Symbol

In the base game, the Prospector symbol is wild, so it substitutes for all regular pay symbols. In both phases of play, if the Prospector lands in a Gold Collector symbol, it will collect the instant prize values from all Golden Nuggets, whether they landed in a Gold Collector symbol or not. If Golden Nuggets are in Gold Collector symbols, they pay out again after being collected by the Prospector. Prospectors have the same payout symbol value as the bell symbol in the base game.

Free Spins 

Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters in the main game awards the free spins round with starting reel multipliers of x1, x5, or x10, respectively. During free spins, only Golden Nugget symbols, Prospectors, Train symbols, Boost symbols, and blanks may land.

Above each reel is a Lock Meter and a Multiplier Meter. Reel multipliers apply to Golden Nuggets on their corresponding reels before collection. The round starts with reels 2 and 4 filled with Gold Collector symbols and all 3 lock positions on the Lock Meters filled. On each spin, a lock on the meter is removed. When all locks are removed from the meter, the Gold Collector symbols nudge down one position on each spin. Free spins continue as long as there are Gold Collector symbols on the grid. Gold Collector symbols may land in stacks of 4 on the reels. 

When a Train symbol lands, its effect depends on the state of the Lock Meter and the presence of Gold Collector symbols. If the Lock Meter is inactive and no Gold Collector symbols are present, the meter is activated with 3 active locks, and the reel is filled with Gold Collector symbols. If the Lock Meter is inactive and Gold Collector symbols are present, the meter gets 3 locks, and the rest of the reel is filled with Gold Collector symbols. When the Lock Meter is already active, it resets with 3 locks. Finally, should a Boost symbol hit, it increases the multiplier on the reel's Multiplier Meter by 1 step. 

Push Bet & Feature Buys

Activating the Push Bet increases the stake by 20% to increase the chance of triggering the free spins round. Players may buy the bonus round with initial reel multipliers of x1, x5, x10, or random free spins for 68.6x, 209.5x, 359x, or 180x the bet, respectively.

Dynamo Express: Slot Verdict

For whatever reason, it took a while for Dynamo Express to make any sort of strong impression, not sure why. It's not a generic-looking Western slot; there is no dusty frontier town, no saloon, no gunslingers, and it's not a generic gold mining slot either. The theme is an inventive combination of ideas, though the presentation came across as a bit lacklustre. For a game focused on locomotives, this is no Money Train 5, let's put it that way. It felt like gentle was the chosen approach, with low-key visuals designed to match the low volatility, and collection gameplay that's a little different but not experimental enough to scare mainstream gamblers away. Then again, the gameplay wasn't that different after all, after realising Dynamo Express is a remake of Push Gaming's Fish 'n' Nudge.

Dynamo Express doesn't deliver the exact same experience though, but rather a toned-down version for gamblers who don't want to be tossed around on the higher-volatility seas in the same way as Fish 'n' Nudge might do. One of the trade-offs, however, is that lowered volatility has been matched with lower winning potential of 3,094x (on the 96% RTP version). It's not a massive amount, easily eclipsed by the Fish version's 10,000x, but it fits, considering everything else the slot is trying to be. The gameplay itself largely follows its predecessor, though there are a few exceptions. For instance, free spins triggered by 4+ scatters start with lower reel multipliers, and multipliers are not increased by nudges, but need Boost symbols to do so. A Lock system has been introduced as well, potentially helping Gold Collector symbols stick around longer, maybe not.

In a nutshell, Dynamo Express is a 'softer' version of Fish 'n' Nudge, offering a few alterations to experiment with. It'll be a better match for a different sort of gambler than its aquatic sibling, the type that is unfazed by the reduced winning potential and less rocky maths, theoretically speaking. In the end, Dynamo Express was an okay game, but it produced a watered-down, less emotional experience.