Diamond Mole

Diamond Mole: Slot Overview

Moles are unusual creatures, part cute, part a little bit scary looking on account of those big, sharp claws they're sporting. When it comes to slots, software providers put a lot more emphasis on the cuter aspects of these underground critters in order to give their games charm. In Diamond Mole, Backseat Gaming (a partner of Hacksaw Gaming) invites players to dig deep into a world of dirt where simplicity meets volatility. Along the way, be on the lookout for Diamond Wilds, which are not only sticky but double their multiplier each time they're part of a win, making them the gambler's version of thick, juicy earthworms.

Moles are fossorial animals, meaning they spend the majority of their time underground in tunnels. As such, Diamond Mole displays a good amount of dirt on its screen, surrounded by turf, rocks, trees, and so on. You might think the game would head underground for the bonus rounds, but no, Diamond Mole remains above ground at all times, in the same place, though the lighting changes between base and bonus rounds. It doesn't feel like Backseat Gaming did a whole lot of in-depth research into moles, their habitats, and ways of life before designing Diamond Mole. Instead, the bulk of the creative juices appears to have been squeezed into the features, which are by no means complicated, but do pack a potential punch.

Diamond Mole is a cluster pays slot which requires 5 matching symbols to be connected to each other horizontally and/or vertically to create a winning combination. This occurs on a 6x6 gaming grid that is run by a highly volatile math model. An RTP of 96.31% as the top configuration is theoretically to be expected when betting $/€0.10 to $/€40 per spin.

Nine symbols make up the paytable. They are 10-A royals, shovels, lanterns, stopwatches, and moles. Clusters made of 5 matching symbols pay 0.1x to 1x the stake, and the largest clusters of 31+ OAK are worth 200x to 500x the bet. The tumble mechanic causes winning symbols to vanish from view, and symbols drop down to replace them and provide another chance of winning. Tumbling repeats as long as a new win appears.

Diamond Mole: Slot Features

Simple and aggressive is one way of describing Diamond Mole's features, which include sticky Diamond Mole multipliers, two bonus rounds - The Diamond Trail and Pursuit of Diamonds, plus feature buys.

Diamond Wild

The Diamond Wild substitutes for all symbols on the paytable. It is sticky when it lands and does not tumble. A Diamond Wild lands with an x1 multiplier that doubles when it participates in a winning combination up to x2,048. Up to 5 Diamond Wilds can be on the grid simultaneously, and when more than one is part of the same win, their multipliers are added.

The Diamond Trail

10 free spins are awarded by landing 3 scatters in the base game. It has the same mechanics as the main game, plus 3 Diamond Wilds are guaranteed to land on the first spin. Diamond Wilds are sticky throughout the bonus round.

Pursuit of Diamonds

Landing 4 scatters an upgraded version of the bonus with 10 free spins. It builds on The Diamond Trail by landing 4 Diamond Wilds on the first spin, and all landed Diamond Wilds in this round start with an x2 multiplier.

Feature Buy

BonusHunt FeatureSpins cost 2x the bet and make each spin 3 times more likely to trigger a bonus game. The Diamond Trail costs 150x to buy, or the Pursuit of Diamonds is 500x.

Diamond Mole: Slot Verdict

While Diamond Mole's theme use might seem like a straightforward walk around the garden, so, in many ways, do the mechanics, which will take but a moment to get to grips with. However, the features have the potential to go nuclear as well. Eschewing complex narratives for raw power, the game focuses on a singular, escalating wild multiplier effect that can turn a modest cluster into a massive hit in no time. If you're lucky. There were shades of fellow studio Bullshark Games' Amazing Miceketeers, but Diamond Mole was even easier on the grey matter, where there is but one goal to really set your sights on - hit wilds, and double their multiplier.

In that regard, Diamond Mole also shares similarities to Yggdrasil Gaming's MultiMax concept, except here it's winning clusters linking with exponentially growing wilds. The potency of the doubling aspect cannot be stressed enough, as well as the ability of wilds to combine when part of the same win, providing the sort of momentum that can leap from a pile of dirt nothing to a sizable hit in a matter of tumbles. The distinction between the two bonus rounds is significant, too. While The Diamond Trail offers a decent enough shot at getting a roll going with three guaranteed wilds, the Pursuit of Diamonds is where Diamond Mole really sparkles - reflected by their respective buy prices.

Backseat Gaming hasn't scrimped on winning potential either, capping Diamond Mole at 25,000x the stake. The game's simplicity is a double-edged blade. Players looking for intricate side missions or diverse reel modifiers may find the 'stick-and-double' loop a bit one-note. But that loop can be an exhilarating one when Diamond Mole gets going, so for fans of sticky exponential growth, this molehill might be just the ticket.