Dynamite Diggin Doug

Dynamite Diggin Doug: Slot Overview

Shock news flash folks, the Pragmatic Play and Reel Kingdom duo have put down their fishing rods to create an online slot which does not involve fish, money symbols, or being anywhere near the sea. On the contrary, Dynamite Diggin Doug moves far beneath the Earth's surface in order to play the part of a mining slot, complete with a bearded prospector named Doug. Doug's a cheerful sort, and he fronts a cheerful game that might not be a heavyweight but may attract gamblers in the mood for instant prizes triggered by scatter symbols and a streak respin style round with explosive elements.

One of the first things about Dynamite Diggin Doug that grabbed attention was the strangely compelling music. It felt completely out of place, situated down a mine shaft, yet very listenable at the same time. It's a shame the artwork wasn't as striking. There's nothing eye-maiming going on, but nothing wondrous whatsoever either, and some of the animations could be painfully slow. Doug is there, however. He seems like a nice person, but Reel Kingdom's knack for creating slots that look as if they came out years ago is all too apparent in Dynamite Diggin Doug.

Propped up in the middle of the scene is Dynamite Diggin Doug's 5x3 gaming grid, which has 10 paylines built in for evaluating winning combinations. The official game information puts the volatility at a potentially scary 'very high' while of the three RTPs, 96.52% is the max figure. With a minimum total bet of 10 c per spin and a maximum of $/€250, players also have access to a bonus buy and an ante bet. The ante bet ups the stake by 50% when activated, granting a higher chance of getting the feature.

Symbols now, and down here, Doug is in command of 9-A card rank low pays, as well as items of mining such as spades, lanterns, pickaxes, and carts. Hitting 5 OAK low pay combinations pays you up to 5 times the bet, while a 5-of-a-kind premium win is worth 10 to 100 times the bet. Maybe it got lost in the tunnels, but no wild symbol landed in Dynamite Diggin Doug at any stage.

Dynamite Diggin Doug: Slot Features

While you're bashing on rocks playing Dynamite Diggin Doug, be sure to be on the prospect for instant prizes awarded by the dynamite symbols (or are they candles?) and a streak respin type round going by the name of the Dynamite Bonus. Doug sure likes his dynamite.

Instant Dynamite Prizes

To the left of the gaming grid is a list of prize values, running from 0.5x to 100x the bet. The top three prizes also include the Bronze, Silver, and Gold bonuses, which would appear to be upgraded versions of the bonus round. Next to each prize is a number. When a number of dynamite symbols land on the grid, the corresponding prize is awarded. Occasionally, Doug appears on the reels to pop a detonator and award a prize.

Dynamite Bonus

When triggered by landing at least 3 scatter symbols, the Dynamite Bonus is held on a gaming grid landing only dynamite symbols and blank spaces. The round starts with 3 lives, which reset when a new symbol lands on the grid. Next to the reels is a lit fuse that is able to grant multipliers when the fuse is completely burned out.

Now, when a new dynamite symbol lands, all of the dynamite symbols move down one position, and the fuse burns one step. Dynamite prizes that fall off the bottom of the grid are collected by Doug, awarding their values to the player, who then throws the dynamite back onto the reels, increasing already existing prize symbols or adding new ones. It is possible to buy entrance to the bonus round for a cost of 100 times the bet.

Dynamite Diggin Doug: Slot Verdict

Reel Kingdom might have struck massive success with its Big Bass range of slots, but when you play a game like Dynamite Diggin Doug, you kinda wonder how they did it. It's just not great. From the budget visuals to the so-so-at-best features to the meh-win stats, the studio really stumbled onto paydirt when reeling in its fish range. This is possibly why the studio continues to cling so tightly to it, releasing endless reams of clones, reskins, and follow-ups. As such, encountering a Reel Kingdom production that doesn't leave your fingers smelling like fish should be a joyous occasion. Dynamite Diggin Doug steps up by presenting an amiable environment, and the music is oddly compelling, yet the game doesn't follow through well, and as far as mining slots go, there are far stronger examples.

Other contenders for the highly volatile, high-stakes mining slots would be those like Dead Canary or the Fire in the Hole games. Dynamite Diggin Doug taps away at the dirt on the other end of the scale than those two, as evidenced in part by its 3,000x win cap. The entertainment wasn't massive either. The base game inched along, producing few wins, and those that did hit tended to be of the 3, maybe 4, dynamite prize variety, which really wasn't enough to keep the balance very buoyant. Line wins were oddly rare. The Dynamite Bonus round is an odd one as well, refusing to pay out unless cash symbols are forced off the bottom of the reels for Doug to collect. He does throw sticks back onto the grid to potentially stack rewards, and the multiplier helps make a noticeable difference to end results if you're able to get it.

Dynamite Diggin Doug was a game which struggled to ever take off, to the point there was a wonder it actually could. Ah, well, it's not a fishing game, but weirdly, after Dynamite Diggin Doug had been put through its paces, there was a thought that maybe Reel Kingdom is better off sticking to their winning BB formula if this is the alternative.