On 7 November 2024, Tom Horn Gaming released the Max Gold Exploring The Unknown Hold & Win slot. Since its inception, the game has enjoyed much success. Its popularity is primarily driven by its engaging theme and immersive treasure-hunting concept. Upon launching a gaming session, players join forces with Max Gold, a fearless explorer about to undertake a gold-seeking expedition.

Will the legendary explorer Max Gold hit the gold during his adventure? Well, that’s what you get to see when spinning the five reels of this slot. However, if the underlying game numbers are anything to go by, then Max Gold’s chances of success are very high. The RTP stands at 95.00% while the max payout is a respectable 1,262x the bet.

Ready to join forces with Max Gold on his treasure-seeking adventure. If you do, then before you start spinning the reels, take note of the following:

• Bet Option: Don’t just settle for the default betting option. Instead, explore the full range of betting options and choose the one that aligns with your pocket. Just so you know, the minimum supported bet option is 0.50 coins, while the maximum is 100.00 coins.   

• Spin Option: Reels can be spun in two ways. First, you can spin the reels manually by clicking the Spin button after every spin. Alternatively, you can enable auto-play mode to spin the reels automatically for a set number of times.   

• Turbo Mode: The turbo mode is available for players who prefer to increase the speed with which the reels spin, hence enjoying a lightning-fast gaming action.

The Max Gold Exploring The Unknown Hold & Win slot uses a 5 x 5 reel format with 35 paylines. When spinning the reels, the objective is to land at least three identical symbols adjacent to each other on an active payline. Whenever the objective is attained, players win a payout. 

Note that the size of the payout disbursed is dependent on two factors. First, the higher the count of symbols involved in a winning combination, the bigger the payout awarded. Second, landing a win line featuring high-value symbols increases the payouts awarded. In order of the highest paying to the lowest paying, the reel symbols are as follows:

• Max Gold.
• Pink gem and purple gem (Of a kind).
• Green gem and blue gem (Of a kind). 
• King and Ace (Of a kind).
• Jack and Queen (Of a kind).  

• Shatter Mode: This feature triggers automatically when a winning combination lands on the reels. Payouts for the win line are paid, and the winning symbols shatter to allow new symbols to appear and form new winning combinations. The win multiplier is increased by each new shatter up to 4.

• Hold and Win Bonus Game: This feature triggers when three bonus symbols land on the reels simultaneously. Three respins are awarded with all triggering icons turning sticky and locking in their positions. All other reel symbols disappear from the grid, leaving empty positions. New bonus symbols that land on a respin reset the number of respins to three. Note that the bonus symbols that land during the feature are as follows:
  • Coins Cash Symbols: These are represented by a golden block and carry 1x to 50x the current bet values. 
  • Chest Collector Symbols: These are represented by a treasure chest and they instantly collect all cash wins from the round. 
  • Jackpot Symbol: The jackpot symbol is represented by an icon bearing a JACKPOT inscription. It randomly reveals a Mini, Minor, or Major jackpot value when it lands. 

The feature continues until respins run out or when all reel positions are filled with bonus symbols. At the end of the feature, the values displayed on all bonus symbols are summed up and added to the total win. The Grand jackpot is awarded when all reels are filled with bonus symbols.   

• Hold & Win Bonus Buy: Clicking the ‘Buy’ button on the main screen allows players to instantly purchase the Hold & Win bonus round. The feature costs 50x the current total bet.

• Stake Booster: Players can manually enable the Stake Booster. When enabled, the current bet increases by 1.5x. In so doing, bonus symbols land more frequently on the reels; hence, the chances of triggering the Hold & Win feature are enhanced.

I highly recommend the Max Gold Exploring The Unknown Hold and Win slot for its simplicity, which makes it appealing to different types of players. Moreover, a couple of bonus buy features make triggering the incorporated bonus rounds easy, as players can buy their way into the features.