Gold Rush Riches Slot Review

There have been a lot of gold rushes over the years, from Canada to New Zealand to Chile (I am not sure about you, but I would love to see some slots inspired by these alternative Gold Rushes). The one which occurred in California is probably the most renowned, and, given the presence of the cactus symbol and the generic ‘American Wild West’ prospector, we can assume this is where the Gold Rush Riches is set. 

For those not today with U.S. history, James W. Marshall found gold at Coloma in 1848. His discovery caused a "rush" of hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world to come to the Sierra Nevada. It had a huge impact on the economy and population of what would become the heartland of the West Coast, California, in 1850.

Why have I focused on the history behind the slots’ theme? Because Red Rake has put a lot of effort into the theme and presentation of Gold Rush Riches, it only feels right to go the extra mile in this review. 

The 6x5 reel set is located in a dark and rocky, possibly subterranean mine. Every part of the game's design, from the flickering lanterns that light up the reels to the little details on the mining equipment, shows how much Red Rake Gaming cares about giving players an immersive experience. The sound effects are also carefully made to improve the entire atmosphere. For example, the sound of pickaxes hitting rock and boulders tumbling makes the game an immersive experience, without being too overwhelming. Though if you prefer to add your sound effects when you play, these can easily be toggled on and off. 

Shovels, pickaxes, headlamps, explosives, waggons, and pans full of gold are all symbols used in Gold Rush Riches. In short, everything you need to go looking for gold, plus the prospector himself, who has a big grey beard and overalls, much like the cliché. There are no generic cards or gems to fill out the paytable, which is different from many other games in this genre and serves as more evidence of the attention to detail shown by Red Rake in this game.

The full paytable for the Gold Rush Riches slot is as follows:

As mentioned, Gold Rush Riches has cascading reels, meaning chain reactions of wins are possible. Red Rake uses this system to power its six bonus features. Each of the symbols used in the game has a respective meter. Triggering cascades using their respective symbol will fill the meter. When a meter is filled, one of the following bonus features will become active:

Dynamite

Filling the Dynamite Meter awards a win multiplier, which will increase in value depending on the number of dynamite symbols on the reels. This comes with a winning multiplier. The multiplier increases as the amount of dynamite increases. Multipliers are able to combine to create a ‘grand multiplier’ applied to your total stake.

Cactus

Fill the cacti meter, and a random 3x3 section of the game grid will transform into matching cactus symbols.

Mine Cart

Activate the mine cart meter, and four sticky wilds stick to random positions on the reels. They begin with three lives and lose one with each win. The feature stops when all of the lives are gone.

Panning Tray

The two uppermost symbols on a single reel turn wild. There are six more, unseen symbols above that will cascade down following any wins.

Oil Lamp

Empty meters have their value increased by four. Alongside this, players will be awarded three free re-spins.

Prospector

When the Prospector meter is full, players will receive 12 free spins during which the pan and miner meters are not reset. Refill the miner meter to obtain a 2x win multiplier, which will increase in value by 1 (3x, 4x, etc) until the end of the feature.

In my opinion, it feels like the small-to-middling development houses are the ones pioneering concepts and forming innovations on established elements. I think Gold Rush Riches by Red Rake is a perfect example of this. While the gold mining theme is nothing new, Red Rake has given us a refreshing take thanks to realistic soundscapes, subtle animations that bring the game to life - even the decision to omit the ‘easy’ option of playing cards or gems for the lower-paying symbols, all shows an attention to detail which should be applauded.

While cluster pays slots are nothing new, and seem to be the current trend, Red Rake excels again by innovating a bonus feature system using this mechanism and tossing out the ‘old school’ scatter, wild, and bonus symbols. Using cascade and symbol combinations to fill meters is genius. Watching respective meters fill is exciting and satisfying (and adds gamification elements to the slot) and allows for a generous array of bonus features - six in total, without overwhelming the base game experience with excessive pop-ups, modifiers, and animations. 

The one area where the Gold Rush Riches slot falls short for me is the RTP. 95.1% is notably below the current market average, and while the volatility, hit rate, and top payout statistics do help mitigate this, with a game that impresses on so many regards, this is frustrating to see.

Overall, though, Gold Rush Riches is certainly a 24k slot and gets a 9/10 from me.

Rating: 9.0