Introduction to Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express
Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express is a casino slot from AreaVegas Games with a new, platinum-clad train. This is another release in AreaVegas Games’ favorite series, the Rush Express series, which, while definitely having a bit of a following, hasn’t seen many changes over the years, rather sticking with its familiar formula. The series is best known for its train theme, as seen in releases like Gold Rush Express and Diamond Rush Express, but AreaVegas Games has also expanded into other settings, as seen in Bass Rush Express and Billionaire Rush Express. These games are mostly known for one thing, the titular Rush Express feature, which, in a sense, is just a more complicated Cash Collect mechanic, with the train lugging around carriages filled with prizes passing by each time you hit the feature. That means the gameplay loop centers on triggering the Rush Express feature with Bell, Golden Train, or Platinum Train Collectors to earn Prizes and Multipliers. On top of this is a Free Spins feature with five different Gem Bonuses, which can award additional Collectors, Golden Nuggets, Multipliers, or even an additional playing grid. If you’ve played the previous releases, you’ll find yourself right at home, as there’s very little new to the scene, but it does come with a new Platinum Train Collector and Gem Bonus for the bonus game, and hopefully that will be enough to entice you to try and strike gold by hunting the max win of 5,000X the bet.
AreaVegas Games delivers on another Rush Express release, this time in yet another familiar setting, just with a fancier train.
Theme, Gameplay, & Payouts
Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express is a video slot from AreaVegas Games with 5 Reels, 4 Rows, and 20 Paylines. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.2 and a Max.bet of 50. Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express comes with a higher-than-average RTP of 96.43%, a hit frequency of 30.01%, medium/high volatility, and an okay max win of 5,000X the bet.
Just like its predecessors, Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express can be found beneath a bridge leading to mountain mines, with the titular train going right over the head of the flashy playing grid. Its visuals are vibrant and flashy, albeit not of the highest quality, making it feel as if they deliberately tried to give its graphics an overtone of blinking gems. You can play the game on most notepads, mobiles, and desktops.
The lower-paying symbols are 10, J, Q, K, and A. Creating a win with 5 of the same symbols will pay out 1X the bet. The higher-paying symbols are various items and equipment from the mine, including a lamp, a pickaxe, a bucket of gems, a bag of gems, and golden ingots. Landing a win with 5 of the same symbols pays out 2X to 5X the bet. There’s also a handful of Special Symbols, including Wilds, Bell, Gold Train, Platinum Train, Rush Express, and Gem Symbols, which we will go over more in the Feature Section.
Special Features & Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express?
You can win up to 5,000X the bet.
What features are available in the slot Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express?
The features are Wild Symbols, Rush Express, Free Spins, and Pick Bonus.
Wild Symbols
Wild Symbols help from winning combinations by being able to substitute for all symbols except Special Symbols. Wild Symbols come stacked on all reels and can only appear during the base game and Free Spins feature.
Rush Express
Bell, Gold Train, and Platinum Trains may appear on reel 5, and can trigger the Rush Express feature if at least one Rush Express Symbol lands on the other reels. When it happens, the Bell and Train Symbols will collect the Cash Value on the Rush Express Symbol and pay it out. Bell Symbols will pay out all prizes on screen instantly, while Gold and Platinum Train Symbols will add all Prizes on screen to the corresponding train above the reels, awarding the prize 3 to 15 times.
Rush Express Symbols can either come as Gold Nuggets or as one of 4 different colored Train Symbols, with each Rush Express Train Symbol being able to trigger a mini feature that determines its prize. The color of the mini-feature train matching the triggering symbol will determine whether all pay out a cash prize or Jackpot, with the final colored train car able to award a Cash Prize, a 2X or 3X Multiplier, or a corresponding colored Jackpot prize.
Free Spins
When one or more Gem Symbols land, there is a random chance to trigger the Free Spins feature with 10 spins. Each Gem Symbol comes with its own bonus, which can be paired with other Gem Symbols, but only the combination of Gem Symbols that are collected when the bonus game triggers will be active. The bonuses are as follows
Green Gem Upgrade = When it is active, Bell, Gold, or Platinum Trains are guaranteed to land on every Free Spin
Purple Gem Upgrade = When active, all Bells are upgraded to Gold or Plat trains
Pink Gem Upgrade = When active, Diamond Multiplier Symbols can appear on reels 1 to 4, with a random value of 2X to 5X. Apply to the total of all on-screen prizes whenever a Rush Express is triggered
Red Gem Upgrade = Adds a second playing grid, which will play its 10 Free Spins independently.
Cyan Gem Upgrade = When active, more Golden Nugget Symbols will be present on the reels.
Pick Bonus
On any spin where the Rush Express or Free Spins feature doesn’t trigger, Golden Nugget Symbols can randomly trigger the Pick Bonus. During the bonus game, you may reveal various icons, and matching 3 of the same Jackpot icon will award the corresponding prize. The Jackpot Prizes are Mini (20X), Minor (50X), Major (500X), and Grand (5,000X).
Final Thoughts on Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express
Earlier in the introduction, we mentioned that the Rush Express series tends to make relatively small changes between releases, and this extends beyond just gameplay and features, as even the series’ visuals are largely the same, with many of the train-themed releases using the exact same setting and flashy graphics. On top of this, this release is a sequel to Bigger Bonanza Rush Express, which was released only a year prior, and the two games are nearly identical, only with a handful of stat changes and two new special symbols. This, combined with the fact that the series feels quite oversaturated at this point, especially with only minor changes between releases, means that Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express has a hard time feeling fresh. While in a vacuum, the game may be an okay experience, in practice, it feels like the studio leaned more towards the safe option, relying on its familiar formula rather than introducing substantial changes.
When it comes to gameplay, the loop also remains largely the same, with base game spins feeling more like a waiting room for features to trigger than an actual part of the game. While stacks of Wilds can be fun, the regular-paying symbols’ paytable just isn’t enough to hold our attention or interest while we wait for a feature to trigger, meaning the base game can feel rather uneventful between feature triggers. The Rush Express feature works mostly the same in the predecessors, just now, with the introduction of the Platinum Train Symbols, prizes can now be paid out up to 15 times, but it feels so rare that the change almost goes unnoticed. Then we come to the Free Spins, which also got 1 new addition in the form of the Cyan Gem Bonus, and while it is welcomed, it doesn’t really leave an impact or make the bonus game any different. All in all, Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express is just a slightly shinier and fancier-looking variant of its prequel, and doesn’t do enough to make the familiar formula feel fresh again. But we can’t deny that the series has a following for a reason, and that the minor changes might be welcomed by those who already enjoy the foundation.
Bigger Bonanza Platinum Rush Express is another release in the AreaVegas Games Rush Express series, which feels more like an update than a full-on sequel, as its new features and additions can easily be missed.
