Grand Link Continental: Hold & Win is a casino slot from Octoplay and another edition to the studio's train series. We’ve previously hopped on the train in games like Super Grand Link Express: Hold & Win and Triple Grand Hold & Win: Link Express, offering Cash Collect during the Base Game and a familiar Hold & Win as Bonus Game. Here, we get to travel internationally with an improved design but with similar gameplay. Octoplay has added a Train Progress mechanic that unlocks game features such as Multipliers and Grid Expansion as you collect spins. We’ve seen a similar progression mechanic from the studio before, which we will elaborate on in the Final Thoughts section, making this a familiar experience with some decent tweaks to recycled gameplay.

World Map as backdrop
Base Game

Theme, Gameplay, & Payouts

Grand Link Continental: Hold & Win is a video slot by Octoplay that features 5 reels, 3 rows, and 5 paylines. You can select bet sizes ranging from 0.1 to 500, with a default RTP of 95.72%. This game has low volatility and a hit frequency of 15.7%, offering potential wins of up to 3,241X your bet. On average, it takes 244 spins to activate the bonus game.

The game’s design is based on a familiar train theme, with a world map as backdrop. The 5x3 game grid is in the middle of the screen, with the Jackpots above the reels. If you want to boost the gaming experience for a cost, activate the Double Chance button in the right corner. All other buttons, including the Spin and Bet Size, can be found below the reels. You can play Grand Link Continental: Hold & Win on all mobile devices, desktops, and notepads. You create a winning combination by landing 3 or more of the same symbol types on adjacent reels starting at the leftmost reel. 

The lower-paying symbols are cherries, citrus, oranges, plums, watermelon, and a horseshoe. Landing 5 of the same symbol type pays between 5X and 10X. The higher-paying symbols are a golden bell and 777. Landing 5 of the same symbol type pays 25X. 

The game’s Wild Symbol has the design of a star with the text “Wild”. The Cash Symbol is a golden coin carrying values ranging from 1X to 10X. It can be collected by the Train Symbol when it appears on the middle reel. Landing 4 or more Cash Symbols simultaneously as a Train Symbol will trigger the Bonus Game. Let’s continue with the features.

Special Features & Slot Mechanics

What is the max win in the slot of Grand Link Continental: Hold & Win?

The max win is 3,241X the bet. 

What features are available in the slot of Grand Link Continental: Hold & Win?

The features of this slot game are Wild Symbol, Cash Collect, Train Progress, Hold & Win, and Double Chance.

Train Symbol on reel 3
Hold & Win

Wild Symbol

The Wild Symbol substitutes all symbols except the Cash and Train Symbols and helps you create winning combinations.

Cash Collect

This feature can be triggered whenever a Cash and a Train Symbol appear simultaneously on the reels. The Train Symbol will collect all Cash Symbols, which can only appear on the middle reel.

The Cash Symbol can have values of 1X, 2X, 3X, 5X, 7X, or 10X the bet. It can also be one of the game’s Jackpots of Mini, Minor, Major, Maxi, or Grand that awards 15X, 25X, 50X, 100X, or 500X the bet, respectively, during the Hold & Win feature.

Train Progress

The Train Progress Meter is positioned above the reels and contains 4 Levels. The 1, 2, 3, and 4 Levels require 10, 25, 50, and 100 spins during the Base Game, respectively. Whenever a new level is unlocked, the meter is reset to 0. The effects of each level are:

Steam Feature (Level 1) = This feature can be randomly triggered during the Base Game, adding Cash or Wild Symbols to the reels. Whenever a Wild Symbol is added, a winning combination is guaranteed.

Tunnel Feature (Level 2) = This feature can be randomly triggered during the Base Game. During the feature, only Cash Symbols and blanks can appear on the reels. All landed Cash Symbols are collected at the end of the feature. The feature continues until no Cash Symbols land on the reels.

Storm Feature (Level 3) = Add Multipliers of 2X or 3X to up to 6 reel positions during the Base Game and up to 5 positions during the Hold & Win feature. The multiplier value is applied to any Cash Symbol value, or any winning payline it’s part of. If several multipliers are part of a winning combination, they are added before being applied.

Conductor  Feature (Level 4) = Can be randomly triggered during the Base Game, and is always activated during the Hold & Win feature. When triggered during the Base Game, the game grid expands to 5x5, boosting the paylines to 30.

Hold & Win

This feature can be randomly triggered whenever a Cash or Train Symbol lands on the reels or if 4 Cash Symbols and a Train Symbol land in the same spin, awarding 3 respins. Only blanks, Cash, and Train Symbols can land on the reels, and whenever a Cash or Train Symbol lands, the respins get reset to 3 again.

During the feature, whenever a Train Symbol lands on the reels, it gets locked and remains in its reel position for the remainder of the spins. All Cash Symbols, including the Jackpots that land during the feature, are collected once by each Train Symbol and are awarded when the feature ends.

Double Chance

Activate this feature for an extra cost of 50% of the current bet, and experience a doubled chance of triggering the Bonus Game with an RTP of 95.86%.

Octoplay continues its train series by adding another Hold & Win edition to their deep catalog. As mentioned in the Introduction, the studio has evolved the design by adding a world map as a backdrop, which works well with the adventure theme. However, even though it’s evolved, it has an identical vibe to previous releases, making it hard to stand out and make a lasting impact.

In terms of gameplay, it revolves around a Cash Collect mechanic during the Base Game and an overly familiar Hold & Win as Bonus Game. So what makes this game stand out? Here, the studio offers a Train Progressive mechanic that collects spins and unlocks game features. We’ve recently seen a similar mechanic in other games, such as Break the Diamond Piggy, which should appeal to those who are patient but not to those who want the game’s full potential from the first spin. Obviously, the game gets elevated when all levels are unlocked, but the win potential still remains modest with a max win of 3,241X the bet, which is lower than previous releases in this train series.

Overall, Octoplay has improved the design compared to previous releases, but still fails to create a lasting impression. In terms of gameplay, it follows the same structure as we’ve seen before in this series, revolving around Cash Collect and Hold & Win features. Even though the Train Progress mechanic has its appeal and offers decent win potential, it will still struggle to compete with modern, more potent Hold & Win releases.

Grand Link Continental: Hold & Win adds another edition to the studio’s train series, this time with a Train Progress mechanic that offers decent win potential.