Down the Rails Slot Review 2022

The Pragmatic Play train is now leaving the platform and it’s heading in the direction of glorious riches in their latest release, Down the Rails! Mind the gap.

The London Undergrown or the tube as some may call it is a rapid transport service that covers Greater London and other adjacent counties in England. It was the first ever public underground railway station that opened in January 1863. Since then, the network has expanded to 11 lines and by 2021 roughly 296 million passengers had used this service to get from A to B.

On the subject of History, Pragmatic Play has also chosen to dedicate their High-paying symbols to 5 inspirational British figures such as Henry VIII, Florence Nightingale, Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare and Isaac Newton. If History is something you’re interested in then Down the Rails is absolutely full of it.

In terms of design, Pragmatic Play has taken us back to a time when tophats and long overcoats were all the rage and the ladies practically lived in heels. This is all evident in the background where you can see a bunch of people waiting patiently for the rather old fashioned train to arrive.

To further compliment the theme, the whooshing of trains whizzing by can be heard amongst the sound effects along with some pretty upbeat and chipper music playing throughout.

Will we be heading in the direction of riches or is it the end of the line for us? Let’s play on and find out!

 

Down the Rails Base Game and Features

Down the Rails is a 5 reel slot with 20 fixed paylines. Winning combinations are formed when 3 or more of the same symbol type land from left to right, starting from the left-most reel.

The minimum bet available here is £/€0.20 per spin and the maximum bet available is £/€125 per spin, with plenty of other options in between the two. Down the Rails has a theoretical RTP of 96.51%.

In terms of symbols, all High-paying symbols fall to 5 inspirational British figures. Henry VIII has the highest pay value, followed by Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare, Florence Nightingale and Isaac Newton. Low-paying symbols are standard Ace, King, Queen and Jack. There is also a Wild symbol present which substitutes for all symbols except Scatters.

Random Spin Features

During any random base game spin, one of the following Spin Features can trigger.

• Tunnel Vision – During this feature, Mystery symbols will randomly land in any position on the reels which reveal the same High or Low-paying symbol type.
• The Big Smoke – A colossal symbol of 3×3 showing any high-paying, low-paying or Scatter will be added to reels 1, 2, 3 or 4.
• Wild Strike – Awards a random amount of Wild symbols to any of the reel positions.
• Shifting Stack – Shifting stack wilds are randomly added to the reel strips. When the spin stops, all new Wild symbols are brought fully in view with a random Multiplier of x2 or x3, covering all positions for that reel.
• Bonus Blitz – Triggers the Bonus round.

 

Down the Rails Bonus

Landing 3 or more Scatters in any position on the reels triggers either the Bonus feature or the End of the Line round. Before either round can begin, 1 of 5 possible features is chosen at random.

Once one of the below Bonus features has been awarded, you will be given a choice to Gamble your current round for a higher tier, but this comes with its own risks and should not be taken lightly.

If you do go ahead with the Gamble and it is successful, the new Bonus round is selected which can also be Gambled for the next available round should you choose to, or you can simply collect the current feature you have won.

If the Gamble is unsuccessful, instead of being awarded one of the Bonus rounds, you will walk away with a random Mystery Prize between 4x and 24x your current bet.

Pentonville

Pentoville is a Free Spins round that awards 5 Free Spins.

During this round, each time a winning combination is formed with any High or Low-paying symbol, the winning combinations will form a Cluster and the remaining symbols will Respin. Respins end when no more instances of the Cluster symbol land in view.

The Pentonville round cannot be retriggered.

Kings Cross

Kings Cross is also a Free Spins round that awards 5 Free Spins.

During this round, positions on the middle reels are marked with a Cross. Each time a Wild symbol lands in any of the marked positions, all other symbols in the remaining marked positions will transform into Wilds.

The Kings Cross round cannot be retriggered.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is another Free Spins round that awards 8 Free Spins.

During this round, a vertically Stacked Wild symbol is present on the reel strips. Each time a stacked Wild symbol lands outside the reel set, it will move its position Up or Down to cover all positions on its reel. After this, all High-paying Character symbols will transform into the highest paying.

The Buckingham Palace round cannot be retriggered.

Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf is the last Free Spins round available which awards 8 Free Spins. This round brings into play a new Collect symbol.

On random spins during this round, all High-paying Character symbols can reveal a random Cash Value between 1x and 50x your bet. If the Collect symbol appears at the same time as any Character symbols with a cash value, the total amount of all Cash Values will be added together and awarded.

The Canary Wharf round cannot be retriggered.

End of the Line

The End of the Line is a Hold & Win Respin feature which is played on a 3×5 Grid that can extend up to 5×5 positions during play. Here you will start off with 3 Respins which will reset each time a new special symbol lands in view.

• Money Symbols – Character symbols are now Money symbols with a random Cash Value between 1x and 2,500x your bet.
• Extra Life – Whenever a Heart symbol lands in view, it get’s taken from its position and stored in a Meter at the top of the reel set. If 3 of this symbol are collected, +1 additional Life is awarded to the Respins counter.
• Prize Boost – Each time 3 Prize Boost symbols are collected, the values of all Money symbols is increased.
• Expand – Each time 3 Expand symbols are collected, +1 row of empty positions is unlocked, up to 5×5.
• Multiplier – Each time 3 Multiplier symbols are collected, a Multiplier starting at x2, then x3 and lastly x5 is awarded.

If the maximum win capacity of 5,000x is reached during any of the above Bonus rounds, the current feature will end and all remaining Free Spins/Respins will be forfeited.

 

Down the Rails: Our Verdict

Down the Rails might be one of Pragmatic Play’s most comprehensive slot in a good while, with lots to cover, lots to see and a lot to understand.

Unlike many slots, Down the Rails might be a different game every time you play it.

Will you stop at Kings Cross? or Will you venture to Westminster to see Lizzy in Buckingham Palace? The choice is yours, if you have the minerals to gamble for it, in some cases.

Each and every bonus brings new and exciting features, but End of the Line is where you really want to be.

If you reach the End of the Line, then you’ve seen London and all of the many surprises it has in store. Money Symbols, Extra Lives, Expansions, Prize Boosts and Multipliers make this particular bonus especially exciting, but fear not if you didn’t get the top bonus, because all of the others have a touch of class too, just like London itself.

“In London, everyone is different, and that means anyone can fit in.” as the wise national treasure Paddington Bear once said, and it’s fitting because Down the Rails has something for everyone, and everyone can fit in here with the many different features.

In terms of potential, the maximum here is once again 5,000x. Whether intentionally or otherwise, this is exactly the kind of win you’d need to afford a beer in one of the many pubs in London. Cheers.

Overall, Down the Rails is something a little different from Pragmatic Play, and we’re big fans. Though we might be biased given the British theme.