Mine Defender Slot Review
Beneath the wreckage of a broken world, one man defies all odds in ELK Studios’ latest release, Mine Defender! Trapped beneath steel and stone, this lone miner must rise like a fortress. With both hands on the triggers, the cold and endless robots keep coming – Bring it on!
ELK Studios is a notable software developer, known for its innovative techniques, quirky mechanics, and substantial max win caps. After a show-stopping performance in the Nitropolis series, ELK Studios continues to engage players with innovative releases, including ZapLab and Oxygen 2.
Mine Defender takes us back to our childhood days of old-skool video gaming – A slot with similar characteristics to another ELK release, Orbitfall. Instead of Alien invaders, we’re helping a lone miner take on robots as he makes his way through the mines. Prepare to take on multiple Boss Battles and engage with Wilds, Multipliers, and Coin Wins in this epic battle for victory!
Base Game & Features
Mine Defender is a highly volatile 5×6 Video Slot that utilises the Scatter Pays mechanic. Players can select a bet size from a limited number of options between £.€0.20 and £.€100 per spin. Other attributes include an overall RTP of 94% and an average max win cap of 10,000x your bet.
Wins consist of 7-15 identical symbols when they appear anywhere on the grid, regardless of their position. There are 3 High and Low-paying (gem) symbols available, each producing payouts between 0.2x and 20x your bet, where applicable. Lastly, Wild symbols substitute for all payout symbols as standard.
A game round begins with a new set of symbols filling the grid, a reset Global Multiplier, and 1 Hero Life & Shot. Symbols cascade onto the grid, Feature symbols are collected, used, and replaced with new symbols via an Avalanche Feature.
Hero Drops
When new symbols drop in via the Avalanche feature, Enemies may enter the grid, thus triggering Hero Drops. This round allows the Hero and his enemies to try to defeat each other in battle.
During this feature, enemies are shot at by the Hero. Each defeated enemy is replaced with Feature or Payout symbols before a win evaluation takes place. After this, enemies on the bottom row will attack the Hero, while other enemies will walk +1 step closer to the bottom row, unless blocked. In the event of no wins, all payout symbols are removed, and new symbols drop in.
Feature Symbols
The following Feature symbols can appear during a game round, awarding the following outcomes:
- Life: Adds +1 life to the Hero, up to a maximum of 3
- Shot: Increases the number of shots the Hero can fire, up to a maximum of 3
- Spread: Allows the Hero to shoot 3 projectiles per shot
- Scatter: Each bonus scatter is collected towards the bonus trigger
- Coin: Applies an instant win of the displayed value, multiplied by the current bet and Global Multiplier
- Multiplier: Adds to the Global Multiplier
- Mystery: Spawns an enemy, feature symbol, or wild
- Laser: Fires a beam that wipes out all enemies in a column, while a mini boss or final boss that is hit will lose 3 lives
- Airstrike: Attacks 1 to 6 enemies, leading to defeat. A mini or final boss will lose 3 lives each as a result of the Airstrike feature.
- Bomb: Wipes out all enemies on the grid and causes any Mini or Final Bosses to lose 3 lives.
- Pushback: Causes all enemies to be pushed back by 1 position
Mini Bosses
Mini Bosses can randomly appear on the grid as a 2×2 enemy with 10 Lives and a Trophy Coin. Upon defeat, the Mini Boss is removed from the grid and applies its trophy coin value, multiplied by the Global Multiplier, to your total win for that round.
A Mini Boss will not be destroyed after it attacks the Hero, but ready to attack again in the next cycle. Please note that Mini Bosses can only appear in the base game.
X-iter
- Bonus Hunt: More than triples your chance of triggering the Free Spins mode (3x your bet)
- Hero Drops: Guarantees enemies to activate Hero Drops (10x your bet)
- Maxed Ammo: Triggers a game round with enemies guaranteed and a maximum of 3 shots for the Hero (50x your bet)
- Bonus: Instantly triggers the regular bonus mode (100x your bet)
- Super Bonus: Awards a game round with the maximum amount of ammo (3) for the Hero (500x your bet)
Mine Defender Slot – Mass Attack Bonus
The Mass Attack Bonus is triggered when 3 Scatters are collected or awarded in the base game. Once active, any Multipliers, Shots, or Spread features collected in the base game are carried over, and the Hero’s life is set to 3.
This round is played on a circular grid with 10 Radii and 5 Concentric Rows, while the Hero is positioned in the centre. Enemies will attack the Hero from the inner row, in the same manner as the base game. The bonus game ends when the Hero is defeated or the Final Boss mode has been triggered.
Final Boss Battle
The Final Boss Battle is triggered when 50 Enemies and mini-bosses have been wiped out, overall. This function can occur in the base game and Bonus mode.
During this time, the round is played on a 5×6 grid with only Enemies, Coins, and Multipliers present. A large 3×3 Final Boss with 50 Lives and a Trophy Coin will appear. The final boss will not be destroyed after attacking and is ready to attack again in the next cycle.
This function ends when either the Final Boss or the Hero is defeated. Defeating the Final Boss will award its Trophy Coin value, multiplied by the current Global Multiplier.
Our Honest Verdict
As expected, ELK Studios pulled out all the stops to create a Mining slot that is unique when pitted against others in that genre. When we caught wind of this release, we had certain thoughts of what to expect, but it’s nothing like we imagined. ELK Studios has taken the retro video game aesthetic, found in Orbitfall, and created a high-quality slot with modern features and mechanics.
The retro vibe coming from Mine Defender is consistent in many games, including Space Donkey, Fighter Pit, and Rogue Rats of Nitropolis, to name a few. Whilst it’s clear that ELK Studios has a soft spot for this particular theme, it’s not to everyone’s tastes. If you’re a true gamer or a lover of sci-fi, Mine Defender will be a great addition to your list of favourites. This game, and those mentioned above, can be found across many UK online casinos for real money play.
First-time players of Mine Defender will have a lot to wrap their heads around. ELK Studios has packed the game with multiple features and mechanics, some of which are new to their portfolio. The first few spins will leave you in denial as to what is actually occurring, but the aim of the game quickly becomes apparent the more you play.
