Mystery Museum

Mystery Museum: Overview

Players, it's time for one of the highlights on the iGaming calendar – a new release from developer Push Gaming. Some developers like to ram out something every week; others like to bide their time. Push Gaming is one of these latter studios who let ideas simmer, giving them a chance to comfortably mature before releasing them on the slots playing public.

Their previous release, Joker Troupe, was a blast of EDM drenched colour that could go from nothing to wrecking ball mayhem in a heartbeat. This one, Mystery Museum, takes a more traditional approach, fleshed out by some intriguing extras which layer on wins and tension in equal measure.

Speaking of heartbeats, if your ticker has any issues, it might be best checking with a doctor before playing Mystery Museum. The game gets intense - if you push it. Mystery Museum can be enjoyed on autopilot just fine, but thanks to its Power Gamble feature, emotions can bubble like a soda geyser. As well as the gamble feature, players get expanding reels, capped by a round of free spins to look forward to.

Set in a museum full of angel statues, roses, totems, and other priceless artefacts, the 5-reel, 10-payline game area is set within a wooden frame using transparent reels. A church-like environment is produced by light streaming through upper windows, while an adventurous soundtrack soothes the airwaves. It's all very refined, with high build quality throughout.

Playable from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin, the RTP comes in two forms. The first is a default rating of 96.58% when not using the Power Gamble feature. If you do use it, on the best strategy, RTP increases to 97.04%. This being Push Gaming, brace for a highly volatile math model that is just as capable of dishing out rewards as punishments. However, rewards are significant should lucky players crack the mystery.

Push Gaming has taken the time to create all-new symbols for the game; there are no royals or card suits in sight. Instead, we get, in ascending order, runes, coins, eyes, jugs, shields, helms, and Egyptian masks. Symbol values for the top three premiums are high, maxing out at 500 times the bet for 5 of the King Tut masks. Wild Samurai symbols help by substituting for any regular pay symbol and also play the part of scatter – another nod to the classical era.

Mystery Museum: Features

The game is complemented by three special features. Central to the action are the Mystery Stacks which can land in any position. When 3 or more are in view in the base game, they nudge to cover the full reel. A random standard symbol is then chosen, converting the Mystery Stacks into the same matching symbols Book of Ra style. Mystery Stacks will reward wins on all 10 win lines, even if they are not adjacent to each other. Moreover, if any wild is in view, it's taken into account as well.

Keep an eye out for the Samurai Wild which doubles as both wild and scatter - 3, 4, or 5 anywhere on the reels award 8, 10, or 12 free spins. When Mystery Stacks appear during free spins, they are nudged to cover the reel and remain in place for the full length of the feature.

Players can set the Power Gamble feature to activate after wins of at least 2x, 5x, 10x, 25x, or 50x. When a win above those levels happen, players may play the gamble game or collect. Players choose one of 4 face down cards. If it reveals a tick, then the win increases, if it reveals an 'X', the win is forfeit.

Players may also affect the odds. What this means is you can select 1, 2, or 3 cards with ticks on them in the batch of 4 blind cards. The fewer tick cards in the pile, the greater the rewards, but the greater the chance of picking an 'X' as the laws of probability dictate.

If you manage to win a total prize of 100 times the stake or more during the Power Gamble, you can trade part of it for free spins while banking the rest. So if you win 150 times the stake, 100x pays for the feature, while 50x is locked in. Also, after free spins, if you have won more than 100 times the stake, you can spend 100x to retrigger the feature while banking the remaining amount.

Mystery Museum: Verdict

What could be more relaxing than a leisurely stroll around a museum, seeing the sights, learning a thing or two? Well, not at this museum. Some games aren't for the faint-hearted and Mystery Museum is one of them. Fortune favours the bold as they say, but it can also punish, so be wary. Mystery Museum is a beast that will happily hoover up bankrolls like a ravenous carnivore stripping flesh from the bone. Lengthy streaks of Dead/low-value spins are to be expected, but there is also chaos when it unleashes – to the tune of 17,500 times your stake.

It is possible to coast, but the best results here often emerge when living dangerously. Additional chances to try your luck pop up at virtually every opportunity – during the base game, after the bonus game, you name it. If you're not so keen on gamble features, then half the point has sort of gone. However, if you're the kind of person who likes to take a punt at every opportunity, then Mystery Museum has them in spades.

Push Gaming is renowned for mega volatile, high-intensity gaming and Mystery Museum easily fits the description. However, it's not quite as innovative as we're used to from Push Gaming, and the game does rely heavily on its Power Gamble feature to provide many of the thrills, something that may or may not be a deal-breaker for some. If you are cool with that and dig classic gaming (plus a twist) then buckle in for the ride, just make sure to keep the blood pressure meds close by.