Grand Link Continental: Hold & Win by Octoplay – Review, Free Play in Demo Mode

The game is clearly themed after steam trains, but it also mixes in classic fruit slot elements when it comes to regular symbols. In the background, there is a world map, while the playing field features a constantly running train and all the gameplay elements, such as reels, jackpot values and bonus badges. For a character, you get a conductor, who resembles Mario, but he pops out only on special occasions.

When playing Grand Link Continental: Hold & Win, you get to have a range of bonus mechanics working well together and increasing your chances to win.

Golden Coins

Golden coins are cash symbols that come in 6 values: 1x, 2x, 3x, 5x, 7x and 10x. They can bring an instant payout if they land alongside the collect train symbol on the centre reel. During the Hold & Win round, coins reset the respin count.

Cash Train

This symbol can land only on the 3rd reel, one per spin. It collects all the money symbols, including coins and jackpots. In the bonus game, you can get up to 3 cash trains, each collecting every money symbol.

Jackpots

Only within the Hold &Win feature, there are 5 fixed jackpots of 15x, 25x, 50x, 100x and 500x. They work similarly to coins, as they get collected by each cash train on the grid.

Train Progress

Above the reels, you will see a spin counter and 4 unlit circles: steam, tunnel, storm and conductor. Upon reaching a predefined number of spins, the circles activate and randomly grant bonuses in a normal game for the entire play session. To unlock all 4 features, you need a total of 185 spins.

• Steam - 10 spins to activate. There is a chance to swap symbols for coins or wilds on any reel but the middle one.
• Tunnel - 25 spins to activate. The playing field changes, leaving only empty symbols and coins that get locked until the tunnel round ends. If the reels are filled with coins or no coins land, you get the payout equal to the total coin value. New coins trigger a respin.
• Storm - 50 spins to activate. This bonus applies 2x or 3x multipliers to up to 6 symbols in a normal game and up to 5 in Hold & Win.
• Conductor - 100 spins to activate. The grid expands to 5x5, and the number of winlines increases to 30. Conductor is also active during the Hold & Win Round.

Hold & Win Round

There are 2 ways to trigger the Hold & Win feature: either randomly by any golden coin symbol or by landing a cash train with at least 4 coins. Initially, you get 3 respins, and upon hitting any symbol, you get all respins back. When you’re out of respins, the round ends and you receive the total payout.

Extra Chance

For 1.5x the stake, you can double the chances of triggering the bonus game. Note that payouts will be calculated from the base bet.

Wilds, Bonus Symbols and Payouts

Wilds have the capability to stand in for any regular symbol to form a combination and are triggered exclusively by the steam bonus. Combos are paid out from left to right, starting with reel number 1 and at least 3 symbols. They can pay anywhere from 1x to 25x your bet per line.

• RTP: 95.72% - The slot machine has an average RTP, but compensates for it with multiple bonus features that may trigger randomly and boost your odds of winning.
• Bet Size: C$0.10 – C$300 - Grand Link Continental: Hold & Win is suitable for both low-stakes and high-roller playstyles.
• Variance: Low - At this volatility level, the game keeps things interesting almost all the time, so you may see frequent smaller wins.

Grand Link Continental: Hold & Win is a game for low-risk players who like random bonuses and the respin mechanic. Low volatility helps with delivering exciting outcomes relatively frequently, while the collect symbols have high winning potential up to 3,214x the wager. You can also use the Extra Chance functionality to make the bonuses even more frequent by paying an extra 1.5x of your bet. Despite unimpressive RTP, this slot machine has a lot to offer when playing on any budget.