Cowboys Gold Slot Review

Pragmatic Play is yet again making waves in the digital gambling arena. Despite their recent foray into live-dealer games, they are now making noise by enriching game catalogs of African and South American online casinos. 2020 was a big year for this Malta-based developer, and the Pragmatic team seems poised to make 2021 an even bigger one. In the year gone by, they released a slew of titles, many of which attained impressive popularity, including two western-themed romps. The first was their March release – Wild West Gold, and the second one was – Cowboys Gold, which hit operators on the fifth of November. Wild West Gold was the slightly bigger hit of the two, but the latter has maintained a better baseline regarding keeping spinners engaged. So, we have decided to give it a look-see.

Theme & Design

As mentioned, this is a western-themed reel-spinner. These seem to be in high demand, as many developers are now riding the coattails of titles such as Money Train 2, Tombstone, and Dead or Alive 2. So, what sets this Pragmatic Play product from the stream of Wild West-themed slots that enter the iGaming sphere each month? The answer – not much. The sole distinctive element of this game is a skull cowboy reminiscent of Iron Maiden’s Eddie mascot. It is also a character that would seem at home on a Megadeth album cover. If you do not know what we are talking about, Google both bands paired with the words album cover to get an idea.

Per the course for these sorts of reel-spinners, this one also features a rag-tag group of bandits. It boasts painterly graphics that mix in with some 3D win animations. The base game plays out in an empty candle-lit salon. There are food and drinks laid out on lonesome tables and a board full of wanted posters in the background. The reel-grid spins inside a wooden rope-tied frame, with a horseshoe on its right side and the game’s logo in the middle. Once you enter the Free Spins Bonus Round, this scenery changes. The reel-grid moves to the desolate city street where the wind makes the dirt dance.

The Cowboys Gold soundtrack is pretty standard, as Pragmatic has chosen to pack it with yee-haws and gunshot effects layered on top of generic western music. It is not very inspiring, but it does its job.

The button configuration is the standard transparent one that Pragmatic Play now uses for all of its releases. You have your large spin button on the right side of your screen and the auto-spin below it, with the bet-adjusters by their sides. The settings, mute, and info buttons are on your left side, and the winning info is in the middle.

Specs & Gameplay

Cowboys Gold is a five-reel, three-row slot with ten paylines. It features a default RTP of 96.5%, which is slightly above the industry standard and is a medium to high variance game. It features a max exposure of x6,065 your stake and accepts bet sizes that range from a penny to $100. Other Pragmatic titles provide higher max wins, but this number isn’t too shabby. Winning combos here form when you land three to five symbols on adjacent reels left to right. The base gameplay is as simple as can be.

The low-paying symbols in this game are J-A royals. These pay x2.5 to x5 for five-of-a-kind. They get followed by a set of seven cowboy symbols, which can connect and form winning combos between each other. Hitting five cowboys on the grid will get you a prize that is x10 your wager. The high-paying symbols in this game are spurs, a whisky bottle, a revolver, and a horseshoe. The latter is the most valuable token in Cowboys Gold, and for five horseshoes on the grid, you win a prize that is x75 your bet. What is unique about this symbol is that, unlike the rest, even hitting two adjacent horseshoes on the grid provides a win (x0.5).

The skull cowboy is the Scatter, and the sheriff’s badge is the Wild. A masked bandit is the Renegade symbol, only appearing on reel number five. He can substitute the skull cowboy and is essential in the Money Collect feature.

Bonus Features

Cowboys Gold has two bonus features. The first is the Money Collect one, and the second is the Free Spins Bonus Round. The Money Collect feature works in such a way that when one of the seven cowboy symbols lands on the reels, it may feature a multiplier that falls in the range between x1 to x100. If these cowboys with their accompanying multipliers fall on the same spin as the Renegade, he will collect their values and payout your win. You may remember this feature if you have ever spun the reels of Mustang Gold.

If you hit three Scatters on the grid, you enter the Free Spins Bonus Round and get ten complimentary reel rotations. Alternatively, you can activate this mode by landing any number of Scatters, plus the masked Renegade. You can re-activate this mode up to three times by hitting the previously mentioned symbol combos. Every re-trigger adds five more free spins and increases a multiplier for the Money Collect feature. Thus, the maximum complimentary spins you can get in this game is twenty-five, and on the third mode reactivation, the Money Collect multiplier grows to x5. There’s a multiplier meter in the top right of the reel grid that monitors your progress.

GOSU Verdict

Solid is the word to describe this game. Nothing more, nothing less. However, it cannot compete with Money Train 2, Tombstone, or any other top western-themed title. In essence, this is an underwhelming clone of Mustang Gold. That said, it is decent enough and features a slightly above average max exposure when compared to other Pragmatic Play games. If you are into unique gameplay or something fresh, stay away from this slot. Yet, if you are bored with all the other Wild West titles, and want a change of pace, devote a gaming session to Cowboys Gold. It is worth that much.

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