I've been hunting relics with Penguin King for the past week, and 5 Golden Relics: Hold & Win surprised me. This isn't just another Hold & Win clone with a fresh coat of paint. The dual feature system (Free Spins plus Hold & Win) combined with five different special coin mechanics creates genuine variety. Let me walk you through what actually happened during my sessions.

Game Overview

Provider: Penguin King
Grid: 5x4
Max Win: 5,110x
Key Features: Free Spins with sticky expanding wild multiplier, Hold & Win with 5 relic powers, 4 jackpots up to 2,500x, special coin mechanics

First Impressions for 5 Golden Relics: Hold & Win

5 Golden Relics loads into an ancient temple setting. Five mystical relics float above the reels (Collect, Double, Restart, Mega, Mystery), each glowing and animated. The aesthetic hits that Indiana Jones treasure hunt vibe without going overboard.

The 5x4 grid gives you more screen real estate than standard slots. Symbols include typical card ranks plus themed artifacts and relics. The production quality is clean, though not particularly memorable. You've seen this temple theme a hundred times before, but at least it's well executed.

I appreciated that the game clearly shows what each relic does. No hunting through paytables to understand mechanics.

Base Game Experience

Standard wins pay left to right across defined paylines. Wild symbols substitute for regular pays. Golden Coins show values of 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x your stake but only matter during Hold & Win features.

I started my first session with €100 at €0.50 per spin. The base game felt pretty standard for the first 70 spins. Regular symbol wins trickled in, keeping my balance relatively stable. Nothing exciting, just grinding toward features.

What makes the base game different is watching those relics above the reels. Every time a special coin lands, the corresponding relic collects it with a satisfying animation and sound effect. This visual feedback keeps you engaged even during dead stretches.

Around spin 85, I hit my first significant base game win. A full screen of matching symbols paid 45x. Solid, but you're not playing this slot for base game action.

Free Spins Feature

Landing three scatter symbols (only on reels 2, 3, and 4) triggers 5 Free Spins. During the feature, a full-reel wild locks onto the middle reel with a multiplier that starts at x1 and grows by +1 every spin, maxing at x10.

Landing two scatters during Free Spins adds 5 more spins. Golden Coins and Special Coins can't appear during this feature, so you're focused purely on symbol wins multiplied by that growing wild.

My Free Spins experiences:

I triggered this feature twice in about 350 base game spins.

First trigger (spin 125): Started with 5 spins and the x1 wild multiplier. First couple spins paid modestly (8x, 12x). By spin 4, the multiplier reached x4 and a decent symbol combination hit, paying 65x. Spin 5 at x5 multiplier paid 40x. Total feature paid 180x. Nice, but not spectacular.

Second trigger (spin 290): Got lucky and retriggered once, extending to 10 total spins. The multiplier climbed all the way to x10 by the final spin. Multiple wins landed at higher multipliers. Spin 8 paid 95x at x8 multiplier. Final spin at x10 hit a premium symbol line for 180x. Total feature paid 520x. This felt great.

The growing multiplier mechanic creates natural escalation. Early spins feel weak, but tension builds as that multiplier climbs. When you retrigger and push toward x10, wins can get substantial.

Hold & Win Feature: Where It Gets Interesting

This is the real star. Hold & Win triggers when six or more coin symbols land in one spin, or when any of the five relics randomly activate and add symbols to trigger it.

You start with 3 respins. Every new symbol that lands resets respins back to 3. Only Golden Coins, Special Coins, and empty positions appear during the feature.

Here's what makes this different: five types of Special Coin symbols, each tied to a relic above the reels.

The Five Special Coins:

  • Collect: Grabs all cash prize values currently locked on the grid when it lands.
  • Double: Doubles every cash prize on the grid (except jackpot symbols), then receives its own cash value.
  • Restart: At the end of the feature, triggers another complete Hold & Win round. Both rounds' wins combine.
  • Mega: Becomes a 2x2 symbol worth 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, or 50x. If it covers another symbol, prizes add together.
  • Mystery: Awards one of four jackpots (Mini 25x, Minor 50x, Major 250x, Grand 2,500x).

Each Special Coin can only land once per bonus round. If you get Restart, you play another full round afterward.

My Hold & Win Sessions

I triggered Hold & Win five times during testing. Results varied wildly.

  • First trigger (spin 95): Basic round. Maybe 8 symbols total landed, including one Collect coin that grabbed everything at the end. Paid 85x. Forgettable.
  • Second trigger (spin 180): Double symbol landed early, doubling all values. Then Collect grabbed everything. Grid filled decently. Paid 340x. Solid.
  • Third trigger (spin 265): Disaster. Barely any new symbols landed during respins. Feature ended quickly with maybe 6 total symbols. Paid 45x. Painful after the 85-spin wait.
  • Fourth trigger (spin 380): This was special. Mega symbol landed (2x2 worth 50x). Then Double landed, doubling everything including the Mega. Grid continued filling. Collect symbol appeared toward the end. Final grid was maybe 70% full. Total payout was 1,180x. My biggest win during testing.
  • Fifth trigger (spin 485): Restart symbol landed mid-feature. First round paid 120x. Second round after restart filled better, paid 280x. Combined payout was 400x.

The special coin variety creates genuine excitement. You're not just watching numbers add up like standard Hold & Win games. Each special coin changes the dynamics completely.

The Relic Activation System

Above the reels, five relics collect coins as special symbols land. When enough coins fill a relic (purely visual, doesn't affect actual odds), there's a chance it activates and triggers Hold & Win with that relic's special coin guaranteed.

This is mostly cosmetic. The visual effects look cool but don't influence actual trigger probability. Still, it adds thematic flavor and gives you something to watch during base game grinding.

Jackpot Reality Check

The four jackpots (Mini 25x, Minor 50x, Major 250x, Grand 2,500x) only come from Mystery Special Coins during Hold & Win.

I never hit Mystery during my testing. The fact that each Special Coin can only land once per feature means you're not guaranteed to see Mystery every time. You could play dozens of Hold & Win rounds without ever accessing jackpot potential.

The 2,500x Grand jackpot represents about half the game's 5,110x maximum win. Theoretically, you could hit Grand multiple times across retriggered Hold & Win rounds to approach that ceiling. But let's be realistic about how rare that would be.

The 5,110x Max Win

A 5,110x ceiling feels appropriate for this volatility level. It's not the massive potential you'd find in extreme variance slots, but it's respectable for a medium-high volatility game.

The dual feature system (Free Spins plus Hold & Win) spreads win potential across two different mechanics. You're not putting all your eggs in one bonus basket.

Volatility and Bankroll Management

Volatility isn't specified but feels medium-high based on my sessions. Not brutal, but expect 100+ spin gaps between features.

Bring at least 250x your bet size. I'd recommend 300x for comfort. Features don't trigger constantly, and you need runway between bonuses.

Lower stakes extend playtime. At €0.20 to €0.50, you can survive dry spells and still have shots at decent multipliers.

Both features can disappoint. Free Spins without retriggers feels weak. Hold & Win rounds that barely fill the grid hurt. Manage expectations.

Graphics and Performance

Visually polished without being spectacular. The relic animations are smooth. Special coin effects during Hold & Win look satisfying. The temple atmosphere works fine.

Sound design is decent. Different audio cues for each special coin landing helps you track what's happening during chaotic Hold & Win moments.

Mobile performance:

  • Tested on iPhone, worked perfectly
  • 5x4 grid displays clearly
  • Special coin mechanics easy to follow
  • No performance issues
  • Battery drain was normal

Who Should Play 5 Golden Relics?

This slot works for:

  • Hold & Win enthusiasts who want variety beyond standard mechanics
  • Players who enjoy dual feature systems
  • Those comfortable with medium-high volatility
  • Fans of 5,000x+ max win potential
  • Mobile players wanting smooth performance

Skip this if:

  • You prefer one focused feature over split systems
  • You want frequent bonus triggers
  • Low volatility is your preference
  • You're hunting 10,000x+ extreme potential
  • Ancient temple themes bore you

Final Verdict

5 Golden Relics: Hold & Win delivers what Penguin King does well while adding meaningful variety through the five special coin mechanics. The dual feature system (Free Spins and Hold & Win) gives you two distinct ways to win big instead of relying on a single bonus type.

When Hold & Win fires with the right special coins in the right order (Double then Collect, or Mega plus Restart), wins can reach impressive levels. The 5,110x max win is achievable without requiring astronomical luck.

But features don't trigger constantly. Expect patience between bonuses. And not every Hold & Win round delivers excitement. Some end quickly with minimal payouts despite the wait.

Pros:

  • Five special coin types create genuine variety in Hold & Win
  • Dual feature system splits win potential across two mechanics
  • Growing multiplier wild in Free Spins builds tension naturally
  • 5,110x max win is respectable for the volatility
  • Restart coin can lead to massive combined payouts
  • Clear visual communication of mechanics

Cons:

  • Features trigger infrequently (100+ spin gaps)
  • Hold & Win rounds can end quickly with poor fills
  • Mystery/jackpots may never appear in some sessions
  • Ancient temple theme feels overdone
  • Special coins limited to one per feature caps potential
  • Medium-high volatility requires patience

My Rating: 3.5/5

5 Golden Relics offers more depth than typical Hold & Win slots through its special coin variety and dual feature approach. When everything aligns (Mega symbols, Doubles, Collects, Restarts), wins can be thrilling.

Would I play it again? Yes, especially compared to simpler Hold & Win games that just lock values and add them up. The five relic powers add enough variety to keep sessions interesting.

If you enjoy Hold & Win mechanics but want more complexity than standard cash collection, this delivers. Just bring patience for the gaps between features and accept that not every bonus will pay well. The relics hold power, but they don't give it up easily.