Before modern games were designed to give us a carefully calibrated dopamine hit, 90s kids had Minesweeper: a grey Windows grid that looked like office software and played like a bomb-disposal exam designed by a vindictive accountant. Nobody understood the rules, nobody read the help menu, and every game ended with one reckless click detonating half the screen while that smug little yellow face judged your incompetence.

While Minesweeper continues to lurk on Windows computers everywhere, casino game developers have taken its simple risk-versus-reward formula to the next level. Shiny Crystals is Amusnet’s latest attempt to give the classic concept a shinier look and slicker gameplay.

Don’t step on a mine

The game is played on a 5×5 grid with 25 possible positions. Before each round, you can choose how many mines to place on the board, from one to 24. The more mines you place on the board, the higher the multiplier awarded for each crystal.

Bets range from $0.10 to $10 per round. With a maximum multiplier of 25,000x, the top bet gives you a shot at winning up to $250,000. Shiny Crystals features very high volatility and an expected RTP of 96%.

Play Now

Once you click the play button, you will start to uncover the crystals while attempting to avoid the mines. Your win multiplier increases with every crystal you find, but hitting a mine means losing everything. You can cash out at any time.

When selecting a position, you will be given the choice to either reveal or defuse it. The game’s Defuse Engine will show the probability of the position containing a mine or a crystal. Defusing a position allows you to avoid revealing the tile, but you will need to pay a fee.

You can also turn this feature off. With the Defuse Engine disabled, each click will immediately reveal the selected position without the possibility of paying a defuse fee.

Play Now

At the beginning of each round, you will have ten seconds to find three crystals and trigger the Crystal Rush feature. If you succeed, the rate at which your win multiplier increases with each crystal will be boosted.

Once Crystal Rush is triggered, another ten-second timer will begin. The timer resets each time you successfully uncover a crystal. If it reaches zero, the Crystal Rush feature comes to an end.

Is the Shiny Crystals game the logical evolution of Minesweeper?

Pretty much. Shiny Crystals keeps the simple tension that made Minesweeper so great, then adds money, multipliers, timers, and a feature that charges you for being scared of your own click. It is faster, flashier, and far more lucrative than the Windows original. The basic lesson remains unchanged: sooner or later, confidence turns into one spectacular explosion. I give this one an eight out of ten.

If you’re looking for a few other Minesweeper-inspired casino games, you can try Mines or Minesweeper.