An electronic gaming machine (EGM) may present first visual effects on a display system, including game play items, corresponding to one or more instances of a base game and determining instances of game play items that correspond to feature credits towards an automatic award of a feature comprising one or more bonus games. The EGM may present second visual effects corresponding to an accumulation of feature credits towards the automatic award of the feature, receive an indication of a player's initiation of an attempt to trigger an award of the feature, at a time during which less than a number of feature credits necessary for an automatic award of the feature has been accumulated, determine whether an award of the feature will be triggered and control the display system to present third visual effects corresponding to whether an award of the feature has been triggered.