Dead Canary Slot review
Nolimit City has tackled some crazy subjects over the years. Slots like RIP Tombstone and Karen Maneater have highlighted their creative approach to unique themes, and that is on display again with the Dead Canary slot. The game is themed around mining and the tradition of taking canaries down mines to signal any potentially toxic gasses in the air. Seeing a dead canary was a sign that things were going terribly wrong, but quite the opposite is the case here. Let’s grab our pickaxes and helmets and trip down the mine in this Dead Canary slot review.
Dead Canary Theme and Design
From a design perspective, Dead Canary is one of Nolimit City’s tamer efforts. The game grid sits in a mine, with a dark-black wall behind it and an ocean of gold underneath it. It still offers the kind of excellent graphics you would expect from the developer and springs to life throughout with animations, but the theme is not explored in quite the same way it is in the developer’s other titles. The symbols on the reels feature canaries, rats, and then various pieces of mining equipment, with an intense and brooding soundtrack filling the soundscape.
Dead Canary How to Play
Dead Canary has a unique reel set-up that immediately grabs your attention. The slot has six reels, but they are positioned on a tilt. The game starts with a 3-3-2-2-1-1 space unlocked on a 3-4-3-4-3-4 grid. Three of the rows in the games are blocked by barriers. Whenever you land a win, you can unlock one of the rows.
The game has a collapse feature where winning combos are removed, and new ones fall onto the grid. When a sequence finishes, the grid reverts to its original shape. The game starts with 36 ways to win and can have up to 1,728. You can see the number of active ways displayed above the reels.
As with all Nolimit slots, the game has a highly volatile set-up. A maximum win of 65,000x your stake is available, and the RTP is 96.02%. There are versions with smaller RTPs, so be sure to check the paytable.
Dead Canary Bonus Features
Dead Canary explodes into action with an array of bonus features. The first one you will probably encounter is the Wild Mining feature. When three, four, or five of the same symbols align diagonally without making a win, the triggering symbols are removed and one, two, or three Wild Bombs are rewarded, respectively. Wild Bombs explode and increase the win multiplier by one for the next collapse. All other symbols are removed from the grid, with Scatters placed in a new position on the reels.
The other type of bomb in the game is the xBomb Wild Multiplier. These act as normal Wilds and then explode symbols in a cross pattern around them. These also increase the win multiplier by one. All xBombs will explode at the end of a collapse sequence.
Things get complex when it comes to the Canary Free Spins bonus. The round is launched when you land three Gold or Silver Scatters. The spins take place on an enhanced 4-3-4-3-4-3-4 grid. The triggering Scatters are moved to the grid, with each of them given three lives. Silver Scatters can collect special symbols from one position away, while Gold Scatters can collect from their entire row. In the corners of the grid are four locked vaults unlocked by xBomb explosions. These vaults collect anything adjacent to them.
In the round, normal symbols are removed from the reels, and the following modifier symbols are active:
- Coins – These add value to the Scatters.
- Multipliers – These double or triple the value of the Scatter.
- Bombs – These explode and affect everything in an x-shape around them. They remove a life from the Scatters.
- Upgrade – This changes a Scatter from silver to gold.
- Gas – Removes a life from each Scatter.
- Dwarf – Adds life to a Scatter. It is a collection symbol that adds any values other Scatters earn to itself.
- Rat – The same as their draw, only they share their values with other Scatters on the grid.
When a canary runs out of lives, its multipliers are collected. At the end of a round, any unlocked vaults will add their value to the canaries and are paid out.
Depending on your location, you may be able to buy your way into a bonus round. This is not available for players in the UK.
Dead Canary Slot Verdict
When you load up a Nolimit City slot, you expect some high-volatility action with highly complex bonus features and huge winning potential. Dead Canary follows this formula to a tee, delivering a top-quality online slot experience that can land some huge wins once you crack it and enter the bonus rounds.