Wanted Dead or a Wild Slot review
It’s time to saddle up for an exciting Wild West shoot-out in the Wanted Dead or a Wild slot game from Hacksaw Gaming. This dark and atmospheric title takes players deep into the heart of a Western town full of cowboys, sheriffs, drifters, and more. The Western genre is one of the most underutilised by slot developers, with the end product often being something quite memorable. Has Hacksaw Gaming managed to add to that fine tradition and hit its target in Wanted Dead or a Wild? Let’s load our pistols and find out.
Wanted Dead or a Wild Theme and Design
Major credit has to go to Hacksaw Gaming for what is a fantastic design for Wanted Dead or a Wild. The game has a really atmospheric feeling. It takes place on the fringes of a Western Town at nightfall with the sun setting over silhouettes of contorted trees. The art style is really unique, and players of the popular Rockstar gaming franchise, Red Dead Redemption, will see that there are obvious comparisons to be made. The soundtrack for the game feels slightly at odds with the rest of the set-up, with what sounds like a marching drum beating rhythmically over an atmospheric tone/. It’s far from a distraction though, and it certainly doesn’t detract from what is a brilliant design.
How to Play Wanted Dead or a Wild
Entering a twisted Western town can be terrifying. Thankfully, there is nothing frightening about the gameplay for Wanted Dead or a Wild. The slot takes place on a bigger than average 5x5 grid with 15 ways to win on each spin. In our free version, the game can be played in increments between €0.10 and €100. This may vary in different casinos.
As for winning potential, the game has a bounty of up to 12,500x the player’s stake, which is certainly worth sticking around for. The RTP is 96.38%, though this can be increased when using the Buy Bonus feature. This feature allows players to buy their way into the bonus rounds for a predetermined amount. However, this is not available in all territories due to restrictions.
Wanted Dead or a Wild Bonus Features
Hacksaw Gaming has really gone to town with the Western-themed bonuses here, and it helps to make this a thoroughly enjoyable slot. The first bonus players may encounter is the VS symbols. These are expanding symbols. Whenever one of them lands, it will expand and can help to form a winning combination. However, if two of them land, they will expand to fill their respective reels, and a shootout will begin. Both symbols will represent a multiplier of up to x100, and the winning symbol from the duel will pay out its multipliers.
The Duel at Dawn round is a free spins bonus that is triggered by landing three of the Duel Scatter symbols. Players are given 10 spins, and during the round, there is an increased number of VS symbols added to the game grid.
The Great Train Robbery is another free spins round in the game. This one is triggered by landing three of the Scatters displaying its name. During this round, all Wilds become sticky for the duration of the spins. Players are also given 10 spins here.
Finally, there is the Dead Man’s Hand bonus. This is essentially a two-phased re-spin bonus. In the first stage, players are given three re-spins. During these, they must collect Wilds and multipliers. The spin count resets every time players land either of the two. The round finishes when there are three consecutive losing spins. Following this, the second stage called the Showdown, launches. In this, all Wilds are added to the reels, and the collective multiplier gathered will be applied to all wins. Players are once again given three spins.
Wanted Dead or a Wild Slot Verdict
Wanted Dead or a Wild is a brilliant example of how to deliver a Western-themed slot game. Not only does it boast a fantastic theme and overall design, but it comes packed with brilliant bonus features that not only complement the theme, but are also engaging and offer plenty of winning possibilities. Throw in a highly volatile maths model and a 12,500x your stake maximum win, and you’ve got yourself a winner here.