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Wanted Dead or a Wild Review
Wanted Dead or a Wild is easily one of Hacksaw Gaming’s most popular titles ever. It’s set in the world of cowboys and outlaws, and feels a bit darker than many slots you’ll find in this style (although it’s not as dark as some of Nolimit City’s Wild West-themed games).
It’s always great when a developer can incorporate the theme into the game’s mechanics in a meaningful way, and Hacksaw did just that with the VS symbols (they went on to feature in Duel at Dawn too). When a VS symbol lands it can expand to cover the entire reel, and two outlaws fight it out in a gun battle to decide which multiplier applies. Yes, these symbols work as both Wilds and multipliers, and are just one neat feature in a game that’s full of them.
We say that because there are 3 bonus games available too, and each is fun to play. 1 on its own would have made an interesting slot, but having all 3 is amazing!
As for the main gameplay, there are 10 base symbols and landing 3 or more on traditional paylines will create a win. Wilds and the aforementioned VS symbols come into play to help you out, and each of the bonus features has its own bonus symbol, so landing 3 will take you to the feature in question. Or you can buy into each for varying prices.
Pros
- 3 excellent bonus features make this an all-time great slot
- The theme and mechanics are intertwined really well
- A solid RTP and max win value
Cons
- It can take a while to spin into the bonuses, so you’ll likely find yourself buying in
- Very high volatility, so not for everyone
Gameplay
How To Play
- Choose your bet size and start spinning.
- There are 15 traditional paylines to land on with 3 or more of the base symbols.
- 2 types of Wild help you complete paylines. The first is a standard one that occupies 1 square. The second is an expanding Wild AKA VS symbol, which (if it can help form a payline) will expand to cover the whole reel and receive a random multiplier.
- There are 3 types of bonus game, and each has its own Scatter symbol which can land in the base game. You need to land 3 of the same Scatter to enter that bonus round.
- In Duel at Dawn you get 10 free spins and a higher frequency of VS symbols.
- In Dead Man’s Hand there’s a minigame where you receive a random amount of Wilds and multipliers to take into the main game. In the main game you get 3 free spins. On every spin, all the Wilds will land in random places and any wins will receive the multiplier.
- In The Great Train Robbery, you have 10 free spins and Wilds are sticky, so any that land remain on the grid until the end of the feature.
- You can buy into any of the three bonus rounds.
Bonus Symbols
- Wild symbol: This substitutes for all symbols except the Bonus symbols and VS symbols. Lands randomly and getting 5 will pay 20x your current wager.
- VS symbol: This symbol lands randomly and multiple of them can land at once. Each VS symbol will expand if at least 1 will form part of a win once expanded. It will cover the entire reel and display 2 outlaws in a gun fight, each with a multiplier; the multiplier of the winner will take effect, along with the whole reel now being wild. More than 1 VS symbol in a payline means the values are added together to form the final multiplier.
- Duel at Dawn Scatter symbol: 3 of these in the base game takes you to the Duel at Dawn bonus feature.
- Dead Man’s Hand Scatter symbol: 3 of these in the base game takes you to the Dead Man’s Hand bonus feature.
- The Great Train Robbery Scatter symbol: 3 of these in the base game takes you to The Great Train Robbery bonus feature.
Bonus Features
- Free spins: There are 3 types of bonus feature in this game and they all take place on a 5 x 5 grid.
- Duel at Dawn: 10 free spins with a higher frequency of VS symbols.
- Dead Man’s Hand: Things start with a minigame which decides how many Wilds you’ll get and what your multiplier will be for the main feature. Spins take place and Wilds and Multiplier symbols land on the grid, the totals of each being recorded above the grid. This minigame continues until you get 3 spins in a row where nothing lands; every time at least one symbol lands, the 3 spins reset. Then you go into the main feature which has 3 free spins. On every spin, all the Wilds you built up will land in random places on the grid and any wins will receive the multiplier you built up.
- The Great Train Robbery: 10 free spins and Wilds are sticky, so any that land remain on the grid until the end of the feature.
- Buy the bonus: You can buy Duel at Dawn for 200x your current wager. You can buy Dead Man’s Hand for 400x your current wager. You can buy The Great Train Robbery for 80x your current wager.
- Max win: 12,500x.
- Hit frequency: 1 in 5.81 spins.
SweepsPlays Verdict
- With 3 distinct bonus games available, you’ll likely find the one that you prefer and hammer it with bonus buys – it is difficult to spin in naturally.
- Duel at Dawn is a particularly popular one, as many players like to hunt for the elusive full screen of VS symbols.
- Dead Man’s Hand can go either way, and getting a great setup in the minigame is obviously a prerequisite to doing well.
- The Great Train Robbery is the most standard of the 3, but still a lot of fun with the sticky Wilds.
- With a solid theme and music, this whole game is just an outstanding package. You must try it if you haven’t already!
