Wanted Dead or A Wild

While Western titles aren't exactly uncommon, the Wanted Dead or A Wild slot offers a more horror-themed feel. The setting for this release is in the middle of a desert, with the moon illuminating a group of trees in a crimson colour. As for the audio, an upbeat backing track plays throughout the base game and bonus modes, alongside a selection of sound effects for different combinations. 

This online slot was created by Hacksaw Gaming, a reputable provider that has been in the industry since 2018. Although they are relatively new to the market, the team at Hacksaw has made waves with innovative titles. Some of their previous releases include Book of Time, Buffalo Stack 'n' Sync, and Mines Dare2Win.

The standard symbols in Wanted Dead or A Wild consist of the 10, J, Q, K, and A symbols that many punters will already be familiar with. Up next are the premiums, shown as a skull, a masked bandit, a money bag, a bottle of whiskey, and the chamber of a revolver. Should five of these form a matching combination, players will be awarded with 5x, 5x, 10x, 10x, or 20x their stake size, in that order. 

As for special symbols, there is a lot to discuss. Wild icons are first up, and like in many other slots, these can replace any standard or premium symbol to form a combination. Wanted Dead or A Wild also comes with four scatter icons, shown as the words 'The Great Train Robbery', 'Duel', 'Dead', and 'VS'. Finally, there is a multiplier symbol, displayed simply as a plus sign.  

The first bonus feature in Wanted Dead or A Wild is known as 'VS'. Should one or more of these symbols land, they will fully expand to fill the reel and become wild, if a matching combination is possible. Two cowboys will then appear, one on either side of the stacked icon. Each cowboy will display a multiplier, anywhere from 2x to 100x, before a showdown between the two begins. The multiplier associated with the winning cowboy will then be applied to any potential winnings. If multiple VS symbols appear during a single spin, the values will be added together before being applied. 

Landing three or more 'Duel' scatter icons will trigger the Duel at Dawn bonus. Players start this mode with ten free spins, and more 'VS' symbols will appear across each of the reels. Apart from this, the Duel at Dawn bonus plays just like the base game. 

Next up is the Dead Man's Hand bonus, which can be triggered if three or more 'Dead' scatter icons appear simultaneously. Players will be taken to a new board that revolves around a respins mechanic. Three lives will be awarded, and during the first part of this bonus, only wilds and multipliers can drop. Should this happen, they will be added to the tally at the top of the screen, and the number of spins will be reset to three. This will continue until the spin count reaches 0. 

A maximum of 20 wilds can be collected, with the multiplier being capped at 31x. 

Players will then be taken to a regular board, where they will receive a total of 3 spins. The number of collected wilds will be added in random positions for every spin. Of course, the multipliers will also be applied to any potential winnings during this round. 

Last but not least is The Great Train Robbery bonus. This mode can be triggered if three or more corresponding scatter icons appear, awarding players with ten free spins. Again, the gameplay is very similar to the base game. However, any wild symbols that appear will lock in place until the end of the round. 

To wrap up this review, Wanted Dead or A Wild is a game that incorporates a unique twist on an already popular theme. Many different bonus modes can also be found in this slot, all of which are represented by their own scatter symbol!