The bonus features are definitely the highlight of the Wanted Dead or a Wild slot. There are three of them plus one base game special symbol. I’ll introduce them below:
Wanted Dead or a Wild
Wanted Dead or a Wild Slot Review
| Wanted Dead or a Wild | |
|---|---|
| Launched in | 2021 |
| Developer | Hacksaw Gaming |
| Theme | Wild West |
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 5 |
| Bet Levels | 0.20 - 100 |
| Max Win/Jackpot | x12,500 |
| RTP | 96.38% (Varies for bonus features) |
| Volatility | High |
| Bonus Features | The Great Train Robbery, Duel at Dawn, Dead Man’s Hand, Expanding Wilds, Multiplier Wilds, Bonus Buy |
| Availability | Stake.us, MyPrize.us, High 5 |
| Similar Games | Duel at Dawn, 2 Wild 2 Die, Pickle Bandits, Dead or Alive, The Dog House Dog Or Alive |
From the stables of Hacksaw Gaming comes this highly volatile Wild West slot packed heavy with Wilds. Released in 2021, Wanted Dead or a Wild has a standard RTP of 96.38% but varies during the bonus features. There are three different bonus games here – The Great Train Robbery, Duel at Dawn, Dead Man’s Hand – each one more volatile than the other, and all offering free spins with Wilds or multipliers. The best part is that you’re always in the company of Wilds in the base game, making it so that whether in the bonus rounds or during regular spins, you can hit the max win of x12,500.
Try this slot right away at one of the Wanted Dead or a Wild casinos below. Or keep reading to learn more about the gameplay and features.
Pros
- Bonus rounds with free spins, Wilds, and multipliers
- RTP is above industry standard
- Quality visuals, especially on mobile devices
- Wilds land very often during gameplay
Cons
- Plenty dry spells during the base game
- Only 15 paylines
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About Wanted Dead or a Wild: Game Overview
Wanted Dead or a Wild is one of the most popular Hacksaw Gaming slots. One could argue that this game put the provider in the iGaming map. Wanted Dead or a Wild gained its popularity for features like sticky Wilds, expanding multipliers, and the use of comic book-inspired art in a dark, gritty aesthetic – things I’ve come to realize are characteristic of the developer. Part of the reason why this slot quickly gained acclaim was its similarity to Dead or Alive 2, another popular slot by renowned software provider NetEnt. Both these games are Wild West themed, but Hacksaw’s is a bit more intense visually and soundwise.
Wanted Dead or a Wild plays on a 5×5 grid with 15 paylines and uses the standard payout mechanism of 3 or more of a kind, starting from the leftmost reel. There are no cascading reels, cluster pays, nudging reels or other base game modifiers, which gives the impression of being a straightforward game – and it is. The focus is more on the Wilds and bonus features, which take up a life of their own when they activate.
I’m not a fan of RTP ranges in slots and the bonus rounds in this game offer a mix of different payout percentages. Fortunately, all RTPs are above the standard of 96% for mobile casino games. Volatility differs for these features as well. But generally, I’ll describe this as having a volatility level of 4 out of 5, which is high variance. Don’t expect winning symbols to land regularly, but you can hope for big wins.
The max win of x12,500 is pretty realistic in my opinion, since some slots with high-octane bonus features can sometimes promise massive payouts that no one ever wins. The max win is attainable both in the main game and bonus rounds, which isn’t something many slots offer. On the other hand, the bet range of 0.20 to 100 is business as usual. Following the success of this slot, Hacksaw has dabbled some more into the Wild West theme with the release of 2 Wild 2 Die and the spinoff Duel at Dawn slot, both of which double down on gunslinging action.
Wanted Dead or a Wild Slot Information
The grid structure on Wanted Dead or a Wild is made up of 5 reels and 5 rows. Again, there’s a simple pay mechanism that comprises just 15 fixed paylines. The controls on this game include up and down arrows for setting your bet per spin. Autoplay is available, up to 1,000 spins. There are advanced settings, too, if you’d like to indicate a loss limit, win limit, or stop the turns when a feature activates. The turbo and super turbo modes are pretty essential during the base game here since not much is happening unless VS symbols come into place.
The Wanted Dead or a Wild symbols are thematic. There’s a goat skull, bandit, money bag, liquor bottle, and gun chamber. Those are the premium symbols. The low payers are card symbols – 10, J, Q, K, A – all stylized in retro western font. There’s also a Wild symbol and a VS symbol, which acts like an expanding Wild. Finally, there are the three different scatters that trigger the three bonus features.
The gun chamber is the best payer, offering 20x your bet for 5 of a kind. All card symbols are worth the same: up to 1x your stake for 5 on a payline. Technically, the Wild is also a top payer since 5 of those on a line will also reward 20x your stake. You won’t get any instant credit payout with 4 or less, but they’ll help you complete winning combinations for regular symbols. In this particular slot, the Wild is the most important symbol to watch out for.
Wanted Dead or a Wild Slot Features
VS Symbol
Besides the regular Wild symbol, the VS symbol can expand and turn a reel Wild. This symbol will only expand if it can help form a winning combination, otherwise it remains inactive. When it does enlarge, there’s a quick animated shootout between two outlaws possessing different multipliers (between 2x and 100x). The surviving outlaw’s multiplier will then apply to all wins. This is the only base game feature in this slot, and it appears only in the base game and in the Duel at Dawn feature.
The Great Train Robbery
Whenever three Train Robbery symbols land on the reels, this feature activates. It’s the simplest of the three bonus games on this slot and involves 10 free spins with sticky Wilds. So usually, by the tenth spin, the grid is occupied almost entirely by Wilds. The return to player here is 96.27%, and there’s medium volatility which permits more frequent winning combinations.
Duel at Dawn
This is a bonus round designed to maximize the VS symbol. Essentially, you get 10 free spins, during which VS symbols will land almost every time. You’ll often get multiple of this special Wild on a spin, in which case the multipliers will be added before being applied to your winnings. This increases your winnings significantly. Duel at Dawn is the most volatile of the three bonus features and comes with a 96.33% RTP. To trigger the feature, you need to land three Duel at Dawn scatters on a base game spin.
Dead Man’s Hand
Unlike the others, Dead’s Man’s Hand is a two-part bonus feature. It activates when a trio of Dead scatter symbols land on the reels and has a collect phase and a showdown phase. The collect phase comprises a Respins mini game, during which any Wilds and multipliers that land on the grid are collected, and values are displayed at the top left and right of the reels.
If, at any time, you go through 3 respins without landing a Wild or multiplier, the phase ends abruptly. You’ll then enter the showdown phase, where you get three spins. All the collected Wilds and multipliers from earlier will apply to this phase. I found this to be a more complex feature than the others, but it also pays better because of the combination of Wilds and multipliers. It’s also got a higher RTP of 96.43% and high volatility.
Bonus Buy
The Buy Bonus feature is typical of Hacksaw Gaming, and on the Wanted Dead or a Wild slot, you can buy into any of the three bonus rounds. Naturally, the amount you need to shell out depends on your bet per spin. I advise using a small bet since these bonus features tend to pay well. The Great Train Robbery is the cheapest to buy into, while Dead Man’s Hand is the most expensive. At a 1 SC bet, the latter costs 400 SC.
- The Great Train Robbery Bonus Buy – 80x
- Duel at Dawn Bonus Buy – 200x
- Dead Man’s Hand Bonus buy – 400x
Game Specs: RTP & Volatility
The 96.38% return to player on Wanted Dead or a Wild has been determined after 10 Billion spins. Testing on such a large number of spins greatly increases the accuracy, which is one of the things I love about this developer. Volatility is more of a short-term depiction of how the game pays. And this game’s high volatility means you won’t get winning combinations regularly, but they may deliver massive wins when they land.
200 Spins Test of Wanted Dead or a Wild
Testing out the game is my favorite part of slot reviews. Here’s how I ended up with 1,800 SC in profits after 200 spins at my favorite sweeps casino, Stake.us.
My usual gameplay strategy is to use different bet amounts during the game session, and I started with 1 SC bet over the first 75 spins and 2 SC over another 75 spins. I set a 5 SC for another 25 spins and 10 SC for the final 25. This is a pretty high variance slot, so winning combinations were few and far between, averaging about 5 to 6 per 25 spins. One thing I noticed was that Wilds landed frequently in the base game, and contributed to most of the base game wins I got.
Fortunately, I landed two out of three bonus features. First was The Great Train Robbery which triggered pretty early on and won me 138 SC thanks to its sticky Wilds. The Duel at Dawn feature triggered in the final 25 spins. I was using 10 SC at this point, and this raked in 1,019 SC in winnings.
Since I didn’t trigger the third bonus feature, Dead Man’s Hand, I decided to take advantage of the buy bonus feature. Resetting to a 1 SC bet per spin, this feature cost me 400 SC. It was worth it because I collected 16 Wilds and 9x multipliers, which were fixed on the grid during the showdown part of the bonus. This is definitely the most generous feature, and I believe this is why it’s hard to come by. I gathered up a whopping 1,692 SC at the end of the round. That’s how I went from a starting bankroll of 5,000 coins to 6,800 coins at the end of the session.
Our Experts Verdict and Ratings
This game is one of the earlier releases that brought this developer into the limelight and solidified their place as a quality casino slot provider. From the visuals to the soundtrack and the array of features, Wanted Dead or a Wild is one of the best slots in the Wild West theme. I may be calling upon the ire of DOA2 fans, but I think this one is better and has more engaging features.
The base game can be a bit unfilling because of the high volatility and the fact that (except the VS symbol) there aren’t any base game features or modifiers. Fortunately, the bonus rounds are high in action, and if you don’t trigger them regularly, you can always buy into them. This costs a bit, but there’s a good chance you’ll make up for it since all three bonuses were really generous when I tried them.
| Wanted Dead or a Wild | Rankings | Our Thoughts |
|---|---|---|
| Theme | 95% | Fan-favorite theme, well depicted in the visuals, symbols, and music. The intense atmosphere makes it feel all the more immersive. |
| Gameplay | 80% | Simple game with straightforward controls. The base game may seem too bland for some. |
| Metrics | 90% | Above standard RTP both in main game and bonus rounds. I’m a fan of high volatility and realistic max wins. |
| Bonus Features | 90% | I loved the combination of free spins, Wilds, and multipliers. |
| Mobile Compatibility | 95% | Hacksaw Gaming slots typically look best on mobile devices |
FAQs
What are some other games like Wanted Dead or a Wild that I can try?
If you enjoy this game, you’ll also love Duel at Dawn and 2 Wild 2 Die. The former is a spin off that focuses on the VS symbols present in this game.
What’s the RTP rate on Wanted Dead or a Wild?
This game has a 96.38% RTP. That’s the standard value, but it fluctuates between 96.27% and 96.43% for the bonus features.
Are there any free spins bonus rounds on Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Yes, all three bonus features in this slot offer free spins. Dead Man’s Hand offers an additional 3 free spins during the showdown phase.
Is Wanted Dead or a Wild a mobile slot?
Yes, Wanted Dead or a Wild is a mobile slot that you can play on your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet.
What’s the max win available on Wanted Dead or a Wild slot?
The max win on Wanted Dead or a Wild is 12,500x your stake. It’s possible to achieve the maximum win both in the base game and bonus features.
Author: Jon Ridehalgh
Updated:
Jon has been playing slots for 20+ years, he’s seen all of the trends from classic fruit machines to Megaways to tumbling reels to Hold & Win. Jon has spent extensive time working in the slot industry and uses his expert knowledge to produce engaging and highly informative reviews. He is also a sweepstakes casino bonus guru, and if you follow his tips, you’ll have more free sweeps coins than you’ll know what to do with!
Jon has been playing slots for 20+ years, he’s seen all of the trends from classic fruit machines to Megaways to tumbling reels to Hold & Win. Jon has spent extensive time working in the slot industry and uses his expert knowledge to produce engaging and highly informative reviews. He is also a sweepstakes casino bonus guru, and if you follow his tips, you’ll have more free sweeps coins than you’ll know what to do with!
