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6 February 2024 
Saddle up and load your six shooters. It’s high noon in The Wild West and NetEnt are back with Dead or Alive 2 Slot, an explosive sequel so volatile it’ll leave you shaking in your boots.
NetEnt released the original Dead or Alive title in 2009, which was instantly a massive hit amongst players everywhere. Sitting atop a pedestal in all its majesty, it will be revered by many as legend for a long time to come yet.
NetEnt have said themselves that players have been asking for a sequel, and they’ve listened, but the game certainly has big boots to fill.
Will you join the ranks of cowboy legend worthy of the sought-after Wild Line, or fade into irrelevance? Who among you dare to bust through the doors of the saloon to go toe to toe in a standoff with this game?
Fan the Hammer
NetEnt have pulled out all the stops and the visuals are a lot more in depth than its predecessor. In the background you’ll see a dusty, classic desert town, completely devoid of all it’s residents. Could it be that none dare to stand in the firing line?
Audio conveys a dramatic setting. The game utilises the subtle, but ominous sounds of church bells, western music and the gentle whistle of the breeze. The reels when spun sound out the oddly satisfying loading of a gun, spinning of a barrel and a gunshot, if you win.
Dead or Alive II is a 5-reel, 3-row game working on 9 fixed pay lines with 1 or 2 bet levels and different coin values. Bet level and coin value can be modified individually to give players the option to bet with a minimum 0.09 or maximum 9.00.
The symbols in the game compose of 5 high paying symbols, and your classic A, K, Q, J,10 representing low paying ones.
The game also features the return of our favourite no good outlaws; Apache, Belle, Jesse James, Della and Billy the Kid. The famous 5 will work as Wilds in the game, and substitute all but scatter symbols.
The Base Game
The base game doesn’t really have any of the quirky features that you might see from other games, but can be decent in its own right. The potential here comes from the Wilds.
Wild symbol substitution will pay the highest possible winning combination on a bet line according to the paytable, but 3 or more wilds on a payline also have their own value.
3 will award you 25 coins, 4 will land you a respectable 150, and 5 will pay a colossal 1500, dependant on bet level.
Scatter symbols also pay in this game, which is always a nice feature. 2 may not land you the bonus, but will pay. 2, 3, 4, and 5 scatters will pay 2, 4, 25, and a massive 2500 coins respectively, dependant on bet level.
Train Heist, Old Saloon and High Noon Free Spins
Scatters pay, so don’t expect any additional spins going into the bonus round if you land more than 3. For each of the free games, an initial 12 spins are awarded. The choice of 3 kinds of bonus are available, all of which vary in volatility.
Train Heist Free Spins
stands as the least volatile of the bunch. In this bonus, a multiplier, starting at 1x is present, and whenever a Wild symbol lands anywhere on the reels, the multiplier will increase by 1.
The multiplier in this mode will go up after the win evaluation and will be applied to the subsequent spin. To gain additional spins in this mode you will need to reach a multiplier of x16, where 5 additional spins will be awarded.
An additional 1 spin will be given for any wild symbols that land on the reel after the x16 multiplier is obtained. This bonus is a safer option for those looking for a little profit, a quick heist if you will, but definitely has the potential for some big wins.
Old Saloon Free Spins
is another bonus to consider, more volatile than the last. All wins in the Old Saloon are multiplied by 2, and wilds become sticky which means they will hold their position on the reel they land on for the duration of the bonus.
During free spins, one or more Sticky Wild appearing on each of the reels will activate 5 extra spins. A slightly riskier option than the Train Heist Free spins, but fortune favours the bold and those who pick this one may find that lady luck has smiled upon them.
You can expect considerably bigger wins on this bonus, if you’re blessed with such luck.
High Noon Saloon
isn’t for the faint of heart, and will cater to the bravest among you hoping to line your pockets with riches that every cowboy can only dream of with its eye-watering volatility.
The game also features sticky wilds during free spins. Whenever 2 Wild Symbols land on the same reel they will be transformed into Double Multiplier Wild symbols.
When 3 land on the same reel, then they will transform into Triple Multiplier Wilds.
The game will also pay out any calculated wins after the symbol transforms, so wins will be calculated off of the newly upgraded symbol. If wins occur across several multiplier Wilds, then each of the multipliers will be applied to the win.
Like the Old Saloon spins, a wild will need to cover each of the reels before the player is awarded 5 extra spins.
Those of you who pick this bonus certainly favour yourself as the toughest renegade ever to grace the wild west. Either that or you’ve had one too many whiskies at the saloon.
The volatility of this one can make or break you. You’ve been warned. NetEnt aren’t liable for any emotional distress and subsequent insomnia that might arise from a bad High Noon bonus.
Watch one of our biggest ever wins playing Dead or Alive II on stream
Our Verdict
What a game, and what an improvement from the original Dead or Alive that we all hold so dear. Dead or Alive II is a worthy sequel and superior successor with massive potential from all avenues.
The base game lacks features, so players will be wanting of a bonus here as they chase them massive hits.
That being said, the base game is generous in the sense that Wilds and Scatters also hold their own value, which will be a nice top up to your balance, and maybe even a considerable win.
The bonus is where this game really shines, and the amount of thought from NetEnd to make them unique in their own way, and with varying levels of volatility shows that they really went into a lot of depth to give fans of the original, the sequel they so desperately desired.
The different choices will make you want to come back and try them all as you ride horseback with Apache and+ the crew in search of the treasure of all treasures, the Wild line.
Welcome Bonus
