EN
30 July 2024 
Wanted Dead or a Wild Slot Review 2024
Hacksaw Gaming have been fanning the hammer with their releases this year, and next up is Wanted Dead or a Wild.
Dead or a Wild takes us to what Hacksaw themselves are describing as a ‘rough Western themed game with merciless outlaws, deadly duels and legendary robberies.
If we were the citizens of a western frontier town or a representative for a bank we’d be terrified, but thankfully we’re not, so we’re tremendously excited instead.
If there’s one thing Hacksaw Gaming seems to love it’s their grid slot format, and unsurprisingly Wanted Dead or a Wild follows the same trend as Hacksaw Gaming slots that came before it. The similarities look to end right there though. This is no tranquil day on the Hop’n’Pop Farm, nor is it a slapstick adventure with Canny the Can in Stack ‘Em.
Wanted Dead or a Wild is serious business, and serious business usually means serious potential in the slot world.
In this Wanted Dead or a Wild Slot Review, we’ll be wearing a face covering not to avoid getting ill, but to carry out our ill-intentions instead as we storm the bank guns blazing.
Wanted Dead or a Wild: Theme
The theme for Wanted Dead or a Wild once again showcases Hacksaw Gaming’s prowess in the design department.
The background of this slot almost looks like a canvas. There isn’t much distinguishing detail there, but the sun, he trees and the complimentary blood red colours really is a strangely pleasing aesthetic. Another area that Hacksaw Gaming regularly excel on is the audio aspect, and Wanted Dead or a Wild is no exception.
The slow tune that plays when the reels are still compliments the theme well, and the upbeat acoustic music that ensues when things start to kick off really makes Wanted Dead or a Wild a solid experience.
Wanted Dead or A Wild looks great on both desktop and Android or IOS devices, so you can be certain that you’re getting the same immersive experience no matter where you’re playing.
Hacksaw Gaming are very good at instilling a sense of excitement just through their slot designs alone. Chaos Crew can undoubtedly attribute some of it’s amazing success to its electro soundtrack and grafitti inspired gritty visuals, and w’eve a feeling that Wanted Dead or a Wild may grip players because of its great design too.
First impressions do matter, after all, and we’re pleased at just how good first impressions are in Wanted Dead or a Wild
Wanted Dead or a Wild: Betting and Symbols
Hacksaw Gaming always cater to the masses with a broad variety of betting options for all kinds of players.
Players who fancy themselves as a bit of an outlaw can enjoy this slot from as little as £/€0.20 per spin, or as much as £/€100 per spin.
There are a lot of different options in between the two, so players should feel more than catered for in this aspect.
When it comes to symbols, the highest paying symbol in the game is the Revolver Barrel, followed by the Whisky, Money Bag, Outlaw and Bison Skull. Low paying symbols are Ace, King, Queen, Jack & 10, and there’s also a Wild symbol which substitutes for all regular symbols.
Wanted Dead or a Wild: The Base Game and Features
First impressions and history might indicate that Hacksaw Gaming have once again opted for a cluster pays slot, but Wanted Dead or a Wild actually uses 15 fixed paylines.
To form a win, you’ll need at least 3 of any symbol to connect from left to right along any of these lines. Fixed paylines are usually quite easy to read on your standard 5×3 game, but the grid slot format here mixed with paylines makes for a somewhat confusing experience. Chaos Crew was the same, but after a while you do become used to the lines.
Full lines of symbols on their own aren’t that lucrative in Wanted Dead or a Wild, but thankfully the VS feature steps in to up the ante.
VS Symbols
Each VS symbol will expand to cover the entirety of its respective reel if it’s included in a win line.
Once expanded, two outlaws will appear with each showing a different multiplier. A duel between the two will take place, and the surviving outlaw’s multiplier will be applied to the entire reel. The reel is also wild, and if you land more than one VS symbol the values will first be added and then multiplied with the line wins.
The possible multiplier values are 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, 10x, 20x, 25x, 50x & 100x
Wanted Dead or a Wild may even land one VS symbol on each reel. If this happens, the entire grid becomes one massive Wild.
This feature can be triggered in the Base Game, but it can also appear in the Dual at Dawn Bonus Feature.
Wanted Dead or a Wild: Free Spins
Wanted Dead or a Wild has 3 different Free Spins features and each vary in volatility.
3 of The Great Train Robbery, Dual at Dawn or Dead Man’s Hand symbols each trigger their respective features.
The Great Train Robbery
The Great Train Robbery is the medium volatility bonus in this slot, and 10 Free Spins are awarded.
The Great Train Robbery is a sticky wilds bonus game. Any Wilds that land in play become sticky for the duration of the feature.
A feature like this needs no explaining. Simply hope and pray for an untold amount of Wilds and watch the wins count up if they do!
Dual At Dawn
Duel at Dawn is a very high volatility option, and you’ll get 10 Free Spins here too.
In the Dual at Dawn Feature, more VS symbols are active on the reels, which gives you more of a chance at triggering the VS Feature.
So far, it’s a hard choice between the two. Sticky Wilds sound great, but so does a full screen of stacked Wilds!
Dual at Dawn warrants a word of warning though. This Feature is super high volatility, and it really does feel like an all or nothing kind of feature. Plenty of bonuses went buy when testing this slot where it returned next to nothing, but theoretically, it can also go huge.
Dead Man’s Hand
Dead Man’s Hand is another high volatility option.
In this mode, your goal is to collect as many Wild and multiplier symbols as possible during a ‘collect phase’. Wilds are collected to the left, and the current total multiplier is shown on the right.
The Dead Man’s hand uses a lives feature rather than a set number of spins. Every time you collect a Wild or a Multiplier, the lives are reset back to 3, and the collect phase ends after 3 non-winning spins.
After the collection phase you’ll enter the ‘Showdown Phase’. 3 Spins are awarded in the showdown phase, and each spin will have the number of collected wilds applied to the grid. Any wins that materialise from this are then multiplied by the total collected multiplier.
The Dead Man’s Hand Feature can really be something special, but you’ll want the Collect Phase to last as long as possible for the best set up!
Wanted Dead or a Wild: Bonus Buy
Those outside of the UK can buy their way into the action via a bonus buy option. You’ll have a choice of which bonus you buy, and each vary in cost.
- The Great Train Robbery – 80x (96.27% RTP)
- Duel at Dawn – 200x (96.33% RTP)
- Dead Man’s Hand – 400x (96.43% RTP)
Wanted Dead or a Wild: Our Verdict
Wanted Dead or a Wild is an extremely capable slot with plenty of potential owing to its different features.
The Base Game can be a little bit stale at times, but the VS feature really does its job at keeping you involved until the Free Spins round. Of course, The Free Spins round is where Wanted Dead or a Wild really starts to shine. The 3 Features on offer here are all amazing, and once you hit with one of the higher volatility bonuses you can really feel yourself on the edge of your seat as you sit in wait for things to possibly kick off at any moment.
We can see this game really appealing to the Bonus Buy market. The choice to buy in at any level really makes Wanted Dead or a Wild special, but sadly this is an aspect lost to UK Players.
Players should be really careful when buying the Duel at Dawn Feature. It may not be the most expensive buy in this game, but its by far the most volatile. In a way, its sort of too volatile. When choosing this option, you should really expect to hit the world or nothing at all, there really is no middle ground.
Overall, 12,500x win potential, a solid 96.38% RTP and unfathomable levels of entertainment makes Wanted Dead or a Wild a brilliant instalment from Hacksaw Gaming
Welcome Bonus
