Dead or Alive slot review

If you were born in the 1980s like me, you were probably raised on a blend of Japanese cartoons and old-school Western movies. To this day, I can’t watch a Western without Bud Spencer and Terence Hill popping in my head.

Net Entertainment wanted to fill a gap in the market for western slot games, with a classic slot game aptly entitled Dead or Alive. Get ready to don your cowboy hat, grimace in front of the mirror, perhaps sing that infamous Bon Jovi song by the same name and act all badass.

Your main job here is to chase down the most prolific outlaws in this 5-reel video slot. On this epic adventure, you’ll down a few whiskeys, meet voluptuous women and look at outlaws straight in the eye. To ensure a thrilling time, the good folks at NetEnt have added a few bells and whistles to the game to keep it fun.

Bear in mind, that this slot game was released in 2009, so you won’t find any mod cons, but considering that it has over ten years under its belt, it’s still a solid choice. There is a reason why it is regarded as a staple classic amongst slot lovers, and it’s due to the loot that can be unleashed during the free spins round.

The slot game sees a looming storm beckoning in the background with the sound of creaking woods and the wind billowing. In terms of sounds, there is no background music accompanying you on this hard journey. Instead, you can enjoy some trifling sound effects that after some time, can become a little monotonous. I’ll be honest here; I turned the sound effects off after a while. There is nothing to write home about in terms of sounds.

Symbols & Features

This dusty town requires a proper clean-up, and bandits such as Jesse James and Billy the Kid need to be captured.

But let’s get down to business first. The lowest paying symbols in this game are the A to 10 suit symbols which will only boost your bankroll by a few pennies. The high-paying symbols are the gun belts, the leather boots, the Sheriff’s badge and the glasses of hooch.

Crack that whip (a la` Devo song) and get started:

• Wilds: This game enjoys two types of Wilds. There is the standard Wild represented by the Wanted poster. The standard wild acts as a substitute for all other symbols in a bid to help create a winning combination. Then, there are the five outlaws, which can crop up on their own Wanted poster as a Sticky Wild. You might have to squint a bit here to see. The good news is, that if they pop up during the free spins round, they will stay locked into position for the duration of the round. Of course, this is super as hitting winning pay-lines means, your bankroll will be boosted.
• Dead or Alive Free Spins: Like most NetEnt slot games, this slot has a free spins feature which is triggered when you land three or more Scatters (the crossed guns) anywhere on the reels. When this happens, yell ‘Yeehaw’, as you are rewarded with 12 free spins and a x2 multiplier to boost.

Usually, I tend to avoid high volatile games. There’s nothing exhilarating about games that leave a dent on my bankroll. However, this is a classic, and some casinos still offer bonus spins as part of their welcome package on this game.

With an RTP of 96.8%, it’s definitely nothing to scoff at. What I do find thrilling about this game though, is that during the free spins round, you can win a humongous 3,000x your bet on each free spin. Of course, this can’t be achieved unless your reels are loaded with sticky wilds.

In Conclusion

As a general rule, I feel that Dead or Alive needs to be treated with kid gloves. It is a considerably old game when taking into consideration the technological steps that the industry has taken so far. Even more remarkable is the fact, that when it first came out, it was already pushing boundaries.

One word of caution, though. Trying to trigger the free spins feature will be a difficult feat, and if you are not extra careful, your bankroll will suffer. If you do hit this round, you’ll be paid well, but don’t have high hopes in terms of big winnings.