Released in September 2021, Wanted Dead or a Wild is a new slot game developed by Hacksaw Gaming. Hop on the train and let the game take you to the Wild West, where you can face outlaws, watch duels, and possibly win up to 12,500x your stake.
The title features three different bonus games that make the gaming experience dynamic and suspenseful. On top of that, you’ll also encounter expanding wilds and multipliers, allowing your line wins to skyrocket.
If you’re interested in trying out this game, make sure to read this comprehensive review first. We’ll cover all of the most important game features, including symbols and visuals, betting range, bonus features, RTP, payouts, etc.
Where Can You Play Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Many licenced and trustworthy gambling websites in the UK work with Hacksaw Gaming Slots, offering its games in their standard gaming offer. Therefore, you will have no shortage of options when it comes to regulated UK casinos that offer Wanted Dead or a Wild.
| Rank | Casino | Bonus | Review | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 100% bonus up to £300 + 150 Bonus Spins | Review | Visit Casino | |
 | 100% bonus up to £200 + 50 Bonus Spins | Review | Visit Casino | |
 | 50 Wager Free Spins | Review | Visit Casino | |
 | 100% bonus up to £250 + 100 Bonus Spins | Review | Visit Casino | |
 | 100% up to 111 + 100 Extra Spins | Review | Visit Casino |
Gameplay
Wanted Dead or a Wild works on a unique 5×5 slot grid with 15 fixed paylines. It has a straightforward betting mechanism that allows the player to set the total bet value by clicking on the arrows next to the Spin button. The bet values range from £0.20 to £100, catering to players with all bankroll sizes.
When it comes to the visuals, the game capitalises on a Wild West theme with high-paying symbols, including a skull, outlaw, money bag, liquor bottle, and bullet chamber. On the other hand, the lower-paying symbols are card royals – ten, jack, queen, king, and ace.
The game also utilises a few different special symbols. It has three bonus symbols that trigger different bonus features – a multiplier symbol, VS symbol, and wild. The wild can substitute for all standard symbols but not for the VS symbols and the bonus symbols.
The VS symbol can expand to cover the entire reel it appeared on if the expansion will allow it to become a part of a line win. When this happens, the said reel will show two outlaws carrying different multipliers, the values of which can be 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, 10x, 20x, 25x, 50x, and 100x.
These outlaws will then engage in a duel, and the one that survives will apply its multiplier to the whole reel. After the duel ends, the whole reel will also turn into a wild. When multiple VS symbols land on the reels, the values of their multipliers are added together and applied to the line wins.
Wanted Dead or a Wild is a game of high variance, which means that it can award relatively high wins, albeit with long dry spells in between. While this may not be a problem for high rollers, it may not be very suitable for recreational players.
Wanted Dead or a Wild Free Spins and Other Bonus Features
This slot game has three different bonus features, each triggered by a different bonus symbol. Let’s take a look at these features in more detail:
Duel at Dawn
You can trigger this feature by landing three or more Duel symbols. This will grant you ten free spins containing more VS symbols than the regular game.
Dead Man’s Hand
Three or more Dead symbols on the grid trigger this bonus. The first part of this feature gives three spins that keep resetting until you get three consecutive spins without any wins.
The only symbols that appear during the first part are wilds and multipliers. The game’s goal is to gather as many of these symbols as possible. After the first part finishes, the ‘showdown’ game begins with three spins.
This game is played with all the standard slot symbols, with the previously collected wilds and multipliers applied to all line wins.
The Great Train Robbery
This feature begins after three or more Train Robbery symbols land on the reels. A player gets ten free spins with sticky wilds that remain sticky until the end of the feature.
What Is the Return to Player of Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Wanted Dead or a Wild has four different RTP configurations. Its average payout rate without buying any bonus rounds is 96.38%, which is pretty good. The higher the RTP, the more players can potentially win playing the game in the long run.
The Bonus Buy option can reduce the RTP to either 94.55%, 92.33%, or 88.42%, depending on the bonus feature you decide to buy. However, players in the UK can’t use the Bonus Buy feature as it has been banned by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission.
What Do We Think of Wanted Dear or a Wild?
Wanted Dead or a Wild is a unique and interesting slot game with many exciting and dynamic features. Its special symbols, wilds, multipliers, and different bonus features are bound to keep one on the edge of their seat and be decently rewarding, at that.
The game also has a very good RTP, which means it can offer nice payouts. However, we don’t like that the game features high variance, as it spreads the wins too far apart. This can prove to be devastating for the casual player’s budget.
On the flip side, the slot does have a high betting range, allowing even high stakes players to join.