The game follows a traditional cowboy/wild west/saloon theme with its design which is clearly demonstrated by the wood panel surround and the desert depicted in the background. There’s a noticeable lack of background music, with the game instead choosing to repeat a handful of cliche Wild West sound effects. We initially enjoyed them as they added to the theme, but they quickly became old and made us want to turn the sound off altogether.
Bonus Features
Outside of the wilds, the bonus features of this game are limited to the free spins bonus round. While the lack of base game features is disappointing, the sticky wilds and retriggering free spins create the potential for large wins.
Sticky Wilds
During your free spins, any wild symbols that you find stay in place for the remainder of the round, increasing the possibility of making a match.
Retriggering Free Spins
While using your free spins, you can re-trigger the bonus by finding an additional three scatter symbols on your gameboard. In doing so, you get to keep any sticky wilds from the previous round.
Wilds, Bonuses and Free Spins
The Dead or Alive base game has two special symbols that provide bonuses when you find them on your game board. One unlocks the free spins bonus round, while the other can take the place of almost any other symbol.
- Wilds: The wanted poster acts as the wild symbol in this game, substituting for every symbol except the scatter.
- Free Spins: You can trigger 12 free spins by finding three or more of the duel pistol scatter symbols.
- Bonuses: All winnings from free spins bonuses pay 2x.
Dead or Alive RTP, Bet Sizes, and Variance
An often overlooked aspect of any online slot is its backend stats, such as its RTP and volatility. These have a strong impact on your results, so it’s important that you consider them before playing:
- RTP Rate – The RTP rate of Dead or Alive sits at 96.82%, which is above average for a game of this kind.
- Variance – Dead or Alive is considered a high variance slot, which means its payouts are significant yet infrequent.
- Bet Sizes – The bet sizes range from as little as $0.09 to as much as $18 per spin. This translates to $0.01 per payline up to $2 per payline.