Welcome once again to the Wild, Wild West. Another stellar production from NetEnt, the Dead or Alive mobile slot is one that raises eyebrows among slot players all around the world. At first glance, this slot looks like a mere refresh of a classic theme with some additional basic features just for the sake of keeping the ball rolling. But play this game for a short while, and you will realize that is not the case.
Dead or Alive has been remodeled in such a way that it completely changes your perspective on what a Wild West themed game should be like. What makes this game an interesting proposition is the fact that it can potentially pay up to £54,000 in its bonus features. Let's have a look!
Gameplay Screenshots
Dead or Alive Mobile Slot Game Mechanics
Dead or Alive by NetEnt features a standard slot setup of 5 reels and 9 paylines. As mentioned previously, it is set deep in the Wild West and you will find symbols after Sheriff Badges, Wanted Posters, Cowboy boots and even pistols. The Sheriff Badge is the highest paying symbol in this game and getting five of them in a payline may potentially reward you of up to 100x your spin wager.
Dead or Alive accepts wagers from 9p all the way up to a respectable £18 per spin. The maximum wager is comparatively a lot lower than many other NetEnt, but then again, if you are planning to wager north of £18 per spin, there are more profitable NetEnt slots out there for your appetite.
From playing this game over a course of 30 minutes, we can confidently say that it is of medium variance. Payouts in the base game are somewhat frequent, but as expected, it is compensated by small wins. The only way players can make some serious cash in this slot is by triggering the bonus features. Return to Player (RTP) rate is set at 96.8%, making it possible for players to maintain their bank balance without much hassle.
Bonus Features
Firstly, there are the Wilds. In this game they come as the ‘Wanted Posters’ and, as per usual, they will replace all symbols except the scatters to complete winning paylines.
All of the features in Dead or Alive slot are offered in the form of free spins. To trigger them you will need at least three scatter symbols in the form of Guns on you reels. Once activated, you will be rewarded 12 free spins where all winnings are subject to a 2x win multiplier.
On top of all that, Wilds that you get during your free spins will remain sticky throughout gameplay. Players that get Wilds in their first few spins will be especially lucky as wins quickly compound on that same Wild. The general rule of thumb in Dead or Alive is the more Wilds you get the more money you win!
The action doesn’t stop there. Every additional wild symbol that you get will give you five more free spins on top of the amount you already have. Plus, getting the same Gun symbols during your extra spin will also contribute to additional ones. Having that said, the amount of free spins you can theoretically win is limitless.
User Interface And Gaming Experience
Dead or Alive is a NetEnt production and to many that itself is a guarantee of flawless performance and stunning graphics. This mobile slot is compatible with pretty much every single mobile device under the sun. Gameplay wise, everything is as smooth as a slot can get and the few animations that exist in this game are crisp.
The aspect that impressed us most is the design of all the symbols in this game. Somehow they carry the retro and the classic style of the Wild West that fits perfectly with the theme at hand.
What's Great About The Dead or Alive Slot?
What we really loved about the Dead or Alive mobile slot is its simplicity and theme. With this game, NetEnt has adopted the ‘less is more’ philosophy. If you have been playing NetEnt games for a while now, you will have realized that almost all of their titles come with massive numbers of bonus features in them.
More often than not, their games are packed with mini-games and sophisticated bonus features. The same cannot be said about the Dead or Alive slot. In fact, it is the total opposite.
Technically, there are only two features in this game: the free spins and the win multipliers. But guess what? We wouldn’t have preferred it any other way. Don’t get us wrong, we are not being biased towards NetEnt in any way, but the Wild West theme that this game carries must be kept pure at all costs. This theme is a classic and adding modern and unnecessary features in it will just rob all the fun away.
So, Here's Our Take On This Game
We think that Dead or Alive is a slot game made specially for the slots purists. It is a no nonsense game that delivers a quality experience through its impeccable gameplay and simple bonus features. We absolutely loved how NetEnt designed the game in such a way that players could win unlimited free spins.
Despite the fact that this game severely lacks the modern and sophisticated features, we are glad that the developers have taken this path. After all, if a game can sufficiently entertain you, who cares about how many features it packs?