Dead or Alive Slot Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Dead or Alive Review

Dead or Alive is a classic western themed slot from NetEnt, and it has long since earned its cult following since it was launched back in May 2009. The western theme is popular among game providers, but few have succeeded like NetEnt has done with this game. It might be one of the older titles in their catalog, but it can still measure up to most of what is released today.

The classic Morricone-like whistle we remember from the great spaghetti westerns sets the mood from the get-go, and every time you spin the reels it starts with the sound of a gun being cocked. It’s minor details like this that makes for a great game, and NetEnt knows how to deliver them every time. This is a rough ride on a high variance slot, but you can be rewarded with up to 3000 times your stake on very single spin.

The free spins feature is the main attraction, and the big wins will come from the sticky wilds you get in that feature. The dusty town might look empty, but make no mistake, danger is lurking around every corner, and you better hold onto that six shooter as long as you’re visiting. A great game for any western fan, but perhaps not for the easily spooked, or the trigger happy who lacks patience to wait for the right moment.

Dead or Alive RTP, variance & technical data

Before we take a closer look at all the good stuff this game has to offer, let’s reveal the technical details so you know exactly what kind of “trouble” you’re getting yourself into:

• RTP: 96.8%
• Volatility/Variance: Very high
• Layout: 5×3
• Paylines: 9
• Bonus features: Free Spins and Sticky Wilds
• Bets: 0.1 to 5.0
• Max wins (coins): 54 000

The RTP on Dead or Alive is somewhat higher than the average, which is always positive.

Most online slots have an RTP around 96%, while this game goes as high as 96.8%. With a house edge of only 3.2%, this game gives a lot back to the players, even if the Return to Player percentage is just a “theoretical measure” that is valid only in the long run.

Attention RTP Ranges!

Starburst from NetEnt has RTP ranges. RTP ranges is a game feature when Casinos have the possibility to adjust RTP according to their needs. The RTP ranges could be quite wide and depends on certain factors. Since May 2021 game has 6 RTP options: 96.82%, 95.03%, 94.03%, 93.06%, 92.06%, 90.07%.

Pay attention. Check the RTP of this slot at the casino before playing. Or make a request for the casino audit before playing!

Another thing to be aware of is that the volatility - or variance as it’s also called - is legendary high on this game. This means that you need a bankroll and a bet level that can handle the fluctuations. Just like in a real cowboy movie, you need the patience of the calm and collected hero to take down the bad guy, and thus take home the big reward.

Anyone who does not have a nostalgic moment whenever they hear the phrase “Wanted Dead or Alive”, must be too young to remember the good old Western classics. They just don’t make em’ like that anymore, and you could say the same about NetEnts cult classic cowboy slot. It’s still a great and modern slot, but it does not rely as much on the heavy 3D animations and effects, like most recent titles.

Just like the old classic Western movies did not need CGI or massive special effects, so this game has a more subtle appeal. It’s all in the small details, and the deserted, strange mood of the town you enter into while playing.

You take on the role as a bounty hunter, and the reels are filled with pistols, boots, cowboy hats, wanted posters and sheriff stars, all to get you worked up for that midnight duel.

The game has 5 reels and 9 paylines, and in the background there is a thunderstorm brewing over the cool desert mountains. Have a double shot of Bourbon, and see if you can get that free spins game rolling, cause that’s where the big money can be won. Not least if you land some of those sticky wilds too, and don’t forget, all your winnings are doubled in this feature. Let’s have a closer look at exciting bonus feature this game has to offer.

How to play

Everything you do in this game is followed by the sound of whip. This is cool at first, but it can get on your nerves in the long run. We looked all over the menus, but here is no way to turn this sound effect off and keep the atmospheric soundtrack at the same time.

Well, anyhow, we shall walk you through how to get the most out of Dead or Alive slot with or without the sound effect, as that is completely up to you.

The small wrench icon down in the left corner allows you to turn on quick spins, which is good, and you can also tick off to use the spacebar to spin, if you so desire. The small “i” icon takes you into the Dead or Alive paytable, and here you can read all about the game’s bonus features.

You can also check out the value of each symbol combination, and the values on display are for bet level 1 per line bet. We have converted the paytable to show you how much each symbol is worth per total stake:

• Sheriff star - Pays 111.11x for 5 in a combo
• Gun in holster - Pays 83.33x for 5 in a combo
• Cowboy hat - Pays 44.44x for 5 in a combo
• Cowboy boots - Pays 33.33x for 5 in a combo
• Whisky shot - Pays 22.22x for 5 in a combo
• Royal symbols - Pay between 11.11x and 2.7x for 5 in a combo

Next up, you need to decide on your bet level. You can choose between 4 different bet levels, and a coin value between 0.01 and 0.50. This amounts to a bet range from 9p to £18 per spin, and unfortunately it’s not possible to play with £1 per spin here. The closest you will get is 90p, which is a bit annoying and unsatisfying for people who prefer rounded numbers (like we do).

You’re now just about ready to spin the reels and chase the big wins, but you need to hold your horses for one final thing. We’re talking about the autoplay feature, where you can choose between 10 and 1,000 autospins.

You can also use the advanced option to stop the autoplay feature if you win or lose a given amount, or if you trigger the bonus round.

Where to play Dead or Alive?

Now that you know how to play this game, it’s about time to get down to actually playing it. We have a few different options for you in this department, and the good news is that you don’t have to leave this review page to take advantage of either of them. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.

Play for real money

Perhaps you are an experienced player, and you feel ready to play for real money right away. In that case, we are pleased to inform you that we scan all the casinos on the market on a daily basis. This gives you a total overview of the best casinos to play this game at. All you need to do is follow the link, and you can get started with playing Dead or Alive slot immediately.

Play free demo version

At SlotCatalog, you can try the Dead or Alive slot absolutely for free and check the game out before depositing to see whether it's your liking or not. You can find the free demo game at the top of this page, or simply follow the link to play the Dead or Alive demo for free.

The 200 Spins Dead or Alive Experience

Dead or Alive is the perfect title for this game, as the brutal volatility will either sink your ship or make you rich. At least that’s the rumour we’d heard before we started our 200 spins test run, but we somehow managed to make a dent in the armour of that persistent rumour.

Since we could not set the bet level to £1 per spin, we choose the next best thing, which is 90p per spin. We do this to make it easier to gauge the size of each win, calculated as times per stake. Anyway, we ticked off for the quick spin option, and set the autoplay to 250 spins (as 200 spins is not possible).

The game feels about as smooth as a horse carriage ride, bumping a bit up and down as you go. The base game dished out smaller wins once in a while, but our bankroll was slowly being drained until we landed 3 scatter symbols. This gave us 12 free spins with a 2x multiplier boost on each win, and we totalled about 20x our stake with only 2 sticky wilds on the reels the whole time.

Somehow, we managed to trigger the free spins round again after 60 spins or so, and this time we won 37x our stake with 4 sticky wilds. Towards the end, we triggered the bonus round a third time, and we crossed our fingers for a big win. It did not come however, as 3 sticky wilds gave us a total win of around 30x our stake.

In the end, we more or less broke even from our session, and this was due to some bigger base game wins, combined with the 3 bonus rounds we managed to trigger with only 200 spins. You could say that we ended up neither dead nor alive from our session, but at least we proved that breaking even is also possible in this game (at least in the short run). We wish you the best of luck with your stay in this rough town, and hope you catch more outlaws than we did.

Dead or Alive bonus features

There is really only two bonus features in this game, and those are both wrapped into the free spins feature. The sticky wilds you can land in this feature can earn you big money, and they come in the form of Wanted posters of different criminals you’re hunting down for the bounty.

Dead or Alive free spins with sticky wilds

The free spins game is triggered when you land either 3, 4 or 5 scatters anywhere on the 5 reels.

If you manage to land 5 scatters, you’ll be immediately rewarded with 2500 times your stake, before the free spins round even begins. 3 scatters will give you 4 times your stake, and 4 scatters will give you 25 times your stake. The free spins feature is the real moneymaker in this game, as you probably understand by now.

You get 12 free spins and a 2x multiplier per spin, and any wilds you land will be sticky for the duration of the free spin feature. If you land at least 1 wild per reel during the free spins, you’ll get 5 extra spins once the first 12 rounds are done. The sticky wilds will stay during the extra 5 spins also, so all combined this is a bonus game with massive potential.

Dead or Alive jackpot (max win)

There is no progressive or local jackpot you can win on Dead or Alive, but you can still take home solid winnings from this game. Max win is 3000 times your stake in the free spins feature, which equals £54 000 if you play with maximum stakes.

Dead or Alive mobile & tablet

Dead or Alive is available on all mobile platforms, and you can play on the go using your smartphone or your tablet. It does not matter whether you prefer iPhone and iPad, or Android devices, as they all work equally good with this game. Playing anywhere at any time is great, and with this game in your pocket you never need to be bored again.

SlotCatalog verdict

The wild west was not for the faint of heart, and the same can be said about NetEnts Dead or Alive slot. While the free spins with sticky wilds feature is usually a massive moneymaker, you will not trigger it all that often. That’s the nature of a highly volatile game, you need the patience and the cool head of the professional gunslinger to succeed here.

Treat the game with respect, and it will reward you for it, but if you rush in all high and mighty, it will shoot you down in the blink of an eye. This is a game you need to ease into, and take your time to enjoy all the small details, and the mood NetEnt has succeeded so incredibly well to create here. The cult status of Dead or Alive slot is well earned, and once you get a taste for it, you’re guaranteed to come back for a second round.

Pros

• Very high volatility
• Potential for huge wins
• Classic cult status western slot
• Rich in details and atmosphere
• Very rewarding free spins game

Cons

• Too volatile for the fainthearted
• Hard to trigger the bonus feature

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