Wild West Gold

Overview of Wild West Gold slot

Wild West Gold from Pragmatic Play is their attempt to cash in on the esteemed slot Dead or Alive 2 and because of this, the slot Wild West Gold can appear as an imitation of this. In this slot the developers have decided that the time has come to pack up a wagon train and head out to the west for an old-fashioned gaming experience. This has been done by taking inspiration from one of the best slots in this category, Dead or Alive 2. There are mixed feelings about this slot however for some players it could leave you wanting more.

Theme & Design

When it comes to the theme the thing that stands out most must be the soundtrack which is complete with gun blasts, piano plinking and plonking and some general crowd noises. This audio creates a truly plausible saloon vibe which blends perfectly with the imagery in the backdrop that represents a Western town complete with gunslingers and their guns. The outcome of the theme is pleasant, light and cheery and not nearly as moody as Dead or Alive 2. This may not be what you will associate with bandits and goodies, but it is cheery all the same.

Wagers, Winnings and Symbols

The first thing you need to do is choosing your bet amount which starts from a minimum of 20p per spin up to a maximum of £100 per spin, which should make this popular with a wide audience. Wild West Gold unsurprisingly has a highly volatile standing with a return to player that stands at 96.51% however you should be aware that this is the default settings and can be lowered by the casino hosting the slot.
Wild West Gold plays out over 5-reels, 4-rows and 40 pay lines and the rules of the slot are straightforward with only a few features for you to get your head around. The first is that landing a combination of three or more of the same symbols from left to right and you will be rewarded with a win.

In this slot there are ten regular symbols that are split into low, medium and high payers, the low paying symbols are the usual playing card symbols from 10 through to Ace and these have all been created using a classic western font. The mid paying symbols come in the form of a bag of gold and gun in a holster with the final four high paying symbols coming in the shape of a working girl complete with a stiletto blade, a lady gunslinger plus a bearded baddie. There is also the sheriff who is the most valuable symbol and will pay 20x your stake if you land five on a single pay line. The wilds however are the true stars of the slot and they can appear on your 2nd, 3rd and 4th reels. When the wilds land they provide a x2, x3 or x5 multiplier respectively. If you have more than one wild in the win the multiplier values are combined and added together to give your winnings a real boost.

Features

It is a shame, but Wild West Gold features are rather sparse and there is just a free spin feature to play with. However, the free spins are the best part of this slot and the only way you can become immersed in the excitement the slot offers, as well as being the best way to land wins. The scatter is represented by the blazing sun and this is the way you can really shake up the game. You can land scatters on your 1st, 3rd and 5th reels and when you have three in view anyway on your game screen you will be rewarded by 8 free spins.

Wilds can continue to land on your 2nd, 3rd and 4th reels however when they land during the feature they turn into sticky wilds and stay in place for the rest of the feature. The original scatter does not have a place in the bonus round but all the other symbols including the wild can land and if they have a sheriff’s badge on them. If you land 2, 3, 4 or 5 of these badges you are rewarded with an additional 4, 8, 12, or 20 free spins respectively. The bonus feature round also comes with a fail-safe device, and this is that if the free spins comes to an end and your winnings do not come to more than 10x your stake the slot tops this up meaning the minimum that you will win is 10x your stake.

Final Thoughts

Although I cannot really divide this slot percentage wise, for most of the time the slot is rather bland with a base game that serves up low value or non-rewarding spins. However, when you land the scatters things really do take off and the game becomes rather intense but until this occurs you really do need patience. Personally, this slot is on that you may leave on auto play whilst you go off and do something else whilst keeping your ears open for the bell which signifies the free spins are ready to come into play.
The bonus game that is complete with multiplying sticky wilds is a tried and tested concept that has been around for years, but unfortunately the rest of this slot can really drag. The volatility of this slot is high and as so you need to keep your eye on your balance or you could find yourself blowing all your funds, however, if you are patient and careful you may still be around when the bonus round finally appears.

I have found it hard not to compare this slot to Dead or Alive 2 and if you are au fait with that slot you will see the similarities. The features and theme are almost identical however when the potential arises Wild West Gold is left in a cloud of dust as Dead or Alive 2 charges off over the horizon! The game isn’t weak, after all it does offer up wins of up to 6,750 times your stake but in comparison to Dead or Alive 2 Wild West Gold bears no similarity and does pail into significance.
It is true that both slots from Pragmatic Play are highly volatile Westerns with similar game play and features but when it comes to potential there is no comparison. Wild West Gold is a decent slot with many things going for it such as the soundtrack and the backdrop are well designed however these are hardly main reasons to play a slot. Give Wild West Gold a spin or two and see what you make of it.