Buckshot Wilds

Buckshot Wilds are a Wild West video slot from NetEnt, and the first video slot from this company in 2024. As the season opener, Buckshot Wilds garnered lots of attention from the fans. And it’s up to you to decide if the game is on par with other NetEnt releases and games with this theme.

Buckshot Wilds packs a punch worth 5 reels, 4-8 rows, and 20-48 paylines. The RTP of the game comes in dual mode – the optimal one is 96.04%, but there’s always a chance to catch the less-than-optimal one worth 94%. You can play Buckshot Wilds online slot for real money and for free. If you go in with real cash, the minimum bet amount is $0.10.

Buckshot Wilds are exactly that – a potentially wild game with a hint of Wild West. Actually, the game is much more temperate than we expected, as evidenced by its low win potential and mediocre RTP.

NetEnt is behind some of the most popular slots of all time, including Western slots with millions of fans. So, you can see why we were quite intrigued about Buckshot Wilds. What we found when we cracked open this shell was dust and rocks, but little substance that could match the well-known Dead or Alive slots. Still, it’s a game you can check out if you are in need of a Western flick that’s easy on the eyes and not too heavy on the wallet.

The game’s main focus is on the grid which by the way, expands. At the start of the round, you have 5 reels and 4 rows, but with special boosters, that can quickly go up to 8 rows and more paylines. The starting number of paylines is 20, which can go up to 48 with 4 extra rows. Other technical details include a medium-high volatility which is fine on its own, but considering a low winning potential, can cause disappointment for the players. For a win potential of 859x, you would at least expect a medium variance (or even medium-low). Still, it is what it is.

RTP rates come in two options – the default one is 96.04%, but you might also run into 94%. When you start playing, a round will cost you $0.20, but you can wager up to $100 per spin.

When you first open the game, you’ll notice that the default bet is $2, but you can easily change it by clicking on the bet meter below. There’s also a Bonus Bet option which is a form of Golden Bet – this doubles the winning chances, guarantees Wilds, but it also doubles the stake. Do with that information what you will. There’s also the Buy Bonus option worth 100x the stake (125x with an active Bonus Bet).

Now, let’s talk grid. The icons in the game are, understandably, all about the Western lifestyle. Card royals are the low-pay icons, while pistols and some cowboys and gunslingers make up the premiums.

The game’s max win potential is 859x which is low, even for a medium-high volatility game.

Game features in Buckshot Wilds include Wilds and Expanding Wilds, Expanding Reels, Free Spins, and Buy Bonus options.

Wilds are the stars of the show, obviously. They also slowly move down the grid by 1 position on each spin when they land on the grid. As they slide down the reel, they can land on the trigger position. When this happens, you unlock the symbol shootout. And a shootout is when icons on the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal positions adjacent to the trigger transform into Wilds themselves. When the reels expand on the grid,  they grow into 5×8. This can happen anytime, randomly – and when this happens, you get an expansion of the Wilds as well. All Wilds get an extension 4 positions down when the grid is expanded. They revert to 1×1 on the next spin, of course.

Finally, you have the Free Spins as the most potent feature. You can land 3, 4, or 5 Scatters and unlock 6, 10, or 15 Spins, respectively.  During the Free Spin round, the grid is perpetually in 5×8 mode, and it’s full of Wilds. So much so that you start the spins with 1-3 Wilds per spin, and each new spin adds  a +1 Wild to the grid. You can retrigger the round.

If you want to get into the Feature faster, you need to unlock the Buy Feature worth 100x the stake. If you use the Bonus Bet, you’ll have to pay 125x the stake.