Wild Wild West The Great Train Heist

Released in February 2017, Wild Wild West was NetEnt’s look at the old westerns. We still fondly remember those movies and we’re glad to see the themes still haven’t died out with slots, even if the movie industry has forgotten its comrade. Focusing on the four criminals, you’ll work alongside them to heist a train and steal all its contents. Makes for a simple but compelling tale, that’s for sure! With 5 reels and 10 paylines, the game can feel a bit closed off to those hoping to win big, and there has certainly been some negative reception to NetEnt’s release. So what’s good and what’s bad in this land of cowboys, horses and revolvers?

The art style adopted for this slot was a great pick by the developer. The cartoonish look allows them to get away with some things they might not have otherwise and it allows them to add somewhat exaggerated features to their characters to make them stand out from one another. The great theme is paired with a magnificent soundtrack, and we don’t give that praise easily. While a relatively simple tune that keeps looping in on itself, we could listen to it for hours on end.

The gameplay itself can be a bit less enticing, however. With only 10 paylines on a 5×3 playing field, it can feel like you are being artificially limited. Usually, games with a lower number of paylines make up for it with a progressive jackpot or profitable extra features, but Wild Wild West seems to blend bonuses and normal gameplay wins to entice its players.

There’s no progressive jackpot, so you will have to do with the specials that the slot offers you. They don’t feel particularly inspired from our experience, and the wins you can get from them are varied. Free spins can alter Wilds for their duration, but some are clearly better than others, and even then, there doesn’t seem to be much a guarantee you will walk away with a big win.

The pick and click bonus that is tied with the safe is a less risky bet. It is rare to appear, but if you can score the heavy, golden deposit box, you will be able to carry home a prize ranging from 5x to 50x your wager. Admittedly, it feels rather boring, especially when 50x the bet puts in at the average win for this game.

The icons are split between card symbols and unique artwork. The card shapes and colours form the lower paying bracket, while the four bandits will award you more cash on appearance. Not by much, mind you, but enough to make the distinction. While some of these are immersive, others are less so, such as Wilds, which only have Wild written on them.

Wilds are their old, regular dumb selves. They share the highest single win along with the female bandit for five-of-a-kind, and they can substitute for all icons except for Scatters or Bonus symbols. Once free spins are triggered, Wilds can be augmented into expanding across reels, increasing all wins by 2x or spreading randomly across the playing field. This only lasts for the duration of the free spins.

Free spins are activated by three or more Scatters appearing anywhere on the reels. You can get between 10 to 30 extra turns depending on the amount of Scatters that activated the special feature. Scatters don’t pay anything by themselves, unfortunately, making them a bit bland.

Finally, golden safes activate the Pick and Click bonus. They only appear on the first, third and fifth reel, and you choose one of the three to pick your prize. You can win between 5x to 50x your wager, which isn’t that great of a win, but it’s a welcome surprise here and there.