As we sat down with Piotr Simon, the enigmatic Product Owner at Kalamba Games, we couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation as we were given the opportunity to embark on a journey of discovery into their latest offering, Megaways Duel of the Dead – a game with the potential to make players marvel at the intricate details of the design, from the hyper realistic and somewhat eerie setting to the complex mechanics underpinning the gameplay. Impressed by his passion for the industry and his dedication to pushing the boundaries, we started firing away our questions…
Bigwinboard: Megaways Duel Of The Dead provides new gameplay mechanics for players, can you tell us more about these features?
Simon Piotr: The Kalamba team has done an amazing job at filling Megaways Duel of The Dead with high-intensity action, made possible by various new features that we are sure players will enjoy engaging with. In the Zombies Go Wild Feature, all symbols in the game except Sheriff and Bonus become zombies and when shot by the sheriff turn into wild multipliers, boosting the winning potential of the base game.
This can be upgraded by the Duel mechanic where a gun-slinging zombie is released from jail and shoots back at the Sheriff awarding additional wild multipliers. These features blend with the popular Megaways mechanic, which players will already be familiar with to deliver a slot that can have up to 84,035 ways to win and boasts a huge max win of 20,000x!
Bigwinboard: The art direction of Megaways Duel Of The Dead is certainly impressive what were some of the inspirations behind this?
Simon Piotr: We, of course, took inspiration initially from popular, classic westerns and more modern interpretations of the genre. Additionally, we combined this with the mass media appeal of zombies and crafted these with a cell-shaded aesthetic which created a fun, cartoon feel.
This is in stark contrast to the hyperrealism in the background of the title where a saloon, church and graveyard can be spotted with tumbleweed, fog and clouds adding some animated immersive elements to the scenery.
This attention to detail extends to the bonus where wins trigger a zombie hand to rise from the grave along with lightning strikes. Increasing multiplier wilds also change the look of symbols as they are shot multiple times with wounds being added to the zombies. We also added an increasingly blood-soaked border to the game to enhance the tension as the wins mount up. Anybody familiar with internet culture will also spot a meme or two during play!
Bigwinboard: You mentioned the bonus, how are the mechanics present in the base game augmented in the free spins round?
Simon Piotr: In the bonus, the Sheriff will again turn zombies into wild multipliers by shooting them, however, ammunition is now held between spins. This means that if, for example, the Sheriff managed to land 10 shots during the first spin, at least 10 shots will be fired again in all subsequent spins the feature is triggered on and increased by landing more sheriff symbols.
The Duel feature also makes a return further increasing the number of shots available throughout the free spins round. Players can also buy this bonus, with different guaranteed features available at varying costs, if they are keen to see a pistol-wielding zombie or aiming to gain as much ammunition as possible for the zombie apocalypse they have numerous options available.
Bigwinboard: Megaways Duel of The Dead represent your fifth Megaways release, how are you finding working with this popular mechanic?
Simon Piotr: Readers who are familiar with our titles will already be aware that slots created by Kalamba are driven by a focus on innovation. We like pushing the boundary on what players can expect from a title, whether that is through the visuals, mechanics or gameplay elements.
Utilising the popular Megaways mechanic allows us to add dynamic elements to the feature, producing a new twist on the iconic gameplay it provides. Previous releases like Rumble Ratz Megaways saw us introduce a K-Cash mechanic where reels aren’t randomly expanded but instead grown by landing instant cash prizes on them.
Phat Cat Megaways also saw us lock reels in place, nudge reels and add mystery symbols to the game board. This ensured every spin not only provided changing reel sizes but various gameplay elements that truly engaged players. Adding a potentially infinite amount of spins to the bonus round again helped us alter players’ perception of what a Megaways title can be.
Bigwinboard: We had a lot of fun running the Phat Cat Megaways tournament on Bigwinboard. It was a massive success! What can players expect from Kalamba in the coming months?
Simon Piotr: Along with new innovative releases that we have on the horizon we will be adding additional tools that will reward players for engaging with our titles. Of course, you will still be able to land big hits within the gameplay but we will be focusing on providing additional benefits like tournaments, cash prizes and missions that will reward players for interacting with our slots.
We create each game with a focus on the overall user experience and player enjoyment. These tools on top of the amazing gameplay and visuals present will provide even more fun and big win potential for players to enjoy.
