Dead or Alive 3 Wanted

Dead or Alive 3 Wanted: Slot Overview

The word 'iconic' is thrown around like bullets in a dusty street showdown, to the point that the word is in danger of losing all meaning, but few slots have attained genuine iconic status like NetEnt's Dead or Alive series. So much so that designing part three, which the studio has just done, is a real tight-rope affair. Make it too much like the previous releases, and there'll be complaints, yet make it totally different, and shoot, there'll be even more grumbling. As such, the studio might have been tempted to leave the series lie and avoid the traps and pitfalls of trying to recreate the massive success. However, NetEnt has taken up the challenge, and the result, Dead or Alive 3 Wanted, has just sauntered into the saloon looking for a fight.

Visually, Dead or Alive 3 Wanted has as much, if not more, in common with NetEnt's 2025 release Dead West than it does with its DoA siblings. Rather than take up the bulk of the view, the camera has zoomed out of the gaming grid to take in more of the surrounding area, which is a semi-photorealistic image of a canyon, about as peaceful as it gets, where you can almost hear the red-tailed hawks screeching from a great height. Free spins are where it gets real, and the peace is disturbed by an overturned train, the victim of a heist, smoking on its side. Part three has quite a different vibe than the previous two releases, but it is certainly no worse for the change, and the realism adds drama.

The gaming area has been given extra space as it now operates on a 5x5, 21 payline grid. Players may stake $/€0.10 to $/€30 per spin and can select from five feature buys from the Elevate Feature. Mathematically, Dead or Alive 3 Wanted has an RTP of 96.03% and is highly volatile.

On to the paytable, which has Wild West-style 10-A card royals awarding 1.5x to 5x the bet for a 5-of-a-kind hit, as well as hip flasks, hatchets, pistols, traps, and badges, paying 15x to 50x for 5-of-a-kind. Wilds substitute for all symbols except the scatter and super scatter, and are also worth 50x when five wilds create a winning combination.

Dead or Alive 3 Wanted: Slot Features

Bullets in Dead or Alive 3 Wanted's feature chamber includes Wanted Wilds, Bounty Wilds, free spins, super free spins, and Elevate feature buys.

Wanted Wilds & Bounty Wild

There are two types of wilds in Dead or Alive 3 Wanted. They are Wanted Wilds and Bounty Wilds, which can land in the base game and in free spins. Wanted Wilds hit with a random multiplier of x2 to x100 while Bounty Wilds cover the entire reel they land on and collect the multipliers from all Wanted Wilds in view. When 2 or more Bounty Wilds land, the one on the left collects the multipliers from Wanted Wilds, while the one on the right collects the multipliers from Wanted Wilds and Bounty Wilds on the left. Multipliers collected by Bounty Hunters are added together.

Free Spins

Landing 2 scatters in the main game triggers a respin, while 3 or more scatters trigger 10 free spins. If one of the 3 triggering scatters is a super scatter, then super free spins are awarded. When triggered by 4 or 5 scatters, players also win 50x or 2,500x their bet, respectively.

Any Wanted Wilds from the main game and respin transform into Sticky Wilds and are carried over to free spins. All Wanted Wilds that land in free spins are sticky. Should Wanted Wilds land on all reels, +5 free spins are awarded. In super free spins, what's different is that Bounty Hunter Wilds are guaranteed on every spin.

Elevate Feature

In game features can be bought from the Elevate feature menu were the options are the Bonus Hunter for 2x which lands at least 1 scatter or super scatter, Wanted Wilds for 5x where multipliers of x5 to x100 may land and double the win cap to 66,666x, or Bounty Wilds for 150x which lands 2 Bounty Hunter Wilds at the end of every spin or 3 in super free spins. From there, it is possible to buy Hunted Spins for 100x, which lands 3 or more scatters, or Dead or Alive Spins, which lands 3 or more scatters, one will be a super scatter, for 1,000x the bet.

Dead or Alive 3 Wanted: Slot Verdict

One of the first things that stood out about Dead or Alive 3 Wanted is that it didn't feel like NetEnt's goal was to make the biggest, baddest, meanest Dead or Alive slot it could. It was as if the point wasn't to outdo the previous DoA slots, but to step out of their dark, towering shadow and branch away from the past. Instead of trying to make a bigger hit, which would have piled a lot of pressure on anyone's shoulders, it seems as though the studio put the blinkers on to create a sturdy, playable Wild West slot, one that acknowledges its roots, sure, though without trying to completely emulate them. In hitting the reset button, or nudging it at least, Dead or Alive 3 Wanted may run the risk of alienating hardcore fans, but a game like this was likely to ruffle some feathers no matter how it turned out.

On the positive side, Dead or Alive 3 Wanted is a solid Western with a dark, volatile streak. Not everyone will love the new look, but the canyon to train heist switch provides an atmospheric base game to bonus round, getting down to business shift. Free spins are the more desirable place to be once again on account of the sticky wild properties, providing an enjoyable continuity. Sticky wilds now share their multiplier values with the new Bounty Hunter wild. This full reel wild showcases the game's volatility, too, as a well-placed Bounty Hunter, or better yet, two can completely transform a bonus round. On the more contentious side, Dead or Alive 3 Wanted's full potential is fenced off behind one of its feature buys. And since that buy costs 5x, is it really 66,666x the stake players are winning? The age-old question. Otherwise, the max win is 33,333x when bare naked gambling.

In some ways, NetEnt could have given this game a completely different title, and it would have stood on its own two feet as a stand-alone release. Making this the third instalment in such a beloved series means extra scrutiny and critique, especially since it didn't come across as the strongest game of the three. Even if it doesn't quite reach the same heights as its predecessors, Dead or Alive 3 Wanted still delivers good, hearty gambling set in a lawless frontier. Taken on its own merits, there's plenty here to enjoy, and it stands as a solid addition to the series rather than taking a sideways step.