Ding Dong Death

Ding Dong Death: Slot Overview

Software provider Nolimit City has taken the opportunity to remind gamblers that no matter how healthy we eat, no matter how much exercise we do, no matter anything really, sooner or later that hooded chap with a scythe is going to come knocking. Till then, why not join us as we review Ding Dong Death, an online slot that explores a grimmer side to existence, eventual demise, and what might be waiting for us as the days draw to a close. Not a happy-go-lucky, whistling-a-tune-while-you-work kind of slot, Ding Dong Death instead embraces the darker side of life, mixing macabre themes using Nolimit City's trademark sense of humour.

This looks like a Hacksaw Gaming slot was the first reaction to seeing Ding Dong Death on the screen. Like SixSixSix, Pray for Six, or Pray for Three, Ding Dong Death uses a lot of black, white, and grey, while splashing dollops of brighter colour around, predominantly green. Death and a supporting cast of crew have been drawn using a 1920s/30s vintage cartoon style, also reminiscent of some of Hacksaw Gaming's work; while bearing in mind other creative types use this style, it doesn't belong to anyone in particular. Nolimit City has used it well, so while players come face to face with the Grim Reaper, a Hannibal Lecter-like Mental Patient, and various other spine-tingling elements, Ding Dong Death keeps things playful while touching on death, demise, and madness, before dangling a sort of deranged Mickey Mouse over all.

Ding Dong Death is a ways-to-win game, played on a 6x3 grid. By default, there are 729 ways, but this number can grow when affected by certain features. The volatility is extreme (rated 10 out of 10), and players are free to stake $/€0.20 to $/€100, while various bonus buys and booster options are available. The value of the highest RTP configuration is 96.08%. 

The pay table has 10 regular symbols, starting from 10-A royals to 5 higher-paying character symbols. A winning way of 6 matching royals awards 0.6x-0.8x the bet, or 1x-5x is awarded for hitting 6 matching premium symbols. Winning symbols are removed by the avalanche feature, which then refills the reels with a symbol drop, repeating till no new win appears. Wilds substitute for all regular symbols, and they have the same payout value as the Mental Patient pay symbol.

Ding Dong Death: Slot Features

Ding Dong Death rings the doorbell with a Death Meter, Death Meter features, xNudge Wilds, Knock Knock, free spins, boosters, buys, and the xTra Spin.

Death Meter

A 5-level Death Meter is active in all phases of play. Every third avalanche unlocks a Death Meter level, converting all instances of the displayed character symbol type into wilds for the rest of the round. Unlocking Level 5 sets the global win multiplier to x2 the first time it is unlocked, then increases it by +1 for each subsequent unlock. It may also trigger one of these features: 

• Mental Patient - Randomly chooses a low pay symbol, then transforms it and all instances into the Mental Patient symbol.
• xSplit Wild - Randomly selects one or more character wild symbols and transforms them into xSplit Wilds. xSplit Wilds split and double all symbols on their row except scatters. If an xNudge Wild is split, its multiplier doubles. 
• xNudge Wild - Randomly picks one or more character wild positions and converts them into xNudge Wilds.

Once any of the above features have triggered, the Death Meter level 5 is locked again.

xNudge Wild

A landed wild drops to the bottom row, increasing its multiplier by +1 for each symbol it moves over on the drop. It then expands to cover the entire reel. As it expands, only split symbols increase its multiplier. xNudge Wild multipliers apply to wins they are involved in. Multiple consecutive xNudge Wilds add their multipliers to make a total multiplier. 

Knock Knock 

Knock Knock is triggered in the base game when 3 or more matching symbols are aligned horizontally, and there is no winning combination. The triggering symbols are removed, and Mental Patients are created in the middle positions. If there are any multipliers on the middle positions, they are transferred over to the replacing Mental Patients. All other symbols explode except scatters, wilds, or Mental Patients, causing an avalanche.

Free Spins 

• Ding Dong Spins - Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters awards 7, 9, or 11 free Ding Dong Spins respectively. The Death Meter and the global win multiplier do not reset during the round. Landing a scatter awards +1 free spin.
• Ding Dong Death Spins - Landing 6 scatters awards 13 Ding Dong Death Spins. In addition to the Ding Dong Spins features, each unlocked Death Meter level increases the global win multiplier by +1. Level 5 just adds +1 to the multiplier. xNudge Wild multipliers involved in wins are added to the global win multiplier.

Nolimit Boosters & Buys

At the cost of 2x the bet, players are 3 times more likely to trigger Ding Dong Spins or Ding Dong Death Spins when using the Bonus Booster. Death Meter 3, 4, or 5 costs 50x, 100x, or 200x to guarantee to unlock Death Meter level 3, 4, or 5, respectively. For 300x, the xNudge Booster guarantees an xNudge Wild on reel 3 or 4. The buy options are 7, 9, or 11 Ding Dong Spins, 13 Ding Dong Death Spins, or lucky draw free spins for 80x, 200x, 500x, 1,000x, or 304x the bet, respectively.

xTra Spin 

Lastly, an xTra Spin may be offered when a round ends. The additional spin keeps the Death Meter levels and win multiplier from the previous spin. The cost is based on the previous round's state, and the xTra Spin is only offered if it is less than or equal to the win. 

Ding Dong Death: Slot Verdict

Ding Dong Death might have seemed like a Hacksaw Gaming slot at first glance, but it quickly became apparent it was a Nolimit City piece of work, mixing up morbid themes with a set of features designed to keep the reels moving when firing. After testing limits in games like Mental, Serial, and Kiss My Chainsaw, the studio certainly isn't afraid to let the darker side of its id run rampant. In saying that, Ding Dong Death does turn down the disturbing dial a notch or two due to its cartoonish appearance and humorous take on mortality. From a skin standpoint, fans of the studio's distinctive worldview should be drawn to this twisted collision of classic animation and psychological thriller, before the gameplay has even had a chance to kick in. 

Once it does, Ding Dong Death offers classics from the studio's feature library such as xNudge Wilds and xSplit Wilds, which have added their thrill-making abilities to a bunch of past slots. However, it's avalanches that really power the Ding Dong Death machine. They're needed to progress the Death Meter, trigger Death Meter features, and contribute to the win multiplier. As far as the Death Meter goes, this part of the game gave off strong The Crypt vibes, which followed a similar pattern of converting pay symbols to wilds after set numbers of avalanches occurred. Ding Dong Death adds additional impetus for reaching the final level of the meter in order to get a Death Meter feature and open up the win multiplier. No arguing with the extreme volatility in this case, since getting to the top of the mountain might be a slog, but from there Ding Dong Death may snowball nicely on the roll down.

At a guess, Nolimit City was browsing over its past work and decided to do something different with The Crypt, not a sequel, but a brand new slot reusing many of the core mechanical concepts. What emerged is Ding Dong Death, a slot with both technical and thematic links to its predecessor, while twisting the gameplay into an enjoyably new challenge. Rounded off with a win cap of 14,280x the bet, players get another chance to tangle with symbol conversions and xNudging amidst a thanatological setting.