Mad Ducks

Mad Ducks: Slot Overview

Maxxi Labs and partner Bad Company have come together for a spot of hunting in the online slot Mad Ducks, a game that takes players to the great outdoors and lets them loose blasting parts of it. While traipsing about nature, taking aim at ducks, the on-grid focus is on landing coins and collecting their values. Both phases of play benefit from a coin-collecting mechanic, while free spins open up a selection of enhancements that can significantly alter how the game unfolds. There is more going on beneath the playful exterior than first meets the eye, so if you're in the mood for some virtual shooting at wildlife, do join us on the Mad Ducks hunt.

Maxxi Labs went full cartoon mode to create Mad Ducks' skin, and the appearance brought to mind Hacksaw Gaming's Zeus Ze Zecond. There was something about the doggy sitting obediently next to the reels which triggered memories of the Zeus from the other game. The canine is here to watch ducks get shot, which they do quite often as the game progresses. The ducks don't seem to mind too much, though, and spend their time sitting above the reels where they dispense various rewards at certain points. Overall, Mad Ducks exudes a feel-good attitude, as if players are wandering a sunny alpine region, their trusty dog at their side, pretending to shoot ducks to reap their rewards; you can see the appeal that might have for some gamblers.

The gaming area sits against a wooden wall placed in the middle of the countryside, covered with 5 reels and 3 rows of symbols. There are 20 paylines on the grid for evaluating wins, left to right from the leftmost reel. The math model has been designed to be highly volatile, and it pushes out an RTP of 96.1%. By clicking the minus and plus buttons, players can choose a stake of $/€0.20 to $/€10 per spin.

Mad Ducks' regular symbols are J to A ranks, bullets, knives, horseshoes, and trophies. Players collect 2x to 5x when 5 matching royals land or 25x to 100x when 5 matching premium symbols create a win. Wilds are not part of Mad Ducks.

Mad Ducks: Slot Features

Mad Ducks has a base game Reload Round, free spins with enhancements, boosters, and feature buys.

Reload Round

During the base game, if two scatters land above the bottom row, a respin is triggered. During the respin, at least one scatter will transform into a Collect symbol and collect any Coins on the grid. Coin symbols are worth 0.2x to 20x the bet, while Multiplier Coin symbols have values of x2 to x500. Multiplier values are collected and are active throughout the respin. There is a chance Coins may be collected from above the reels during respins. When Coins are collected from the grid, they are removed, and new symbols drop down. Reels with a scatter or Collect symbol move down one position while the other reels respin. Coins may randomly be added to the reels during respins. The feature ends when a scatter or Collect symbol reaches the bottom row, or free spins are awarded. If free spins trigger, multipliers persist into them.

Free Spins

Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. Random enhancements are granted when free spins are triggered and can be activated while the round is in play:

• Collect - Extra Collect symbols are added to the reels.
• Flying Ducks - The chance of Coins being added to the reels is increased.
• Extra 5 free spins when triggered.
• Super Duck - Coin symbols are split to include an extra multiplier on the grid. This also applies to Extra Spins Coins if active.
• Multiplier - Random multiplier is added when the enhancement triggers.
• Coins - Extra Coins are added to the reels, including Multiplier Coins and Extra Spins Coins.
• Extra Spins - Extra Spins Coins are added to the feature, with a value of 1 to 10 awarded when a Collect symbol is in view.

Multiplier Coins collected in the round are persistent for the duration of the round. Any Coin win is multiplied by the multiplier. Retriggers are possible, awarding extra free spins and enhancements.

Feature Buys & Boosts

Players can buy the free spins round for 100x or free spins with the Super Duck for 500x the bet. It is also possible to increase the chance of triggering free spins by 3 times at a cost of 2x the bet using the boost option, or guarantee a respin for 25x the bet.

Mad Ducks: Slot Verdict

Mad Ducks finds itself up against stiff competition in the form of Nolimit City's Duck Hunters and Duck Hunters 2. So instead of going head to head with those scatter pays monsters, Mad Ducks picks a different path, sticking to a more regular line wins and coin collection style of play. However, the studio has layered a stack of enhancements over the top, ensuring the action is not as straightforward as it may initially sound. The base game benefits from the Reload Round providing another source of entertainment, as Collect symbols move towards the bottom of the reels while coin values accumulate. The possibility of building a multiplier creates some form of chase, and the way the multiplier can persist into free spins (should that ever happen) gives the base game a useful connection to the bonus round rather than making the two feel completely separate.

Free spins are where Mad Ducks gets a chance to spread its wings, and the multiplier was absolutely indispensable here. With a decent multiplier on the board, the result might be quite good. Without one, the going can be a lot tougher. The Super Duck enhancement is another critical ingredient in the Mad Ducks formula. If a bonus didn't get that enhancement, it felt fated to be weak. On the flip side, when the Super Duck was active, the chances of a decent return were noticeably enhanced. Naturally, this is an anecdotal reaction based on a relatively limited set of bonus rounds rather than a statistical assessment, but it was the general impression formed over the course of the review.

All in all, there is more to Mad Ducks than was first suspected. It has a bright cartoon look to grab players' attention, then enough feature depth to keep things interesting for a while. With a 10,000x maximum win, there is certainly plenty to play for, although the game feels better suited to a more casual taste, particularly for players who enjoy animated feature sequences and collecting coins above all else. Otherwise, there is a cute collector game here, though nothing particularly remarkable.