Sticky Bandits Wild Return

Sticky Bandits Wild Return (Quickspin): Overview

When the original Sticky Bandit was launched back in 2017, it had everyone in the casino streaming community turning their heads. Outstanding graphics and, more importantly, a western-themed slot featuring a free spins game with giant sticky wild blocks made most of the hardcore gamblers drool with excitement. When it finally arrived, Sticky Bandits turned out to be a giant disappointment instead, its great premise ruined by nonsensical payouts. In what could have been the iGaming gunfight duel of the decade against rivalling developer NetEnt who's been dominating the genre with its classic Dead or Alive, Sticky Bandit never stood a chance, for it was merely armed with a toy gun in comparison. Nevertheless, it must have served Quickspin fairly well as the studio now prepares to launch a sequel.

Returning to the wild west some two years later, surely the outlaws must have learned to pick more rewarding targets to rob by now? Sticky Bandits Wild Return utilities a setup of 5 reels, 4 rows and 40 paylines, and is a significant improvement in every aspect compared to the original. Playable across all devices from 40 cents to 100€ per spin, you'll benefit from a mini-game that can trigger in the main game and which can deliver wins of up to 500 times your stake. There's also a Lucky Shot free spins feature included where mega symbols can turn wild and stick in position throughout the round. Sounds familiar? In more ways than not, it actually is as you will see.

Visually, Sticky Bandits Wild Return looks phenomenal. Placing it side by side with the original will give you a good idea of how much better Quickspin has become in just two years at designing games. Not only is it exceptionally detailed, but the high definition graphics and superb animations give it more of a dynamic and vibrant feel. Quickspin has always set the bar high when it comes to visual presentation, but here you're in for a real treat. With an equally excellent soundtrack to get you in a gun-slinging mood, symbols on the reels include dollar bill style A to J card suits along with boxes of cigars, whiskey glasses, and three outlaws of which the female is the most rewarding, giving you 10 times your stake for five of a kind. Not only do all symbols appear fully stacked on the reels, including the regular wild symbol, the three outlaws can also appear as massive symbols, cover 2x2 or 3x3 positions on the reel set.

Sticky Bandits Wild Return (Quickspin): Features

The biggest difference to the original is probably the addition of the mini-game known as the Quick Slot Bonus feature. It comes into play when a Quick Slot symbol appears in view on the 5th reel in the main game. Basically, you get between one and three spins on a classic looking one-armed bandit that comes with only four symbols (cherries, bars, horseshoes and lucky sevens). If three lucky seven's come up, you'll pocket the maximum win of 500 times your stake.

The highlight in Sticky Bandits Wild Return is, of course, the Free Spins round. Dubbed the Lucky Shot Free Spins feature, you'll gain access to it by landing three skull scatters anywhere on the reels. Starting with 7 free spins, anytime an outlaw shows up on the reels, a shot is fired, effectively transforming a random symbol.  If the shot hits a 2x2 or 3x3 outlaw symbol, all positions will turn into sticky wilds.

Sticky Bandits Wild Return (Quickspin): Verdict

Now, before you start jumping up and down with excitement, it should be mentioned that mathematically, things have not improved as much as we would have liked. While the original Sticky Bandits slot had a disappointing max win of around 700 times your stake (739x to be precise, is what the game could muster up during testing phase of 1 billion spins), the sequel offers a max payout of around 1145 times your stake which you're unlikely ever to win. With hard-hitting western-themed slots like Dead or Alive 2, The One Armed Bandit, and Tombstone just having been released, you can't help but feel that Quickspin yet again has missed out on a great opportunity to come up with a trending slot.

Having said that, Sticky Bandits Wild Return is a fantastic slot in almost every aspect and will surely appeal a great deal to recreational players. After all, the bubble that we hardcore gamblers are confined to is relatively small compared to the market as a whole. Sticky Bandits Wild Return might not become our go-to slot when we feel the urge for some gun-slinging action, but we certainly look forward to giving it a shot or two.