Iron Dog Studio’s online slot games portfolio continues to expand with its latest slot title, Western Wilds Hold and Win, last September 2, 2024. As its title implies, players are whisked into the wild west, where they enter a saloon housing a rowdy bunch of cowboys.
Players try to establish order by spinning the reels and landing winning combinations.This includes claiming different bounties from Wanted Posters while the Sheriff badge on the game board that will further increase their potential payouts.
What are the Main Features of Western Wilds Hold and Win?
Western Wilds Hold and Win is a high volatility slot game that comes in 95, 93, and 91% RTPs. Gameplay-wise, the game runs a classic 3-reel, 3-row game board and a fixed 5 paylines system. For its special features, Western Wilds uses the Special Collector Symbol, Cash Symbols, and the titular Hold and Win.
The Special Collector Symbol is depicted as the Sheriff’s badge. Whenever this symbol appears on the game board, if there are Cash Symbols anywhere on the rest of the reels, it will collect the Stake multiplier or prize value of those symbols and add them to the player’s winnings.
Moreover, the Sheriff badge can stick on the game board for up to 3 spins after it appears, so long as players do not adjust their bets for the next spin. If they do change their bets, the Sheriff badge will be removed from the game board, and players will spin fresh reels. That said, the Sheriff badge only appears on reel 2.
Cash Symbols take the form of various Wanted Posters. Each wanted poster features various prizes that include Stake Multipliers and special Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega Prizes. Stake Multipliers range between 1x to 1000x of the player’s bet, and any of the Prizes are listed on the top of the game board.
To get these Cash Symbols and their prizes, players need to land the aforementioned Sheriff badge on reel 2, while also landing any of the Cash symbols on reel 1 and 3. Cash Symbols also stick on the game board for 3 spins once they appear. However, if a player changes their initial bet when the Cash Symbols appear on the board, these will be removed and be replaced with a regular symbol.
Last but not the least, the game utilizes the Hold and Win feature. This is activated whenever a player lands the Sheriff badge and at least one of the Cash Symbols during any one spin. These special symbols will be held in place, and subsequent Cash Symbols that appear on the game board will be added to the player’s winnings.
Moreover, multiple Sheriff Badges can appear and trigger their collection mechanic on each of the Cash Symbols, further increasing the amount of potential winnings for players. Whenever a Sheriff badge or any new Cash Symbols appear on the game board while Hold and Win is active, it will grant players 3 free re-spins.
That said, all special symbols that have already been collected by the Sheriff badge will get re-collected during the re-spins, but they won’t reset the re-spin.
What are Online Slot Game Alternatives to Western Wilds Hold and Win?
Players who are looking for other Western-themed slot games can check out these titles from RealTime Gaming. They are all readily available on the Online Casino Games platform:
Jackpot Saloon
Jackpot Saloon sees players live in a western town where the titular saloon is being frequented by all manner of people, from cowboys to saloon ladies. This 95% RTP, high volatility slot title utilizes a 5-reel, 3-row game board as well as a fixed 20 paylines system.
Its special features include the Star Collect, Pick Bonus, and Free Games with Badge Features. These make the resulting spins very dynamic on top of potential winnings for players.
Whenever a player starts a game, each reel has a Star Collector at the top that collects a specific type of Star symbol. When the player lands any of the various Star symbols, they are added to the corresponding Star Collector. Once 5 Stars are collected on any reel, 10 Free Games are awarded. Free Games are played normally, but play begins with 1 Star symbol positioned on the corresponding reel.
When players encounter 3 or more Bonus Scatters symbols during their spin, this triggers the Pick Bonus feature. During the Pick Bonus feature, the player may reveal a Multiplier Award, a Star symbol, or a Dynamite symbol from choosing barrels.
The Multiplier Awards are paid out immediately, and Star symbols found are transferred to the player’s collection in the base game after the Pick Bonus feature ends. Picking the Dynamite symbol immediately ends the Pick Bonus Feature.
Jackpot Saloon still has a Free Games special feature like most online slot games, but players have two ways to activate this. They can either collect 5 Stars of the same type or 3 or more Scatter symbols trigger 10 Free Games.
During Free Games, each reel has a Badge collection with a corresponding Jackpot. If a Badge lands on a reel, it is moved into the respective collection which is located at the topmost part of the reels. After Free Games are complete, all reels with at least 5 Badges collected award the corresponding Jackpot. All pay-line wins during Free Games are multiplied by 3.
Trigger Happy
Trigger Happy is set in a sleepy western town where players take the role of the sheriff and keep the peace. Luckily, they are assisted with two beautiful deputies who make quite an impact whenever they appear on the reels, respectively.
This 95% RTP slot game utilizes a 5-reel, 3-row game board along with a fixed 30-paylines system. For its special features, the game uses Trigger Happy Bonus, Lucky Games Feature, and the Progressive Jackpot.
When three or more Sheriff Badge Scatter symbols appear on the game board, the Trigger Happy Bonus is activated. Players choose between the Redhead Cowgirl or Blonde Cowgirl for their respective bonuses.
7 Free Games are also rewarded for the initial Trigger Happy activation. When players manage to encounter 3 or more Scatters during this mode, they are rewarded with 5 more Free Games. Moreover, the Redhead and Blonde Cowgirls have corresponding bonuses during this feature.
The Redhead Cowgirl will substitute for Scatters during Free Games for once only per reel, or the Redhead Cowgirl will cover the first reel during Free Games. Meanwhile, the Blonde Cowgirl covers the fifth reel during Free Games, or the Blonde Cowgirl covers the fourth and fifth reels during Free Games.
The Lucky Feature can activate the Trigger Happy Bonus or Lucky Games feature. This can trigger at any time during a player’s spin, and when it does, the player is rewarded with one of two special features.
The first is Lucky Games, which randomly awards players between 5 to 10 Free Games, and Trigger Happy Bonus can also activate during the Lucky Games duration.
Lastly, Progressive Jackpots can be won at any time following the conclusion of a player’s spin. If a player manages to land a winning payline when the Progressive Jackpot hits, the Progressive Jackpot will add onto the player’s winnings.
Buffalo Mania Deluxe
Buffalo Mania Deluxe is a western-themed slot game that takes players into a different aspect of the Wild West. Specifically, this title sends players into the Western wilds, where majestic beasts such as the titular buffalo roam along with other wild animals found in the badlands.
Gameplay-wise, this 95% RTP, medium volatility slot game utilizes a 6-reel, 4-row game board that can expand up to 6×6. This complements its 4,096 Ways paylines system that expands up to 46,656 Ways whenever players activate one of its special features.
Its special features include Major Mania, Bursting Wilds, and the Bonus Wheel. When Major Mania is active, a randomly selected major symbol replaces all other major symbols on the gameboard. The gameboard may also increase in size to either 6×5 or 6×6 with 15,625 or 46,656 Ways, respectively. When the feature ends, the gameboard returns to its original size.
Meanwhile, Bursting Wilds is triggered randomly during the Base Game and Free Games. During this feature, the Bursting Wild symbol substitutes for all other symbols except Scatters. When Bursting Wild symbols appear, they count toward any winning combinations.
Finally, When 3 or more Scatter symbols appear anywhere on the gameboard, the Bonus Wheel feature is triggered. During this feature, the Bonus Wheel appears and players spin to win one or a combination of prizes.
If a Jackpot or a Prize is awarded, it will be added to the line winnings. During Free Games with Bursting Wilds, this feature is triggered randomly. After all the Free Games have finished, a banner will display the player’s total winnings during this feature. If there is a retrigger, the player is awarded the same option rather than re-spinning the wheel again.
