Ask most serious online gamblers to name one software provider that’s dominated the industry in the past two years and a fair percentage will probably say Nolimit City. Long gone are the days when game developers like Netent, Microgaming and Big Time Gaming ruled the iGaming sphere – and when you look at the quality of games that Nolimit City has been pushing out, it’s not hard to see why they’ve become such a force to be reckoned with.
Dead Canary slot is the name of one of their latest releases – and it’s actually based on quite an interesting backstory. Back in the day, miners used to take birds down with them; these birds served as a natural safety device. If the bird was seen to be chirping – as birds do – the miners could be relatively assured that the air they were breathing was safe, and free from toxic fumes. If, however, the birds suddenly dropped dead – or displayed respiratory issues – then it was a clear sign the miners needed to get out – fast!
Like many of the game developer’s video slots, the game offers some phenomenal win potential; players can win up to 65,000x their stake – although it’s worth noting that the max win probability is a staggering one in 7 million spins!
The minimum bet is 0.20 credits – which is pretty standard in today’s online gambling world – and the maximum bet can reach as high as 100! However, most online casinos will implement a much lower max bet, in an effort to reduce their financial liability.
The aim of this slot review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the game, including its theme, design, layout, bonuses and features. Additionally, our honest thoughts on the game will be shared to give you a clear picture of what to expect when playing. Let’s kick things off with a look at the design and theme of the game.
Dead Canary Slot: Theme, Design, and Layout
As noted earlier, the game is set deep within a mine (similar to Misery Mining) – and the dark, ominous landscape sets the mood as soon as you open up the loading screen!
The video slot is designed around a pretty unique layout, and there are a total of six reels – although the layout is rather unconventional, using a 3-3-2-2-1-1 starting configuration. When various new positions are unlocked, this game grid can increase to a 3-4-3-4-3-4 layout. In order to form a win while playing, you need to land three or more symbols on consecutive reels – and while it may seem a bit confusing at first, it’s easy enough to get the hang of.
Special Symbols, Bonus Features, and Gameplay
In terms of the symbols, Nolimit City has opted to use conventional playing card values, including 10, jack, queen, king, and ace to represent the low-value symbols. The higher-paying ones include a grappling hook, a flask, a compass, a rat, and a miner – the latter of which awards a payout of up to 7.5x your stake for a 6-of-a-kind combo.
There are also several special symbols – but we’ll talk about them in the “bonuses and features” section of this review in just a moment.
Dead Canary Slot: Bonus Features
One of the hallmarks of Nolimit City’s slots is the sheer number of bonuses and features crammed inside – and Dead Canary is no exception. Firstly, there’s the Wild Mining bonus. If you land three, four, or five of the same symbol in a diagonal arrangement, and NO winning combination is formed, this feature will be triggered. The symbols involved in the trigger are then removed, and wild symbols are left in their place. Wild bombs then “blast” other symbols out of the way, and increase a win multiplier by +1.
The Canary free spins bonus round is the main attraction of the slot, however, and this is triggered by landing any three of the gold or silver cage scatter symbols anywhere in view. When triggered, you’ll be taken to a new 4-3-4-3-4-3-4 grid, and four locked vaults appear in the corners of the screen. These vaults can be unlocked by xBomb explosions – and these triggering cages then carry over to the free spins.
If any of the canaries land on the vaults, they move to a random position – and you’ll be awarded with three free spins. All scatter symbols start with a multiplier value of 1x, and values that land around the scatters are collected. Once a scatter symbol loses all three lives, the bird will die, you will be awarded the value that was accumulated – and the bird is then resurrected.
There are also several special symbols used in the bonus round, including coins, multipliers, bombs, upgrades, gas modifiers, dwarfs, and a rat. Finally, if you don’t live in the UK, you can also purchase direct entry to the bonus round using the bonus buy feature. It costs 68x your bet for the regular bonus, and 500x for the enhanced version of the feature.
Conclusion
There’s no denying that Dead Canary slot is a pretty confusing game on the face of it. While this is nothing new for Nolimit City’s games, it does take a bit of getting used to – and even after reading the game’s rules, some players are left feeling a bit confused! That being said, the game is impeccably designed, and there’s some pretty indelible math work going on behind the scenes.
The fact that you can win upwards of 65,000x your bet is a major advantage for players – and, unsurprisingly, we’ve already seen some players hitting the max win! We also like that the free spins bonus round triggers – on average – once in every 197 spins. This means you shouldn’t have to wait too long to start seeing the action – although don’t expect to trigger the enhanced feature often, unless you’re planning on paying 500x for the pleasure!
If you are into this provider, make sure you check out their Walk of Shame slot, or if you are looking for a BTG game, we highly recommend Rasputin Megaways slot for some big wins.
