Western Wilderness is a 5-reel, 20-payline slot that's based on the American Wild West. As you can imagine, this game is filled with outlaws and shootouts. But does this slot offer anything different from the many other games that cover the same subject? Find out as we look at Western Wilderness' symbols, atmosphere, special features, and betting options.
Symbols and Atmosphere
Western Wilderness immediately prepares you for action by showing outlaws and lawmakers firing their pistols in a barren dessert. You're then taken to the reels, which are encased in a wooden frame filled with bullet holes. Add in whistling wind sound effects and a standard Wild West tune, and the atmosphere certainly reflects the theme.
Symbols include a steer skull (bonus), wagon wheel (wild), shotgun (scatter), treasure box (jackpot), moneybag, cowboy boots, female lawmaker, male lawmaker, horseshoe, sheriff's badge, outlaw, and ammunition.
The wagon wheel substitutes for everything except the special symbols, and it also multiplies payouts by 2x. If you form a 5-symbol win with the male outlaw (300 coins), for example, it's worth 600 coins with a wagon wheel involved. The jackpot icon is appropriately named because a 5-symbol win offers the game's highest payout at 500 coins - or 1,000 with a wagon wheel.
The graphics on the symbols look good, as is typical of most Rival Gaming slots. But the background graphics could look a little more crisp.
Western Wilderness Special Features
When you land 3 or more shotgun scatter symbols anywhere on the reels, you trigger free spins with a 3x multiplier. 3 shotgun icons award you 10 free games, 4 award 20 free spins, and 5 award 100 spins.
Landing 3 or more steer skulls anywhere on the reels will start the bonus round. This is the best part of the game because you enter a first-person-shooter mode and try to shoot glass bottles on a fence post. The more you hit, the larger your bonus prize is worth. At the conclusion of the bonus, you'll see a cowboy holding his pistol while your win is added up.
Betting Options
You have 3 betting options in this game, including changing coin size, coins per line, and paylines. Coin size can be adjusted from $0.01 to $0.25 with arrows at the bottom. Coins per line can be changed from 1-10. Paylines go from 1-20, and you change them with either buttons on the sides or arrows at the bottom.
Also note that you can use "Auto" to keep the reels spinning automatically with your betting preferences. However, this option is only available for real money players.
Final Thoughts on Western Wilderness Slots
Given how many Wild West slots are available, these games can run together. But Western Wilderness differentiates itself by offering up to 100 free spins and a unique bonus round. The latter sees you shoot bottles off a fence, which is more entertaining than most bonuses we've tried. The only thing we'd improve in this game is the background graphics, which are grainy. But other than this, Western Wilderness is definitely worth trying if you're into the Wild West theme.
