Duel at Dawn Slot Review

The Duel at Dawn Slot Game

There’s no hiding that Hacksaw Gaming is a master of engaging online casino games. Fortunately, that isn’t a compromise in this slot, either. Instead, the design is of top quality and immersive.

However, Duel at Dawn doesn’t come off as friendly at first sight. Instead, you’re coming across a morbid-looking chap pointing his gun at you with his finger at the trigger. The downward angle is as if you’re lying face down with your hands above your head, saying your last words.

However, the sunrise's golden rays illuminating the background and the heroic soundtrack blasting through the desert should offer a gleam of hope. So, there’s no choice of backing down once you commit to this gameplay. Instead, grab your hat and hop on your horse, ready for this artistic yet striking adventure!

Symbols and Payouts

Howdy, partner! It’s time to shake the symbols off the paytable and dissect each symbol’s function. In this case, nine regulars and a wild should help you complete winning combinations. The slot also has feature symbols, which I’ll explain further below.

Amid the 5x5 gameboard, there are 19 paylines to guide you in forming winning combinations. In other words, you win if matching symbols, as displayed in the paytable, align on one of the predefined paylines from left to right.

Ensure you consult the paytable for the number of each symbol required to win and the payout based on the selected stake.

The actual Jack, Queen, King, and Ace poker cards complete the low-paying category in Duel at Dawn. Hit three to five of the same to win 0.1x, 0.5x, and 1x the bet. Then, the premium symbols, which also pay for 3+ OAK, include the following:

• Cartwheel and Skull - 0.5x, 1.5x, and 3x the stake.
• Cowboy Hat and Pistols - 1x, 3x, and 6x the bet.
• Sheriff’s Badge - 2x, 5x, and 10x the stake.

The Wild logo may appear and can substitute for all the paytable symbols. Further, a payline of 5 wilds pays 10x the stake! Meanwhile, the feature symbols are the FS scatter, VS, and Outlaw symbols.

Duel at Dawn Slot Bonus Features

This video slot has many action-filled features to unpack, ranging from multipliers to two free spin bonuses.

DuelReels™

Any VS symbol that hits in Duel at Dawn will expand into a wild DuelReel if it can be part of a paying combo once expanded. After expansion, the DuelReel covers the whole reel, leading to a duel on that column. Every DuelReel has two multipliers worth 2x to 200x connected to the duelists (Sheriff and Outlaw).

The surviving duelist’s multiplier will apply to the whole reel, affecting any paying combinations passing through the DuelReel. All the expanded DuelReel positions count as wilds. Multiple DuelReels that are part of a winning combination will have their multipliers added, and only one VS symbol can land per reel at once.

The Outlaw Feature

Hit an Outlaw symbol, and it’ll expand into an entire wild Outlaw reel. It also shows a revolver with 1-6 bullets in its chambers, representing the wilds the Outlaw shoots at the gameboard. Multiple Outlaws on the grid at once cannot shoot several wilds onto the same grid positions or shoot at each other.

Up to 2 Outlaws can appear on one spin, and only one Outlaw can hit on a Duel at Dawn reel at a time. Each Outlaw reel can have a 2-200x multiplier applicable to any winning combo with the Outlaw reel. Multiple Outlaw reels in one winning combo will have their multipliers added first.

Wild Wild West

Hit 3 FS scatters simultaneously in the base game to activate this feature with 10 free spins. Although this bonus retains the base game mechanics, it has an increased chance of hitting the high-valued multipliers on the DuelReels and Outlaw reels.

It also has better odds of landing the VS and Outlaw symbols. Hope for 2 or 3 FS symbols to trigger +2 and +4 additional spins.    

Dusk ‘Til Dawn

Meanwhile, 4 FS scatters landing simultaneously in the base game trigger 10 free spins of this feature. It presents the chance to earn 4 DuelSpins with guaranteed VS symbols. You receive every DuelSpin by hitting the Outlaw symbol and emptying a revolver of 6 wilds to the Duel at Dawn grid.

Every DuelSpin starts immediately after the free spin that unlocked it and doesn’t count as one of the bonus spins. However, you can unlock only 2 DuelSpins per spin.

Further, they will sequentially unlock when you unlock more than one per spin before the next free spin. The 1st to 4th DuelSpins guaranteeat least 2, 3, 4, or 5 VS symbols and each unlocked DuelSpin awards +3 free spins!

Bonus Buy

The Buy Bonus button lets you buy different bonus game features from the base game. However, their prices vary between 3x and 200x the bet, depending on the feature selected.    

How to Win at Duel at Dawn Slot

The action in this video slot unfolds on a 5 by 5-platform, complete with 19 permanent paylines. Although the paylines are limited, winning shouldn’t be complex.

As mentioned above, the Duel at Dawn awards wins when you match symbols along a predefined payline on adjacent reels from the furthest left side to the right. Then, you can check the corresponding winning symbol payouts from the paytable.

The game awards up to 15,000x the bet! Fortunately, its €0.10 to €100 betting range should give the low and high-spending players a chance at winning the lucrative win cap. Here, you can start every game round individually or several spins automatically (Autoplay).

Duel at Dawn Slot RTP & Volatility

As a Hacksaw creation, you should anticipate variable RTPs. Here, they range from 88.37% to 96.30%, as determined by the game ID. Further, the gameplay has medium to high volatility.

The Final Thoughts

I always undertake to be factual and non-prejudiced when reviewing online slots for your benefit, dear reader. However, some online game developers perform exceptionally well with their creations, leaving me no choice but to praise them. So, please don’t judge me as I give my final thoughts on this Hacksaw Gaming production.

Even after gracing iGamers’ screens with outstanding games, such as Wanted Dead or a Wild, it seems this developer doesn’t settle for less. As such, this Duel at Dawn has so much potential to shake up the Wild West genre.

One notable thing about this online slot is its use of unconventional features. In other words, even if you’re playing the free spins or enjoying the multipliers, their dense nature translates to an unmatched experience. Further, the game adopts a high-quality design, a wide betting range, and a significant win cap of 15,000 times the bet!

I’m not insinuating that it lacks shortcomings. In fact, its variable RTPs and almost complex features may be a bit disappointing to some players. However, I don’t think they match up to the slot’s brighter side, making it an endearing adventure!