Overview
Descend into the grimy depths of a mine with Nolimit City’s Dead Canary, an online slot that flips the traditional use of canaries on its head – here, their demise signals potential riches! Visually, it’s a rugged grotto-like chamber, simple yet effective, emphasizing the intense action. The game uniquely features 6 reels with a dynamic 3-4-3-4-3-4 row configuration that expands from an initial 3-3-2-2-1-1 layout, offering 20 paylines for wins. This isn't just another mining slot; it's a signature Nolimit City experience with Extreme volatility and a staggering 65,000x Max Win, promising an exhilarating, high-risk, high-reward adventure for daring players.
Gameplay & Features
Dead Canary's got a fair amount going on, but once you've wrapped your head around how the base game grid functions, it's not overly complicated. Here are some extras.
• Wild Mining
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When3, 4, or 5 of the same typeof pay symbol arediagonally aligned, and there isno winning combination, theWild Mining feature triggers. Thetriggering symbols are removed, andcreate wild symbolsin the empty positions. Landing 3, 4, or 5 triggering symbols awards1, 2, or 3 Wild bombs, respectively. Wild bomb explosionsincrease the win multiplier by +1for the next collapse. All other symbols explode, except xBomb symbols. If a scatter is blown away, it appears in anew random positionon the next collapse.
• xBomb Wild Multiplier
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xBomb Wilds substitute for any symbol except scatters. xBombsexplode symbols in a cross patternadjacent to them, except for scatters and other xBombs,increasing the win multiplier by +1for the following collapse. All xBombs will detonate before the next collapse.
• Canary Free Spins
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Scatter symbolsland anywhere, but those behind barriers remain inactive until they are unblocked. There aretwo types of scatters, Silver or Gold cages, and landingany 3 of them triggers Canary Free Spins. Now, free spins take place on a4-3-4-3-4-3-4 gridwithfour locked vaultsat the corners. Vaults areunlocked by xBomb explosions. Triggering cagescarry overto free spins, and each one gets3 hit points. If anycanariesare on vaults, theymove to a random position-3 free spinsare also awarded. Scatters start with avalue of x1, and theSilver cageversion cancollect in an x-shape from 1 position away; theGold cageversioncollects in an x-shape from the entire row. Thevaults also collect anything adjacent to them. When a scatterloses all 3 hit points, thebird dies, and itsvalue is awarded, then the bird isresurrected with 3 hit pointsagain. Here are thespecial symbolsused in the round:
Coins– add their value to the scatter when collected. Multipliers– double or triple a scatter's value when collected. Bomb– explodes and affects symbols in an x-shape. Explosions remove one hit point from a scatter and unlock vaults. Bombs reset spins to 3. Upgrade– upgrades Silver scatters to Gold scatters, adds a hit point to the affected symbols. Gas- removes one hit point from all adjacent canaries. Dwarf– can be collected by one scatter and adds a hit point. When collected, the Scatter collects the values of all other applicable scatters on each spin until it dies. When it dies, it respawns as a canary. Rat– can be collected by one scatter and adds a hit point. Rats share their value with all other applicable scatters on each spin until it dies. When a rat dies, it respawns as a canary. When spins end, unlocked Vault values are added to the awarded canary values and paid out.
• Nolimit City Bonus
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In applicable markets, players can access the Nolimit City Bonus tobuy the bonus round. Paying68x the betbuys regular Canary Free Spins, or500xgets you Golden Canary Free Spins. The third choice costs284xand is a lucky draw style option. When buying free spins, scatters are placed in random positions
Final Thoughts
Nolimit City's previous below-ground mining games have been heavy affairs, and Dead Canary keeps the tradition going with an equally weighty experience. The three games share a few things in common. One is the inventive base game grid layouts, where things such as expansions and reel unlocking capabilities are rife. Dead Canary takes this a step further, where the grid's almost leaning quality might make it a little tricky to grasp how wins are formed and, at times, why a win happened at first. The dropping, sliding effect of the collapse mechanic felt similar-ish to the one used inELK Studios' slotCluster Slide. You do get used to it after a while, and it offers a new slant on the action to try out.
Speaking of action, the base game actually saw quite a lot of it. Wins were plentiful, as were collapses, but payout values, even after a semi-lengthy game round, tended to be surprisingly on the low side. This wasn't as detrimental when playing regularly, yet with the xBet switched on, the game chewed through the balance at a noticeably faster rate. The flip side is that the free spins feature did trigger a lot more when the xBet was activated. As an indicator after tracking the first 1,000 or so spins (if memory serves), the first 500 were played in the regular mode, triggering free spins three times with a max payout of around 70x. The next 500 were with the xBet on, resulting in around half a dozen free spins triggers with a top payout of 183x. That seemed like a lot of triggers, considering the official free spins frequency is 1 in 197 spins, though, of course, this is simply an indication from a small sample size, which could go either way out in the wild.
Bonus round wins could have been higher if canaries didn't have to die before they awarded their values. Bonus rounds were quite busy, too, with loads of landing, collecting, gassing, unlocking, multiplying and so on, but returns could be so-so, regardless of the flurry. As mentioned, one of the reasons is because if those canaries don't perish, bad luck, you miss out. Unlike regular hold 'n wins which award everything that hits, you've got to land something decent, then hope the bird gets nuked or gassed so you can collect. It's kind of like commodity traders making a fortune when wars push commodity prices up. Back in the gambling realm, Canary Free Spins also brought to mindPush Gaming'sMad Cars, where juicy AF car symbols could land, but if they didn't pass the finish line, oh well, no money for you. So yeah, the tease might be strong with this one.
Of course, this is Nolimit City, so those familiar with their work probably aren't expecting to just tap a rock and watch gold come pouring forth like a shaken beer can. Mining is hard work, and Dead Canary can be, too, though it is another highly creative game like nothing else out there. It can frustrate but also reward to the tune of up to65,000x the bet. So, for a challenge or to experience another Nolimit City envelope-pushing slot, Dead Canary is worth a prospect.
