Bullets and Bounty

Only one gunslinger is left standing when the blood has spilt and the dust settles in Hacksaw Gaming’s latest instalment, Bullets and Bounty.  You’ll never hear her coming, but you’ll see and smell the glow of her cigarette, surrounding her in a fiery halo. 

Known for her sharp-shooting and steady hand, she’s become the Belle of the Bounty Board, the Lady of Lead. Katherine (quick draw Kate) O’Callaghan has earned herself respect for surviving a four-man shootout.

With a black revolver she’s named ‘the last word’ and nerves of steel, even death itself is intimidated by her very existence. Any Outlaws brave enough to face her will be the last mistake they ever made. 

Saddle up and ride into the most daring and dangerous Duel you’ll ever face in this 5-reel, 5-row Video Slot, featuring Hacksaw Gaming’s popular DuelReels mechanic, as seen previously in Phoenix DuelReels and Wanted Dead or a Wild. 

Bullets and Bounty is the latest Wild West slot release, hoping to top the charts and knock the likes of Pirots 3 and 5 Wild Buffalo off its pedal stool, but will it prove successful? It’s been a while since a slot of this genre graced our screens, so we’re eager to see what Bullets and Bounty has in store for us. 

Sticking to certain traditions, Hacksaw Gaming has utilised 19 pay lines, 5 reels, DuelReels, and multiple Free Spins modes. With a fixed RTP of 96.27% and a high (5/5) volatility rating, this game can produce max win payouts up to 20,000x your bet. 

Join us as we head into the dangerous territory of Bullets and Bounty, and duel with the deadliest gunslinger we’ve ever encountered.

Bullets and Bounty Base Game

Bullets and Bounty Base Game and Features

Consisting of 5 reels, 5 rows, and 19 fixed pay lines, Bullets and Bounty awards winning combinations when 3-5 matching symbols land on reels 1 through 5, starting from reel 1. 

The highest-paying symbol is the Sheriff’s Badge, followed by the hat, pistols, skull, and wagon wheel, awarding fixed payouts between 0.5x and 10x your bet. The 4 remaining low-paying symbols, represented by card suits, reveal a fixed value between 0.2x and 1x your bet. 

Additional paytable symbols include Wilds and FS Scatters, responsible for the following outcomes:

• Wilds: Appear in the form of dynamite detonators on all reels, substituting for all paytable symbols in a winning combination.
• FS Scatters: Are responsible for triggering 3 unique Free Spins modes. Please note that Scatters do not appear in modes: Four Shots to Freedom or Go Ahead, Make Her Day.

Winning Combinations Reveal Payouts Between 0.2x and 10x Your Bet

DuelReels

During a game session, VS and Bounty VS symbols can appear on the reels. When they do, they will expand to fill the entire reel if part of a winning combination, forming a DuelReel. 

Fully expanded DuelReels will act as Wild symbols, substituting for all paytable symbols. After expansion, the DuelReel will participate in a Character Duel, each revealing a fixed Multiplier between 2x and 100x your bet. 

When a VS symbol expands, it will transform into an Outlaw DuelReel. After the duel occurs, the surviving character’s Multiplier will be applied to the entire DuelReel, applying its value to any winning combinations it is a part of. 

If more than 1 Outlaw DuelReel is part of the same winning combination, both Multipliers are added together before being applied to the win. 

Alternatively, when a Bounty VS symbol activates, a special duel between the Bounty Hunter and an Outlaw ensues. If the Bounty Hunter wins the duel, the current Multiplier from the losing Outlaw is collected and combined with her existing value, triggering a new Duel. 

At the start of the new Duel, the Bounty Hunter will reveal the combined Multiplier from the previous duel. This continues until the Bounty Hunter loses or after 3 Duels have been played. 

When the Bounty Hunter loses a duel, her collected Multiplier is applied to the entire DuelReel. Please note that Bounty DuelReels reveal a starting Multiplier of 2x your bet. 

VS and Bounty VS Symbols Apply a Multiplier Between 2x and 100x Your Bet to Winning Combinations

Bullets and Bounty Free Spins

The first of the Free Spins modes, True Grit, is activated when 3 FS Scatters appear within the base game, awarding 10 Free Spins. Once active, players are met with a special Bonus Gamble, where 1 of 6 outcomes can be won:

• Outcomes 1 & 2: Award the Four Shots to Freedom mode
• Outcomes 3 & 4: Award an instant prize of 5x  your bet
• Outcome 5: Awards an instant prize of 10x your bet
• Outcome 6: Awards an instant prize of 20x your bet

This mode retains the same base game mechanics, with the addition of progressive Bounty Hunter Multipliers. The latest Bounty Hunter to win a duel will automatically become the next available Multiplier to appear on a DuelReel. 

Finally, landing 2 or 3 FS Scatters will award an additional +2 and +4 Free Spins, respectively. 

Bullets and Bounty Bonus Gamble

Four Shots to Freedom

The second Free Spins mode available is Four Shots to Freedom, triggered when 4 FS Scatters land in the base game, awarding 10 Free Spins. 

Again, this mode retains the same base game mechanics while introducing a special Bullets & Bounty Bar to the outside of the grid, responsible for DuelSpins and VS symbols.

During this mode, each duel the Bounty Hunter wins will increase the Bullets & Bounty Bar by +1 step. When a section of the Bar is filled, a new DuelSpin Level is awarded:

• 2 Bounty Hunters: Unlock level 1, awarding +3 Free Spins and a DuelSpin with a minimum of 2 VS symbols
• 3 Bounty Hunters: Unlock level 2, awarding +3 Free Spins and a DuelSpin with a minimum of 3 VS symbols
• 4 Bounty Hunters: Unlock level 3, awarding +3 Free Spins and a DuelSpin with a minimum of 4 VS symbols
• 5 Bounty Hunters: Unlock level 4, awarding +3 Free Spins and a DuelSpin with a minimum of 5 VS symbols

Each DuelSpin is triggered immediately after the triggering spin and does not count towards your remaining Free Spins. If more than 1 level is unlocked in the same spin, they are awarded in order before proceeding to the next Free Spin. 

Bullets and Bounty Four Shots to Freedom Free Spins

Go Ahead, Make Her Day

Lastly, the Go Ahead, Make Her Day mode is triggered by landing 5 FS Scatters during the base game, awarding 10 Free Spins. 

This mode, also known as the hidden epic bonus, utilises the same mechanics from Four Shots to Freedom, starting with a Level 1 DuelSpin. Additionally, this mode also has progressive Bounty Hunter Multipliers. 

Feature Buy

Players with access to Feature Buys can participate in 5 purchasable options, including several Featurespins:

• Bonushunt Featurespins: Each spin is guaranteed to be 5 times more likely to trigger a Free Spins mode for 3x your bet (RTP 96.24%)
• Bad Blood Featurespins: Each spin guarantees to award a minimum of 2 VS or Bounty VS symbols for 60x your bet (RTP 96.36%)
• Draw or Die Featurespins: Guarantees to award at least 1 Bounty VS symbol for 60x your bet (RTP 96.29%)
• True Grit: Awards 10 Free Spins and progressive Bounty Hunter Multipliers for 70x your bet (RTP 96.26%)
• Four Shots to Freedom: Awards 10 Free Spins and a Bullets & Bounty Bar for 200x your bet (RTP 96.3%)

Each of the above options reveals a variable volatility rating between Medium &High. 

Bullets and Bounty has a respectable max win potential of 20,000x your bet. If the sum of a single game round exceeds this, the 20,000x max win is instantly awarded. 

Bullets and Bounty Feature Buy Options

First Impression

Since the release of Wanted Dead or a Wild, the DuelReels mechanic has become a staple feature in many of Hacksaw Gaming’s releases. Although the theme changes, the magic of the DuelReels mechanic continues to impress and flourish. 

It feels as if Hacksaw Gaming is trying to relive the widespread popularity and success of the original release, which is a fair assumption given the chosen theme of Bullets and Bounty, but they’ve got our attention, regardless.

 As is the case with most Hacksaw titles, Bullets and Bounty reveals the star of the show, which appears to be a gunslinging, lady of lead character by the name of Katherine O’Callaghan (kudos, Hacksaw). Her on-screen appearance may be intimidating, but she’s a harmless animation that smokes like a chimney, for cosmetic purposes only. 

The way in which the DuelReels mechanic has progressed in this release is nothing short of exciting. Having the ability to enhance the current Multiplier of Bounty VS symbols is something we’ve not yet come across for this particular mechanic.

There are pros and cons to it, though, one being that the Bounty Hunter is required to win consecutive duels to boost the active Multiplier. During testing, we found the Bounty Hunter struggled to win over 2 consecutive duels, but we’re aware that may not always be the case. 

While the DuelReels mechanic has received a well-deserved upgrade, triggering any of the 3 Free Spins modes remains a challenge. If you’ve played your fair share of Hacksaw titles, you’ll know what we’re talking about. 

In true Hacksaw fashion, the game has a standard Free Spins mode, an upgraded version, and a hidden epic bonus, with only 2 of the 3 available to purchase via the Feature Buy option. As expected, each mode progresses in intensity and potential, while the hidden epic bonus could be considered a ‘Super Free Spins’ mode. 

As a whole, Bullets and Bounty has exactly the right amount of gunslinging action for any Wild West fanatic, offering a generous max win potential of 20,000x your bet, but will players reap the full benefits?

All in all, Bullets and Bounty is a well-rounded slot and a welcoming addition to Hacksaw Gaming’s DuelReels collection of games. The upgraded DuelReels mechanic will appeal to players with a soft spot for it.  

*The screenshots taken of games reviewed on this site are from Demo Play, as reviews are often written before the games are released for real play.