Dead Canary

Dead Canary Review

Dead Canary Reviewed by Casinogamesonnet.com

Nolimit City is going back into the mines for the third time in recent memory with Dead Canary slot. This game follows the releases of Fire in the Hole xBomb and Misery Mining. Dead Canary actually uses the same character from the latter game. We’ll discuss if the miserable miner’s third expedition is a worthwhile journey in the following review.

Gameplay and Atmosphere

This slot features 6 reels and an odd-shaped grid that begins with a 3-3-2-2-1-1 layout. The grid can grow as large as 3-4-3-4-3-4 when you unlock every position through features. You score wins by getting 3 or more matching symbols in adjacent reels. The weird grid shape makes it difficult to tell when this happens, but you should eventually learn how it works.

The atmosphere is dark and doesn’t offer much detail. We know this is a mining slot, but it’s still a little glum even when considering the subject matter. But then again, the game title is Dead Canary.

Payouts and Max Win Potential

Standard symbols include five royals (A-10), a compass, flask, hook, miner, and rat. The miner pays the most among regular symbols at 7.5x the stake for six matches. You can hit a maximum win worth 65,000x your stake.

RTP, Volatility and Betting Options

The default Dead Canary RTP is 96.02%, although this figure can be lower based on online casinos’ preferences. You can check the info screen to see what payout percentages you’re dealing with. Volatility is rated 10/10, which makes sense considering the 65,000x maximum payout.

You can wager between €0.20 and €100 per spin. The xBet option unlocks blocked positions and guarantees a scatter on each spin. In exchange, you must risk an extra 40% on top of your stake.

Game Features

This game contains several features, most of which are familiar in Nolimit City slots. However, Canary Free Spins do come loaded with modifiers and are confusing at first. We’ll do our best to unpack everything below, including the free spins.

Avalanches & Opening Blocked Positions

Winning symbols disappear from the grid and leave vacant spaces. Symbols from above fall into these positions and provide more chances to win. Avalanches continue as long as new wins keep forming.

The avalanche effect also opens blocked rows, thus providing more ways to win. You can open closed rows through the Wild Mining feature and xBomb Wilds too.

Wild Mining

This feature happens when 3, 4, or 5 matching symbols are diagonal from each other on a non-winning round. Wild Mining replaces the relevant symbols with xBomb Wilds (explained below). You’ll receive 1, 2, or 3 xBomb Wilds for three, four, or five triggering symbols, respectively.

xBomb Wild Multipliers

These wilds perform multiple functions, including substituting for regular pays, exploding, and boosting a win multiplier. The explosions happen in a cross pattern and affect nearby symbols (minus scatters). Each explosion causes the win multiplier to increase by +1.

Canary Free Spins

You trigger Canary Free Spins by landing 3 Gold or Silver caged scatters (turn into canaries) on unblocked positions. The Gold and Silver scatters both collect symbol values (a.k.a. coins), but they do so in different manners. The Silver variety collects them up to one position away in an x-shaped pattern. Gold scatters gather coin values from a whole row in an x-shape. You’ll see the values add up on the triggering scatters as they collect.

Canary Free Spins have an expanded 4-3-4-3-4-3-4 grid with four locked cages in each corner. You blow the cage doors off through xBomb Wild explosions. Triggering scatters/canaries have 3 lives and will award their values after dying from explosions.

This bonus contains several special symbols, including the following:

• Bomb – Blows up and impacts nearby symbols in an x-pattern. Bombs also take points from scatters and will blow open the corner cages.
• Coin – Symbol values that add to a scatter’s overall value.
• Gas – Takes one life from all canaries adjacent to it.
• Miner – Adds one life to a scatter and collects coin values until the scatter dies. At this point, the scatter comes back to life as a canary.
• Multiplier – Double or triple a scatter symbols’ value.
• Rat – Adds one life to a scatter and comes back as a canary after dying (like the miner). This symbol also shares its values with all scatters until dying.
• Upgrade – Transforms Silver scatters into Gold scatter symbols.

Bonus Buy

You can use multiple options for buying features, including the following:

• 68x the stake – Canary Free Spins w/ Silver scatters
• 500x the stake – Canary Free Spins w/ Gold scatters
• 284 the stake – Lucky Draw with a 50/50 shot at either type of Canary Free Spins

How Does Dead Canary Compare to the Series?

Fire in the Hole xBomb kicked this series off and introduced Nolimit’s xBomb feature. This concept, along with the loaded free spins, have extended to Misery Mining and Dead Canary. All three slots share similar win potential as well. Fire in the Hole, Misery Mining, and Dead Canary offer max payouts worth 60,000x, 70,000x, and 65,000x, respectively. These three games also have right around 96.06% RTP for their top payout percentage.

One difference between Dead Canary and the other games is a few modifiers during free spins. The other difference is the grid style, which, due to its odd shape, can cause a little confusion. Other than these aspects, Canary plays mostly the same as Misery Mining and Fire in the Hole.

Final Thoughts on Dead Canary Slot

Despite what the name suggests, Dead Canary is another lively mining adventure from Nolimit City. It has enough features to keep the action rolling in both the base game and bonus round. The latter really takes you on a minecart ride due to its various symbols and serious win potential. Again, you can win as much as 65,000 your total bet.

The only real downside is the atmosphere, which doesn’t have much character. Outside of cutscenes during the bonus, you’re pretty much staring at a dark rock wall. But heh, this game is about a miner who’s digging deep into a cave.

Even with the drab atmosphere, Dead Canary is still a standout online slot. It offers plenty of features, fast-paced action, and big potential wins. That said, we definitely recommend giving this game a chance.

Release Date

Dead Canary was released on December 20 2022.