Introduction to Dead Man’s Crew
Dead Man’s Crew is a casino slot from Slotmill featuring eye-catching visuals and smooth spins. We’ve seen treasure-hungry pirates in games like Barbarossa Dragon Empire and Bonnie’s Buccaneers, appealing with the thrill of sailing the high seas. Here, we get a well-produced design and a familiar formula with some interesting twists. Pirates are known for not following the rules, and Slotmill has adopted this mindset by adding roaming Wild Multipliers to a familiar cluster-pays structure. Even though the theme is familiar, it offers enough innovation and payout power to offer a memorable slot experience.
Theme, Gameplay, & Payouts
Dead Man’s Crew is a video slot by Slotmill that features 6 reels and 6 rows. Due to the cluster pays mechanic, this game has no regular pay lines; wins are created by landing 5 or more of the same symbol type in an adjacent cluster anywhere on the reels. You can select bet sizes ranging from 0.2 to 100, with a default RTP of 96.07%. However, casino operators can also use 94.09%. This game has high volatility and offers potential wins of up to 10,000X your bet.
The game’s design is based on a pirate theme, featuring a 6x6 game grid set inside a tavern, or perhaps a pirate hideout. The setting is familiar, but with great attention to detail, such as coins, skulls, and an exciting slot atmosphere. If you want to boost the gaming experience for a cost, activate the Feature Buy or Fast Track buttons on the left side. All other buttons, including the Spin and Bet Size, can be found below the reels. You can play Dead Man’s Crew on all mobile devices, desktops, and notepads. You create a winning combination by landing 5 or more of the same symbol types on adjacent clusters anywhere on the reels, triggering the Avalanche.
The lower-paying symbols are blue, green, orange, and pink gems. Landing 20+ of the same symbol type pays between 5X and 6X. The higher-paying symbols are a dice, cards, knives, beer, and a pirate. Landing 20+ of the same symbol type pays between 10X and 20X.
The game’s Wild Scatter Symbol has the design of a “W,” and landing 3 or more will trigger the Bonus Game. If this symbol type is part of a win, its multiplier increases by 1X and moves to a random adjacent position. Let’s continue with the features.
Special Features & Slot Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot of Dead Man’s Crew?
The max win is 10,000X the bet.
What features are available in the slot of Dead Man’s Crew?
The features of this slot game are Avalanche, Wild Symbol, Feature Hotspot & Crew Features, Free Spins, Xtra-Bet, Burst Mode, and Feature Buy.
Avalanche
The Avalanche feature is activated when a win is created, and the winning symbols will be removed from the reels. New symbols will fall from above and allow new winning combinations; this will continue as long as new winning combinations are created.
Wild Symbol
The Wild Symbol substitutes all paying symbols and helps you create winning combinations. Whenever its part of a winning combination, it multiplies the win by its current multiplier value. After being part of a win, the Wild Multiplier value increases by +1X and moves to a random adjacent position before new symbols are dropped. If multiple Wild Multipliers are part of the same win, their values are added together.
The Wild Symbol also works as the game’s Scatter Symbol, and landing 3 or more Wild Scatters will trigger the Bonus Game.
Feature Hotspots & Crew Features
At the start of each spin, Feature Hotspots are randomly placed on the game grid and marked with a blue frame. If a symbol inside a Feature Hotspot becomes part of a win, it activates one of the Crew Features:
Transform = When no more wins are available, all symbols of the selected type, including the Feature Hotspot itself, are transformed into another symbol.
Symbol Removal = When no more wins are available, all symbols of the selected type are removed from the reels.
Mystery Trail = When no more wins are available, the symbol moves towards a target position, turning every position it passes over, except wilds, into Mystery Symbols. All Mystery Symbols then transform into the same pay symbol type.
Wild Spawn = When triggered, the Feature Hotspot itself and up to two other symbols are converted into Wilds.
Hotspot Generator = When triggered, the Feature Hotspot itself and up to three other positions are converted into new Feature Hotspots.
Wild Booster = When triggered, the multiplier of all wilds increases by +1X. This feature is only available during Free Spins.
Wild Doubler = When triggered, the multiplier of all wilds is doubled. This feature is only available during Free Spins.
Extra Spins = Awards 2, 3, or 4 additional Free Spins when triggered. This feature is only available during the Free Spins.
Free Spins
This feature can be triggered by landing 3 or more Wild Scatter Symbols, awarding 8 Free Spins. During the feature, the multiplier values of Wild Scatters are not reset between spins.
Here, the Wild Doubles, Wild Booster, and Extra Spins can be triggered.
Burst Spins
Trigger this feature to experience a scaled-down experience at a rapid pace.
Xtra-Bet
You trigger the Xtra-Bet at an extra cost of 50% of the current bet. When this feature is activated, the chances of triggering Bonus Games increase by 1.9 times, with an RTP of 96.16%.
Feature Buy
If you want to boost the gaming experience, you can use the Feature Buy options:
5X (1 Wild) = Guarantees a spin with one Wild Scatter Symbol with an RTP of 96.27%.
20X (2 Wilds) = Guarantees a spin with two Wild Scatter Symbols with an RTP of 96.31%.
100X (Bonus) = Activates the Free Spins with an RTP of 96.48%.
500X (Super Bonus) = Activates the Super Free Spins with an RTP of 96.65%.
Final Thoughts on Dead Man’s Crew
Slotmill adds another well-produced slot to its portfolio. This time, we enter the pirate’s tavern featuring smooth graphics and a thrilling atmosphere, staying true to the theme without any surprises. The soundtrack adds to the adventurous vibe, giving the game a cinematic feel.
Looking at the gameplay, Slotmill departs from its usual Win Multiplier, seen in recent games such as Dark Forge and Ragnarok Gold. Instead, the studio gives the spotlight to the Wild Multiplier Symbol. During this high-volatility game, the Wild Multiplier gets sticky during the Avalanches and roams around the game grid, increasing its value for each win it’s part of. Combined with Crew Features, we enjoyed the game’s solid win potential and unpredictability, with something different happening on every spin. So what about the Free Spins? Here, we get a boosted experience with special Crew Features, giving the Wild Multiplier even more room to grow.
Overall, Dead Man’s Crew is a solid addition to the pirate slot genre. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it gives the familiar theme enough personality to make its own mark on the high seas. We enjoyed the effective gameplay, where the Wild Multiplier offers a convincing way to reel in large payouts. However, the high volatility should be considered, as the game can deliver long periods between bigger wins and feature triggers, but when they do, it offers a good chance of looting big treasure.
Dead Man’s Crew is a solid addition to the familiar pirate theme, where roaming sticky Wild Multipliers can help you uncover a treasure chest of winnings.
