Introduction to Dusty Duel
Dusty Duel is a casino slot from BGaming where we get to experience, first hand, the speed and precision of the most dangerous cowboy in town. This cowboy is the titular Dusty, and she will join us, standing next to the playing grid, shooter in hand, as we spin for Multipliers and Duels. At this point, we aren’t exactly surprised to see Wild Western themes and Duel mechanics put together, as that is what many associated cowboys did back in the day, and we can see examples of this in games like Duel at Dawn, Wild Duel, Duel of the Dead Megaways, and many more. BGaming takes this common formula and adds Cascades, allowing us to hunt for the previously mentioned big Multipliers, which can go up to 170X, which will be added to the Multiplier Reel, and the Mystery Duel Symbols, which can either lead to Wild Reels or additional Multipliers. This comes together to a fun gameplay loop, which peaks in its Free Spins feature thanks to the persistent Multiplier Reel, and is the best way to hit the max win of 5,000X the bet.
Experience a game all about Cascades and big Multipliers, where Duels can help line up the big wins.
Theme, Gameplay, & Payouts
Dusty Duel is a video slot from BGaming with 6 Reels, 5 Rows, and utilizes Scatter Pay mechanics, needing a minimum of 8+ of the same symbols to form a win. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.2 and a Max.bet of 50. Dusty Duel comes with a high RTP of 97%, medium/high volatility, and an okay max win of 5,000X the bet.
The game is set in the middle of a small Western town, with the main character, Dusty, standing next to the playing grid. At the top of the playing grid is a revolver chamber that serves as the game’s Multiplier Reel. You can play the game on most notepads, mobiles, and desktops.
The lower-paying symbols are J, Q, K, and A. Creating a win with 12+ of the same symbols will pay out 0.4X to 0.8X the bet. The higher-paying symbols are rope, a hat, a cactus, boots, and a bag of gold. Landing a win with 12+ of the same symbols pays out 1X to 3X the bet. On top of this are the many Special Symbols, such as Wilds, Scatters, Multipliers, and Mystery Duel Symbols, but more on these in the next section.
Special Features & Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Dusty Duel?
You can win up to 5,000X the bet.
What features are available in the slot Dusty Duel?
The features are Wild Symbols, Cascade, Multiplier Reel, Wild or Dead Duel, Multiplier Showdown Duel, and Free Spins.
Wild Symbols
Wild Symbols help form winning combinations by being able to substitute for any symbols except Scatter Symbols.
Cascade
After creating a winning combination, the Cascade will trigger, removing the winning symbols and allowing new symbols to fall down from above to potentially create new wins. Cascades will continue until no more wins are being created, thus ending the spin.
Multiplier Reel
There’s a Multiplier Reel above the playing grid, which starts at 1X at the start of each base game spin, and increases by +1X with every win. Multiplier Symbols, which can appear on any reels, will add their value to the Multiplier Reel, which can range from 2X to 170X.
Wild or Dead Duel
The Wild or Dead Duel is one of two Duel bonuses that can trigger from the VS Mystery Duel Symbol. The Wild or Dead Duel gives two possible outcomes, either Wild, which turns the entire reel into an extended Wild Symbol, or Dead, which fills the reel with empty cells and can’t participate in wins until the next spin.
Multiplier Showdown Duel
The Multiplier Showdown Duel is one of two Duel bonuses that can trigger from the VS Mystery Duel Symbol. When triggered, 2 Multipliers fight, with the winning Multiplier being added to the Multiplier Reel.
Free Spins
By landing 4, 5, or 6 Scatter Symbols, you will be awarded the Free Spins feature with 10, 12, or 14 spins. During the bonus game, the Multiplier Reel stays persistent and doesn’t reset between spins, and by landing 3 or more Scatter Symbols, you will be awarded +5 spins.
Feature Buy
Through the Feature Buy, there are multiple options to trigger various features and bonuses for a price based on the current bet.
2X = Triggers the Chance Increase, giving you a higher chance to trigger the Free Spins.
100X = Awards the First Blood Free Spins bonus game, with a chance to trigger Duels.
200X = Awards the Dead or Alive Free Spins bonus game, with a guaranteed chance to trigger a Duel on each spin.
500X = Awards the No Mercy Free Spins bonus game, where a Duel is guaranteed on each spin, and the Multiplier Reel has an initial starting value of 50X.
Final Thoughts on Dusty Duel
The Wild West is one of the most common themes in casino slots, and for good reason, as it’s a cool setting that can be explored in many different ways, though they’re usually rather samey. Dusty Duel finds itself in a bit of a middle ground, as it comes with a pretty standard setting and theme that’s been seen hundreds of times before, but with some nice visuals, meaning, while fun to look at while playing, it doesn’t really leave a mark behind. Comparing that to Hacksaw Gaming’s 2020 release, 2 Wild 2 Die, which follows a similar setting of a gunslinging woman in a small town, Dusty Duel just doesn’t deliver on the same experience, making it feel a bit easily forgettable.
When it comes to gameplay, Dusty Duel has some interesting parts to it, and we enjoyed its Cascading reels and the semi-regularly big Multiplier hits, but as the paytable is pretty weak, the big Multipliers are sorely needed, and, as a result, may not feel as exciting. But, even so, we had a handful of exciting spins and high-tension bonus games thanks to persistent Multipliers, and, while we don’t feel like the Duels are as interesting as we would’ve liked them to be, they do shine in the Free Spins, especially if you opt to use one of the more pricier Feature Buy options.
But, even with a pretty good stat line, the game does come with a bit of a disappointing max win of 5,000X the bet, and that’s presumably because of its weak paytable. This means that while you may hit some long-running Cascades and a stacked Multiplier Reel, the final payout may still feel a bit lacking. But, at the end of the day, we still enjoyed Dusty Duel for its pros and cons, and can see there’s a bit of potential hiding behind the passing tumbleweed.
Dusty Duel is another Wild Western-themed game with Duel features, however, with a bit more of a focus on its Multiplier Reel and Cascades.
