Wild Dodo

The dark truth behind Wild Dodo, the newly-released slot from Montreal’s Side City Gaming: dodos were once peaceful birds, living in abundance on the island of Mauritius, until they were hunted to extinction by European ‘explorers.’ The design team is to be commended for this joyful tribute to the now-lost species, though there is a certain morbidness to playing a game with a fat, smiling dodo cheering players on, knowing full well that neither this this bird nor its like will be ever seen again on this earth. With that said, Side City has built a rich game, with vibrant design, plenty of bonuses, and an outstanding RTP of 97.015%. Next stop, Mauritius!

Theme

This slot is based on the rich animal life of an undiscovered island. Gaming symbols include gregarious turtles, colorful parrots, smiling fish, brightly-camouflaged lizards, coconuts, flowers in bloom, and island stylings of the playing card values ace through jack. The purple dodo acts as wild symbol, paying out a remarkable 10,000 times the bet size for five-of-a-kind wins; golden dodo eggs act as scatter, the gateway to the Dodo’s Nest Free Games feature. Caribbean-style music, replete with steel drums and a reggae backbeat, conjures a relaxed, island vibe, while the overall visual design is awash with color and vivacity. The reels, framed by carved wooden totem poles, stand before a gorgeous beach just a stone’s throw from the jungle, with a friendly purple dodo watching as gameplay unfolds.

Betting Options and Functions

Side City Studios reliably provides games that are rich in bonus features and visual design, with betting structures kept simple. This is the case in Wild Dodo. There are 20 fixed paylines, and players choose their bet size from 0.20–100.00 times the betting currency. Autoplay is available up to 100 spins, while a pop-up screen can be launched to explain pay structures, paylines, and game rules in detail. As previously mentioned, the theoretical return to player is an well-above average 97.015%.

Features

It’s befitting that an island so rich in natural treasures should mirror that abundance in its bonuses, and in this respect the design team does not disappoint. The Wild Dodo Re-spins feature can occur at any time, whenever a dodo wild symbol appears on the middle reel. This set three automatic free spins in motion, during which a dodo stacked wild symbol takes up the entire middle reel to form winning combinations.

Dodo’s Nest Free Games are triggered by the appearance of three golden dodo egg scatter symbols on the middle reels. This transports players to another realm, replete with golden eggs, each concealing a number of free spins along with a win multiplier. Players choose from these until three with the same value are revealed; then, bonus play begins in earnest. Up to 20 free spins are awarded at a time, with a win multiplier as high as five times the normal bet size.

Our Take

Side City Studios again impresses with Wild Dodo. As a choice of game theme, a large, flightless bird that has been extinct for hundreds of years would seem an unlikely choice, yet it has yielded up a treasure of a slot. This game is visually exciting, financially rewarding, and built for smooth, easy gaming.