Wanted Outlaws Nobleways: Overview

Independent Microgaming partners All41Studios bring back their in-house Nobleways™ game engine for a second run in Wanted Outlaws. This time it’s been given spurs, Stetsons, and all the trimmings of the ever-popular Western slot theme. Given All41’s habit of taking inspiration from elsewhere, it would be easy to expect a Dead or Alive retread. Instead, the studio appears to be pushing forward with ideas that feel more their own.

That said, Wanted Outlaws Nobleways doesn’t really introduce anything groundbreaking – beginning with the trademarked pay mechanic. Nobleways has previously been criticised for not being especially inventive, and in Wanted Outlaws it feels even less clearly defined. In Mayan Eagle, Nobleways referred to 15,625 ways to win, while Wanted Outlaws offers 3,125 Nobleways. Which raises the obvious question: what exactly is Nobleways? Right now, it seems to be little more than a branded label the studio applies to whatever number of win ways it chooses.

Once Western Outlaws boots up, you’re met with a 5×5 game area set on a scorching frontier-town main street. Broken cartwheels sit around in front of battered wooden buildings – a classic Western-slot backdrop. If you’re unfamiliar with the vibe, imagine Marty McFly strolling through Hill Valley in Back to the Future 3. A slow cowboy tune rounds it out; it’s familiar rather than fresh, but it does feel cosy.

Players can ride in with stakes from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin, on any device. The remaining stats are steady and predictable, led by a respectable RTP rating of 96.41%. The base game contains no features at all, with not even a wild appearing, but a hit frequency of 25.75% helps reduce the boredom while waiting for free spins. The wait also shouldn’t drag too much, as the bonus round is said to trigger once every 139 spins on average. Finally, seasoned gunslingers will welcome the high volatility, even if the upside may not be quite as impressive as it first sounds.

Wins on this Nobleways setup come from landing three or more matching symbols from left to right on any row. One notable difference is that the Rolling Reels feature from Mayan Eagle is missing here. If you win, you win – then it’s straight on to the next spin.

The paytable starts with low-paying 9-A royals, then moves up to horseshoes, rope, boots, hat, and pistols. Pistols top the lot at 20x the stake for five of a kind, and they’re also the only symbol that pays for two of a kind. There are also three wanted posters showing three different outlaws. Any mix of at least three of these symbols pays, but their real importance shows up during free spins.

Wanted Outlaws Nobleways: Features

The only thing bringing any real action to this sleepy one-horse town is a triggered set of free spins. To activate them, you’ll need sheriff badge scatters. They can land anywhere, and seeing 3, 4, or 5 awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins.

For starters, a wild symbol finally makes an appearance. It’s the sheriff, and he lands on reels 2-5, substituting for all symbols to help form winning combinations. Another adjustment in free spins is that the wanted posters now come with bounty values.

When wanted posters appear alongside a wild symbol, the sheriff collects all of their bounties. If more than one wild lands, the bounties are paid out multiple times. Bounty amounts are set as multipliers of the total bet. The masked man can award 2x, 5x, or 10x, the lady pays either 15x, 20x, or 25x, and the mustachioed man is always worth 200x. Once the round ends, the bounty total is paid. You’ll want it to be worthwhile, because free spins can’t be retriggered.

Wanted Outlaws Nobleways: Verdict

Wanted Outlaws took a little while to click. Early on, there’s not much to get hyped about, and the base game gives you very little to focus on. Over time, though, it starts to show a bit of charm, and the overall play becomes fairly soothing – within the limits of what Wanted Outlaws is capable of delivering.

Next to Mayan Eagle, Wanted Outlaws came across as the more enjoyable ride. If nothing else, it highlights how difficult it is to completely miss with a Western theme. Even so, it’s hard to overlook how generic Wanted Outlaws feels in plenty of areas. It doesn’t really bring anything new to the Western genre that wasn’t already there. The scenery, audio, and characters are the usual set you’d expect from this style of slot. Still, that doesn’t make Wanted Outlaws outright unpleasant.

The base game is largely flat, with very little going on and not even a wild in sight. On the plus side, you’re not stuck waiting forever for free spins. Once free spins kick in, the poster-collection mechanic can be entertaining as bounties stack up. But when the bonus round turns out poorly, it can leave you wondering if it’s worth climbing back into the base game saddle.

As for potential, Western Outlaws adds another question mark. Yes, it comes with an appealing headline – 2,500 times the stake on a single spin. The problem is that across a billion simulated spins, the biggest wins at max bet reached only 1,000x. That’s a tidy number, but it definitely takes some shine off the promise.

In the end, you’re left with a decent slot if you want something easygoing and breezy, though it’s not the kind of game most players will hurry back to after one session. Wanted Outlaws does what it sets out to do – a laid-back Western trip with a bonus round that can deliver. The bigger issue is that there’s nothing here that hasn’t been executed better elsewhere.