Day of Dead

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Day of Dead: Slot Overview

If you're a seasoned slots player, chances are you're familiar with Día de los Muertos, the Mexican 'Day of the Dead' celebration. Held in November, it's a time when people joyfully remember their departed loved ones, honoring their memory with vibrant celebrations. During this event, it's believed that the spirits of the deceased return to visit their families. Given its colorful and celebratory nature, it's no surprise that this theme has become increasingly popular in slot games. Now, Pragmatic Play has joined the trend with their own take on it.

Interestingly, the game couldn't simply be named "Day of the Dead" due to an existing slot with that title. So, following a similar vein to "The Facebook," they opted for "Day of Dead." However, this quick-fix approach hints at a lack of originality in the game's development process.

Turning to the visuals, the background imagery is somewhat limited, as the 5x4 game grid dominates most of the screen. The setting resembles a spooky graveyard, evoking a Halloween-like atmosphere. However, on the reels themselves, there's a festive vibe, complemented by a lively mariachi soundtrack infused with jazz elements. While Day of Dead makes a decent first impression, it may not be compelling enough to immediately capture your full attention.

With a respectable default RTP of 96.50%, Pragmatic Play has assigned Day of Dead a volatility rating of 5 out of 5, indicating a high level of volatility. While its potential for big wins isn't extraordinary, it's not disappointing either, offering a maximum win of 4,500 times your stake. Players can set their bets ranging from 20 pence/cents to $/€100 per spin.

The majority of symbols in Day of Dead are regular pay symbols, with two wild symbols and one scatter symbol. On the lower end of the payout spectrum are the classic card suits: spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. Moving up in value, we have thematic symbols like shakers, drums, and guitars. At the top of the payout ladder are four character symbols, rewarding players with 6 to 15 times the stake for landing a five-of-a-kind winning combination. 

The green wild symbol functions as a standard wild, substituting for all paying symbols. On the other hand, the tombstone wild is an expanding wild that can cover an entire reel. Both wilds contribute to forming winning combinations.

Day of Dead: Slot Features

Despite its name, Day of Dead offers a different take on the traditional slot features you might expect. Instead of free spins with expanding symbols, the game introduces Walking Wilds and a Free Respins bonus.

Walking Wilds

When a tombstone wild symbol lands, it expands to cover the entire reel, triggering a respin. These expanded Walking Wilds then move one reel to the left with each respin until they exit the grid. Additional expanding wilds may also land during these respins, continuing the process until no Walking Wilds remain on the screen.

Free Respin Feature

Triggered by landing 3 scatter symbols on reels 1, 3, and 5 in the base game, the Free Respin feature offers an indefinite number of respins. As long as Walking Wilds are present on the screen, the feature remains active. During these respins, a special tombstone symbol appears and is collected. These collected symbols are stored at the top of the grid and can later be added to the reels as Expanded Wilds.

At the start of the round, 2 collectible wilds are already awarded. These can be added to the grid, triggering respins. Collected wilds may also be randomly added back to the reels during respins or when no Expanded Wilds remain. The feature concludes when there are no more Walking Wilds on the reels and no collected wilds left.

Comparison with Other Games

Game Design for “Day of the Dead”

The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a vibrant and colorful celebration observed in Mexico and other Latin American countries. It’s a time to honor and remember departed loved ones, celebrating their lives with joy, music, and elaborate altars adorned with marigolds, candles, and sugar skulls.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the fascinating world of game design inspired by the Day of the Dead. Imagine a game where players embark on a whimsical journey into the afterlife, encountering mystical creatures, solving puzzles, and unraveling family secrets. Let’s explore the key elements of this enchanting game:

1. Art and Aesthetics

The visual style of our game should be a feast for the eyes. Think vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and a blend of traditional Mexican folk art with a touch of magical realism. Characters could wear elaborate costumes, their faces painted like sugar skulls. The landscapes should evoke the spirit of ancient Mesoamerican cities, adorned with marigolds and papel picado (colorful paper banners).

2. Narrative and Quests

Our protagonist, Isabela, receives a mysterious letter inviting her to the Land of the Dead during the Day of the Dead festivities. She embarks on a quest to uncover family secrets, guided by her ancestors’ spirits. Along the way, she encounters mischievous calacas (skeletons), visits the vibrant mercado (marketplace), and solves riddles to unlock hidden paths.

3. Game Mechanics

• Altar Building: Isabela collects marigolds, candles, and mementos to build altars for her ancestors. Each altar unlocks memories and abilities.
• Spirit Animal Companions: Isabela befriends spirit animals like the wise jaguar, the mischievous hummingbird, and the loyal dog. Each animal grants unique abilities.
• Puzzle Solving: To progress, Isabela must solve puzzles related to Day of the Dead traditions. Arrange sugar skulls, match patterns, and decode ancient glyphs.

4. Soundtrack and Atmosphere

The game’s soundtrack should blend traditional Mexican music (such as mariachi and banda) with haunting melodies. Imagine wandering through a candlelit graveyard, the sound of distant laughter and marimbas filling the air.

5. Boss Battles and Ancestral Guardians

Isabela faces powerful ancestral guardians who challenge her with riddles and tests. Picture a showdown with La Catrina, the elegant skeleton lady, or a dance-off with El Diablo, the mischievous devil.

6. Unlockable Lore and Family Stories

As Isabela progresses, she uncovers family stories—tragic love affairs, heroic deeds, and long-lost recipes. These unlockables provide depth and emotional resonance.

Day of Dead: Slot Verdict

In a nutshell, Day of Dead can be described as generic. Everything about it feels superficial – from the reused features to the imagery straight out of a stock image folder. Even the name lacks creativity. It's akin to opting for a supermarket's own brand of food while grocery shopping – it gets the job done, but it doesn't exactly excite.

Pragmatic Play's take on the popular Day of the Dead theme lacks the individual spin that sets other versions apart. While it looks decent and has a cool soundtrack, it barely scratches the surface of the Mexican holiday's depth. The features are serviceable but not particularly original, and the maximum win is capped at 4,500x the bet to prevent endless free respin rounds.

Overall, Day of Dead feels like a sanitized version of Día de los Muertos tailored for foreign audiences. It's neither lovable nor hateable, making it a passable option if your goal is to try every Day of the Dead-themed slot out there.