Duck Till Dawn is a fun and cleverly named slot machine by Kalamba Games, but fans of Quentin Tarantino’s From Dusk Till Dawn may be dismayed to learn that there are no vampires in this game. However, that only mitigates the strangeness to a minor degree. Duck Till Dawn is an unusual slot machine featuring a duck shooting feature that can stack multipliers like nobody’s business, set in a mystery carnival with crystal ball gazing, beat-up old dolls, and stuffed monkeys.
The carny-themed slot game has 6 reels and 4,096 win-all-ways to help you hit the jackpot. The gaming area is enclosed in a spiderweb-covered tent, with a multiplier meter and two free-spin meters obstructing the majority of the screen. It’s a pity, because the backdrop image seems professionally made. Some of the mood is lost because it’s visible throughout the game’s loading screen, but it doesn’t detract too much. In addition, it is held in check by a terrifying score in the style of “killer clowns,” which gives one a strange chill down one’s spine. Hitting spin has an air of mystery and intrigue about it, and it piques the interest of those who are interested.
The first step is to choose your wager, which may be anywhere from 60 c/p to an eye-popping $/€60 every spin. While the last Kalamba game we encountered, Goblins & Gemstones, was rather dangerous, Ducks Till Dawn is certainly no pushover. The 8 out of 10 rating for volatility indicates a high degree of risk. A 35.69% success rate is really good, so you should have no trouble staying focused as you wait for the free spins to accumulate and be activated (more on that in a second). Again, RTP stands out, this time in two distinct flavors. The first is the standard amount, which is 96.91%, and the second is the amount, which is 97.69% when the bonus buy is used. The highest we’ve seen in quite some time.
The symbols, again developed by Kalamba Games, make excellent use of the topic. Three or more of the same 9-A card symbols written on different colored ticket stubs yield payouts. These symbols make up the first five on the paytable. The premiums, which include toy monkeys, bears, and dolls as well as balloon dogs and snakes, require only two of a kind to pay out. Winning with a six of a kind from the later group will return 3.33x to 5x your original wager. The wild symbol, depicted here as a Zoltar lookalike holding a crystal ball, substitutes for other symbols to complete winning combinations.
Slot Game Features in “Ducks, Till, Dawn”
The Cash Duck mechanism is the heart of the action and may be used at any time. A win is scored when the crosshairs symbol lands in the same spot on a reel as one or more of the duck symbols that have moved there. As things heat up, a multiplier is added to the winnings if more than one duck is shot in a single spin. With 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 ducks in play, the multiplier increases to x2, x5, x20, x50, or x200, respectively.
Similar to the Blazing Bull method, the Spin Boost meters fill up while you play the main game. There is a free spins meter and a base quantity of free spins linked with each bonus. The related free spins meter fills up with the number of base game spins performed. Each free spins meter can be activated with a maximum of 15 initial free spins before the meter stops increasing.
There are two bonus games that may be accessed, the first of which is blue and the second of which is red. Free games are triggered by landing three or more scatter symbols of the same color to equal the number of free games shown on the Spin Boost meter. When two or more scatters appear during the feature, additional free spins are awarded, up to a maximum of 15, in addition to the normal payout. The crosshairs symbol gains a multiplier of up to 5x in bonus 1, and 10x in bonus 2, while free spins are active. Cash Ducks’ standard up to 200x multipliers apply here as well.
Kalamba’s extra buy feature, known as HyperBonus, won’t be available outside of countries where it’s legal. You may select for either 38.5x, 67.08x, 114.25x, or 161.67x your wager, or 7, 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. The maximum crosshair magnification across all configurations is 10.
Verdict on Ducks, Till Dawn, Slot
The developers at Kalamba Games, it must be acknowledged, often make things more complicated than they need to be. Although Ducks Till Dawn is less complicated than some of the other games in the Kalamba portfolio, simply attempting to read the paytable here is somewhat of a pain, and trying to explain the features in writing may be a true problem. Having said that, the gameplay is novel, the graphics are good, and if you want a little multiplier action, you might enjoy what Ducks Till Dawn has to offer because it is rife with them.
While some players may be put off by the game’s graphic content, others may be interested by the duck shooting mode’s potential for true tension thanks to the inclusion of components that are otherwise uncommon. The feature may provide decent payouts during the main game, but the real excitement and potential rewards come into play during the free spins bonus round. The trick, as you would expect, is to shoot many ducks at once, bringing in a multiplier on top of the x5 or x10 crosshairs multiplier. Testing showed that shooting two targets at once was quite easy, but shooting three or more was challenging. If you get six, you’ll receive a crazy 200x multiplier, bringing your potential win to 15,595x.
Putting that concern to one side, Ducks Till Dawn is only the latest example of Kalamba’s penchant for releasing high-paying slot machines. With a high return to player percentage and a high hit rate, this game is quite accessible. When the game is in a good mood, shooting (fake) ducks is a lot of fun, and the addition of so many multipliers is brilliant, leading to a rush of adrenaline every time.