Deadworld is one of the few slots where a single bonus feature carries the entire game — and does it well enough that we barely noticed the absence of free spins. Released by 1X2 Gaming in September 2016 under a Caliber Comics licence, this 5×3 reel build stakes everything on one idea: a Shootout pick-em that drops players into a zombie shooting gallery. There are no tumbles, no expanding wilds, no Megaways layer. Just 50 paylines, medium volatility at 95.00% RTP, and a bonus round designed like an arcade mini-game with a comic-book skin.
Story and World
Caliber Comics’ Deadworld launched in 1986 as one of the first serious American zombie comics, predating The Walking Dead by nearly two decades. 1X2 Gaming is one of the earliest UK studios to cut a slot licensing deal with an indie publisher — most Flash-era IP deals went through Marvel, DC, or film studios. The comic’s tone shows in the reel art: chalked roadsigns, a collapsed highway overpass, characters rendered as inked panels rather than the smooth 3D render most 2016-era 1X2 Gaming titles used. A bandaged female survivor serves as the wild, a scattered bullet triggers the Shootout, and even the card royals are redrawn in a dripping horror font. Layout-wise, this is a standard build from our 5-reel collection with three rows, left-to-right paylines, and everything unusual reserved for the bonus.
How the Shootout Bonus Works
Land three or more scatter-bullet symbols and the reels swap for a shooting gallery. A conveyor belt scrolls zombies across the screen, and you spend a fixed cartridge of bullets. Each hit reveals a random cash prize. The interesting wrinkle is the ammo loop: a small share of successful hits reveal extra bullets instead of a cash value, extending the round. Miss a zombie and the bullet is gone. The event ends when the cartridge empties.
We found the feature triggers more often than most single-bonus designs of the era. A bonus round slots design with one feature only works if it fires at a cadence that feels rewarding rather than starved, and the Shootout sits firmly on the rewarding side. The round also plays like a skill game even though prize-per-zombie is pre-rolled by the RNG — reviewers repeatedly report thinking they had aimed well before realising the outcomes were fixed at trigger.
Deadworld Strategy Tips
Because the Shootout carries most of the RTP, bankroll planning should centre on reaching it. The 50-payline structure starts at £0.20 per spin, placing Deadworld in penny stakes territory. Sizing a session for roughly 200 base-game spins gives most players multiple bonus triggers on average. Raising the bet higher does not change hit frequency — the RNG treats every spin independently — so the practical move is keeping stakes low enough that the Shootout arrives before the balance does.
Our Verdict
Deadworld earns its simplicity. The Shootout is the whole product, and it triggers often enough that the lack of free spins or multipliers rarely registers. The Caliber Comics licence gives the slot a visual identity most 2016 zombie reskins did not have, and the 95.00% RTP with medium volatility keeps sessions predictable.
It’s not a game for players chasing 5,000x max wins or modern feature stacks — the 500x ceiling and single-bonus design put it in the short-session, character-led bucket. Licensed-IP fans, pick-em enthusiasts, and anyone wanting a zombie break from cascade-heavy reels will find value here. Volatility hunters should look elsewhere.
