Skate or Die

Skate or Die Review

Nolimit City invites you to strap on your kneepads and helmet for a gnarly ride back to the 90s with their latest creation, Skate or Die slot. This cartoonish game plays out in a graffiti-splashed skatepark, where pop-punk anthems blare and Chad, the eternally optimistic (and perpetually injured) skater dude, becomes your companion. Witness his hilarious yet wince-inducing attempts at mastering various tricks in the win story, a spectacle that might prove too graphic for the faint of heart.

Brace yourself for a wild ride, as Skate or Die boasts a volatility rating of 10 out of 10, promising plenty of dry spells in the base game. However, the potential for solid payouts looms thanks to top-row multipliers that boost feature symbols like xNudge and xZone wilds, the latter being a guaranteed feature in all 3 bonus round tiers. The top-tier Boneyard FS feature introduces the Supreme xNudge Wild, accumulating all top-row multipliers, offering your best shot at reaching the 30,000x max win. For the truly daring, the Busta Mechanic Crasher Game gamble feature awaits after any win exceeding 30x, including bonus rounds.

Technically speaking, Skate or Die unfolds on a 3-3-3-3-3 grid, excluding the multiplier-laden "Extra Sauce" top reel. Bets range from €0.2 to €100 per spin and Chad's grinning face is the top-tier symbol, followed by premiums showcasing his various battle scars. Landing 3 to 5 matching symbols across up to 243 win ways secures a win, with premiums awarding between 1.5x and 4x your stake for 5-of-a-kind. The top-tier RTP of 96.03% sits slightly above average, but lower RTP settings are possible. The max win, achievable roughly once every 11.8 million spins, surpasses the average hit rate according to our data.

Skate or Die Slot - Reels Screen

Skate or Die Features

Most of the action in Skate or Die NoLimit City comes from the top row multipliers being applied to xZone and xNudge wilds on the reels below. You get even more of that in all 3 bonus round tiers, and the Crasher Game adds a Busta mechanic gamble to the mix. Let’s take a closer look and clarify how it all works!

Nolimit Booster (not UK)

Turning on the xBet costs 10 % extra per spin, and it means you get a scatter symbol on reel 2 per spin. This presumably increases your bonus round chances, but unfortunately, NoLimit City does not reveal any stats about this in the game info. Alternatively, you can pay 10x your regular stake to get a guaranteed xNudge Wild per spin.

Extra Sauce Row

This top row reveals blanks or multiplier symbols of x2, x3, x4, or x10 above the regular reels per spin. To trigger the corresponding feature, you need xZone or xNudge wild symbols on the reel directly below a multiplier symbol.

xZone Wild

When a multiplier symbol from the top Extra Sauce row is applied to an xZone symbol on the reel below, the multiplier spreads to all adjacent symbols surrounding the xZone Wild. If multipliers overlap, their values are added together.

xNudge Wild

The xNudge Wild always nudges fully in place to cover any reel it appears on, and each nudge adds +1 to the win multiplier. Any multiplier from the Extra Sauce top row is added to the xNudge multiplier as well. In addition, the xNudge Wild absorbs any xZone multipliers assigned to symbols it nudges across as it fills the reel.

xNudge Wild Supreme

This symbol will only land in the top-tier Boneyard Bonus Round, and it absorbs all multipliers from the Extra Sauce top reel. It also picks up xZone multipliers if these are in its nudging path when it expands to fill the reel.

Skate or Die Free Spins

You need 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols in view to trigger the Bonus Round in Skate or Die slot, and this awards 10 free spins in the Face Plant, Dead Meat, or Boneyard bonus rounds, respectively. All 3 features play out similarly to the base game, but with some important differences as indicated below:

• Face Plant FS comes with 1 guaranteed xZone Wild per spin.
• Dead Meat FS comes with 2 guaranteed xZone Wilds per spin.
• Boneyard FS comes with 2 guaranteed xZone Wilds per spin, plus the possibility of landing the xNudge Wild Supreme symbol.

Skate or Die Slot - Free Spins

Crasher Game

Landing the Crasher Game symbol fully stacked in the base game equals a 30x win, and you may choose to gamble this win in the Crasher Game. Also, any regular win of 30x or above can be gambled in the Crasher Game, including after the bonus rounds. The Crasher Game is all about cashing out before the falling skateboarder goes bust and drops to his grave, which can happen at any time. The longer you dare to wait, the closer you get to the game’s 30,000x win cap.

Skate or Die Slot - Crasher Game

Skate or Die Bonus Buy (not UK)

Eligible players can take advantage of the Bonus Buy menu, and it comes with the following options in Skate or Die game:

• Crasher Game - costs 30x your stake.
• Face Plant FS - costs 60x your stake.
• Dead Meat FS - costs 200x your stake.
• Boneyard FS - costs 1,000x your stake.
• Lucky Draw (50/40/10 %) - costs 210x your stake.

Pros and Cons of Skate or Die

Our Verdict

With the release of Skate or Die, NoLimit City continues to redefine what's possible in slot games. It's hard to envision how they could've captured the essence of rebellious, carefree 90s skating culture any better than what you get in this game. From the stoner voice-over commentary of Chad, the hapless yet persistent skater, to the energetic pop-punk soundtrack, every detail contributes to a nostalgic and immersive experience.

The gameplay itself is packed with features that keep you on your toes. The inclusion of a Busta-type game as a gamble option adds a thrilling risk-reward element, while the top multiplier row can lead to explosive wins even in the base game. The bonus rounds, where xZone wilds are guaranteed, further amp up the excitement and potential for massive payouts. The game's volatile nature, symbolized by Chad's relentless pursuit of skateboarding despite countless injuries, demands a similar spirit from players hoping to conquer it.

Skate or Die is not without its quirks though. The cartoonish visuals can't completely mask the nastiness of Chad’s injuries, making it unsuitable for those with a weak stomach. However, if you can handle a bit of bone-crunching humor, you're in for a nostalgic and hilarious trip down memory lane, filled with multiplier action and the tantalizing possibility of hitting that 30,000x win cap. NoLimit City has a knack for creating games that stick with you, and Skate or Die, with its blend of nostalgia, humor, and heart-stopping thrills, is a prime example.