Hounds of Hell Slot Review

The Hounds of Hell Slot Game

There are two kinds of slots in the iGaming world: those with clear titles and those with cryptic ones. This new Hacksaw Gaming release falls into the first category.

According to the game description, descend into the underworld, where death reigns over scorched earth and fires rage to the rhythm of war drums and prepare to face the most vicious of creatures.

Just like that, players of Hounds of Hell find themselves in the underworld, awaited by two hellish canines. The menacing creatures bob on either side of the 5x5 reels. Behind them are the fiery pits of hell supported by towering beams. The pits turn icy cold during the bonus games.

Prepare to hear haunting tunes when you enable the music and ambient tense effects when you activate the sound. In summary, it’s a perfectly done imagination of what satan’s dwelling may look like.

Symbols and Payouts

Up to 10 different regular symbols can randomly fill the reel positions per spin. Two special symbols are also present, but I’ll discuss them later.

As an All-Scatter Pays slot, you must aim for the number of identical symbols displayed in the paytable to appear anywhere on the reels simultaneously. Unless otherwise stated, the specific requirements for winning in the base game also apply to the bonus rounds.

The winning symbols are removed after every win, allowing new ones to drop in. The cascades continue as long as more new wins hit on the reels.

The low-ranking symbols in Hounds of Hell include the 10 through to Ace royal signs. These pay between 0.1x and 5x the bet when 6 to 10+ of the same hit simultaneously.

Then, the premium symbols also pay for 6+ of the same, as follows:

• Pair of Bony Hands - 0.3x to 7.5x the bet.
• Green Pentagram - 0.4x to 10x the stake.
• Stacked Skulls - 0.5x to 15x the bet.
• Purple Scepter - 1x to 25x the stake.
• All-seeing Eye - 2x to 50x the bet.

In addition to the regular symbols, look for the Hellhound and FS scatter symbols, which are key in triggering features!

Hounds of Hell Slot Bonus Features

While it’s unthinkable to venture into the eternal abyss, the features in this slot make it almost worth visiting the fiery pits.

Hellhounds

The Hellhound symbols are cash prize multipliers that spread and are collectable before being multiplied by your stake. After every Hounds of Hell spin, any Hellhound symbols that appear will spread to the top of the corresponding reel.

All the multipliers are collected from the bottom to top, left to right, and displayed above every respective column. The collected values above every reel will be added and multiplied with your stake to determine the final awarded win.

The adding multipliers worth 1x to 50x are added to the reel’s current total, while the multiplying multipliers worth 2x to 10x multiply the current total. Only one Hellhound symbol can land on a reel at a time.

Roaring Packs of Hell

When 2+ Hellhound symbols are horizontally adjacent and on the same Hounds of Hell row, they form the Roaring Pack with increased possible multipliers. The Hellhound symbols that spread from a Hellbound that’s part of a roaring pack also count as part of the pack.

The possible multipliers of a Roaring Pack are 5x to 100x adding multipliers and 3x to 20x multiplying multipliers. Any Hellhound symbol part of a Roaring Pack remains a part of it, even if separated, ending up on a different row due to the winning symbol cascades.

Hounds Are Loose

This feature is randomly triggered on a non-winning round after the grid settles. It ejects all low-paying symbols, positioning new symbols in the empty positions. The feature can trigger several times per spin, increasing the odds of landing Hellhound symbols among the new ones that drop in.

Bonus Gamble

Any bonus game you enter presents a gambling choice. If you gamble, the Hounds of Hell provides 5 selectable Hellfire Orbs. Each has 2-10 free spins or a Bonus Upgrade if you’re in the What the Hell! Bonus. You can only gamble once per bonus and after a Bonus Upgrade.

What the Hell!

Land 3 FS scatters simultaneously during the base game to trigger 10 free spins. It retains the base game features but retains all the collected multiplier values above the reels for the rest of the feature. The values can be increased progressively.

The collected multipliers are added and multiplied with your bet at the end of the bonus to determine the final win.

During this bonus, the Hounds Are Loose is guaranteed after 3 subsequent non-winning spins. Hit 2 or 3 FS symbols during the feature to retrigger +2 or +4 free spins.

Who Let the Hounds Out?!

Land 4 FS scatters simultaneously during the Hounds of Hell base game to trigger 10 free spins of this feature. It retains the base game features and persistent activated Hell Reels. Further, it has an improved Hounds are Loose feature of the What the Hell! Bonus.

When a Hellhound lands on a reel for the first time, it becomes an activated Hell Reel. The Hellhound symbol is guaranteed on every activated Hell Reel per free spin for the rest of the bonus. 

After each free spin, the Hellhound multipliers are added and paid times your stake. The total multipliers above every reel resets to 0 between spins. You can retrigger the free spins as in the What the Hell! Bonus.

Bonus Buy

This video slot lets you buy different bonus features directly from the main game through the “Buy Bonus” option. Depending on the feature selected, it’ll set you back between 3x and 250x the stake!

How to Win at Hounds of Hell Slot

Playing this online slot exposes you to 5 reels and 5 rows with an All-Scatter paying technique. Since none of the mechanics are unique, understanding the game should be straightforward for all players.

Here, you win when 6 or more symbols of a kind appear anywhere on the reels at the same time. Then, you can find the corresponding win from the paytable.

A tumble feature starts after every Hounds of Hell win, removing all the paying symbols and replacing them with new ones. This feature continues as long as new wins occur on the reels.

Before playing, press the Up and Down arrows to pick a suitable bet from the €0.10 and €100 options. Then, play a single round using the button with a clockwise-facing arrow or the Spacebar. Alternatively, you can use the Autoplay to preselect and gamble several auto-spins!

Hounds of Hell Slot RTP & Volatility

As expected of a Hacksaw slot, this game has variable RTPs between 88.14% and 96.27%. The volatility is medium to high, and the win cap is 20,000x bet!             

The Final Verdict

Not every online slot developer effortlessly transitions between otherworldly and earthly games. But for Hacksaw Gaming to do so in quick succession, for instance, in this release (eerie) and Strength of Hercules (delightful), should be an award in itself. Regardless, how did this game perform?

As mentioned, Hounds of Hell releases you to the fate of menacing, hellish canines that guard treasures of up to 20,000 times the stake. Despite the scary design and haunting sounds, several features are available to make your quest worthwhile.

The additive and multiplying multipliers are the slot’s backbone, boosting your wins. They are active in the base game and free spins. Further, the random Hounds Are Loose feature could help you trigger high-valued winning combinations and land more Hellhound cash prize multipliers.

However, enthusiasts who’ve played several Hacksaw releases may feel that the features here are similar to those in the developer’s past releases. Nevertheless, the gameplay isn’t a clone, which makes it interesting and worth the risk.