The biblical idea of Hell is basically the universe’s worst all-inclusive resort—fire, brimstone, and absolutely no checkout date. It’s like a cosmic punishment theme park, except instead of roller coasters, you get eternal suffering, and the only ride is the one that takes you straight down. At the gates of this celebration of suffering stands a pair of hellhounds that make the pit bull that chased you around the block as a kid look like a pampered Shih Tzu on anti-anxiety meds.

These beasts of the deep down under make a great basis for a slot, and with Hacksaw’s new Hounds of Hell slot, they finally get their 15 minutes of fame.

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs Of war

The Hounds of Hell slot features a Pays Anywhere mechanic instead of traditional paylines. This means payouts occur when six or more matching symbols appear anywhere on the reels, regardless of their position. Betting on the slot starts at just $0.10 and goes up to $15 per spin. At the maximum bet amount, you have a shot at winning up to $300,000, thanks to the massive 20,000x maximum multiplier. The slot has medium to high volatility, meaning wins may be less frequent but can deliver significant payouts. The RTP stands at 96.27%.

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Hellhound symbols act as cash prize multipliers that spread and get collected at the end of a spin. Each Hellhound symbol moves to the top of its reel, displaying a multiplier in each position. These values are gathered from bottom to top, left to right, and added to the reel total. Multiplier values can add between 1x and 50x the bet or apply a multiplier of 2x to 10x. Only one Hellhound symbol can land per reel.

If two or more Hellhound symbols appear on adjacent reels in the same row, they form a Roaring Pack, increasing their potential multipliers. Any Hellhounds spreading from a Pack remain part of it. Roaring Pack multipliers range from 5x to 100x the bet, with additional multipliers between 3x and 20x. If a Hellhound becomes part of a Roaring Pack, it stays in the Pack even if a cascade moves it to a different row.

Hounds Are Loose can activate when no new wins appear after a spin settles. This feature removes all low-paying royal symbols, allowing new symbols to drop in. It can trigger multiple times per spin and increases the likelihood of landing Hellhound symbols.

The Bonus Gamble feature gives you the option to either proceed with the awarded number of free spins or gamble for more. You select three Hellfire Orbs, each containing between 2 and 10 free spins or a Bonus Upgrade if What The Hell! was initially triggered.

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Landing three FS scatters in the base game triggers the What The Hell! bonus, awarding 10 free spins. The mechanics remain the same as the main game, but all multipliers from Hellhounds accumulate above the reels until the end of the round and can increase. After three consecutive non-winning spins, Hounds Are Loose is guaranteed to activate. Two or three FS symbols during this round award +2 or +4 additional free spins.

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Who Let The Hounds Out?!? is triggered by landing four FS scatters in the base game, awarding 10 free spins. It retains the same base game mechanics and the improved Hounds Are Loose feature from What The Hell! When a Hellhound lands on a reel for the first time, that reel becomes an activated Hell Reel, guaranteeing a Hellhound symbol on each free spin until the round ends. In this feature, Hellhound multipliers payout at the end of every spin, and multiplier totals reset between spins. Two or three FS symbols during this round award +2 or +4 additional free spins.

Is the Hounds of Hell slot worth a deal with the devil?

The Hounds of Hell slot will feel familiar to Hacksaw Gaming fans, featuring gameplay mechanics and bonus features similar to many of its other titles. However, the pre-bonus gamble feature is an unexpected addition for Hacksaw. It will be interesting to see if they continue using it in future slots.

As always, the slot’s graphics, animations, music, and sound effects are top-notch. That said, I was disappointed that instead of designing two unique hounds, Hacksaw simply mirrored the same design on each side of the slot. It’s a shortcut that, in my opinion, took away from the overall experience. Still, if you’re a fan of Hacksaw slots, this one has everything you’re looking for and more. I give Hounds of Hell an eight out of ten.

If you’re looking for a few other Hacksaw slots to try out, I recommend Vending Machine and Twisted Lab.