Japan has always been on my list of countries to visit properly. I say properly because I did a stopover in Narita once at an airport built on water! Yep, scary stuff, but probably not as frightening as the photo of me in a kimono at the hotel. Luckily smartphones weren’t a thing back then, but I’m pretty sure there’s an old picture lurking somewhere, damn. Anyway, why am I talking about Japan? That’s because today’s review of Ronin Stackways from Hacksaw Gaming is themed around the land of the rising sun and its famous Samurai. As for a quick breakdown of the stats, this is a 5-reel slot that can produce up to 1,000,000 paylines, has an RTP of 96.35%, and a maximum win of 5,000x bet.
There’s not much to swing your Katana at regarding the base game, but thankfully the Stackways mechanic can help rack up a few wins. These symbols can land in two forms, with the Normal Stackways extending the reels up to 4 positions high, whilst the Revealing Stackways can fill the reel with up to 10 symbols. We’ve got two variations of the free spins feature that can be triggered too. The first requires three scatters to land, and during this bonus, you’ll have a greater chance of the Stackways symbols landing in view. Hit four scatters, however, and the Super Stack Spins will be activated, where again your chances of landing Stackaways Symbols improves, but this time only Revealing Stackways will appear.
Have you got the discipline to learn the way of the Samurai? Before you jump on a plane to Japan and go and join a Gojū, I’d take a few spins on our Ronin Stackways slot demo first; it’s available to play below.
| Provider | Hacksaw Gaming |
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 4 |
| Paylines | 1,000,000 |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.10 - 100 |
| Volatility | Medium |
| Max Win | 5,000x |
| Bonus Buy | Yes |
| RTP | 96.35% |
| Our Rating | 7.5 |
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Ronin Stackways Demo Slot
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Ronin Stackways Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
I was really excited to see that Hacksaw Gaming was releasing another title featuring their Stackways mechanic, as I really enjoyed their first slot Mayan Stackways, that featured the engine. If you’re yet to try that game, I’d suggest giving it a few spins but don’t go just yet, as we have plenty to talk about Ronin Stackways first. Those of you who are partial to an online slot themed around Japan or the ancient art of Samurai might also want to check in on Play’n Go’s Ronin’s Honour or Shinobi Spirit from Print Studios, who like to take a slightly unorthodox approach when creating their games. Let’s get back on topic though, and make our way over to the pays section and see what prizes are up for grabs.
So, who do we have sitting at the top of the paytable? A sword-wielding Samurai? Hmmm, not quite; we have a Monkey that will pay 4x bet for a five of a kind win. This is followed by the Tiger valued at 3x, and then we have the Fox, Bear and Panda all sharing equal payouts of 2x for a winning combo of five. Onto the low pays, Hacksaw has opted to use five royals, with the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten all paying 0.7x for a five of a kind hit. If you’re wondering about a Wild symbol, unfortunately, the game doesn’t include one, but I personally think the Stackways more than makes up for its omission.
I always feel Hacksaw offers a decent spread of bets when you play their slots, so it was a similar scenario when I checked out the betting range on Ronin Stackways. The minimum/maximum wagering limits are set at €0.10 and €100 per spin, but the thing I particularly like about Hacksaw is that, on average, you have around ten options between the minimum stake and €2, which is where the vast majority of players are going to be looking when they want to play the game.
Base Game & Modifiers
The initial gameplay on Ronin Stackways takes place across a 5×4 reel matrix which provides a total of 1,024 ways to win. This can, of course, be increased through the Stackways symbols landing on the reels, but we’ll talk more about that in the following section. As for scooping yourself a bit of that lovely samurai lolly, you’ll need at least three matching symbols to land on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel first.
Stackways Symbols
The Stackways symbols can land on any of the game’s five reels and come in two forms. First, we have the Normal Stackways, which can hold the values of 2, 3, and 4, whilst the Revealing Stackways have possible values of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. When a Stackways lands on the reels, the symbol that is stacked is determined by the symbol that would grant the longest winning combination based on the symbols present on the reels when the Stackways symbol activates. If more than one winning combination of equal length can be created, the symbol will be chosen randomly. Players should note that the stacking will only occur if a winning combo can be formed.
Ronin Stackways Slot Bonus Features
Hacksaw has included a couple of variations of the bonus feature that will award you 10 free spins when triggered. Land 3 scatters anywhere in view, and you’ll activate the Stack Spins bonus, whilst 4 scatters appearing in view will trigger the Super Stack Spins.
Stack Spins
During the Stack Spins feature, there is a greater chance that the Stackways Symbols will land. Furthermore, if 2 or 3 FS scatters appear in view, they will award an extra 2 and 4 free spins, respectively.
Super Stack Spins
Whilst the Super Stack Spins are in play, there is a higher chance that the Stackways Symbols will land in view. Additionally, they will always be the more powerful Revealing Stackways when they hit. As with the previous bonus round, if 2 or 3 FS scatters appear, an extra 2 and 4 free spins will be awarded, respectively.
Bonus Buy
For those players that reside in a jurisdiction where the bonus buy menu is active, the following options are available to pick from.
- BonusHunt FeatureSpins: 3x bet – Each spin is 5 times more likely to trigger a bonus game.
- Stackways FeatureSpins: 40x bet – Each spin guarantees that at least 2 Stackways symbols land.
- Stack Spins: 100x bet – 10 Free spins with an increased chance of landing Stackways symbols.
- Super Stack Spins: 200x bet – 10 Free Spins with an increased chance of landing Revealing Stackways Symbols
Pros
- The game's design is fantastic, and it looks like a lot of hard work has been put into it.
- A cost-effective way to visit Japan and experience the Samurai without being chopped into pieces.
Cons
- The base game could have been blessed with a modifier or two to help break up the play.
- It reminded me that there is a less than attractive picture of me sporting a kimono somewhere in the world.
- Lower max win of just 5,000x.
Ronin Stackways Slot Review Final Thoughts
Right off the bat, I have to say that Ronin Stackways struck me as one of the best slots visually that Hacksaw Gaming has created to date, and I think you'll agree with me that the design really is fantastic. I can't fault the gameplay either, and I was a massive fan of Mayan Stackways, so I knew the mechanic would keep me thoroughly entertained once again whilst reviewing the game.I don't think it quite reaches the dizzy heights of its predecessor, especially with a lower max win, but it's still a quality release from Hacksaw, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with this interesting mechanic in future releases. Recommended!
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