Wicked Grin (Hacksaw Gaming) – Slot Review
Wicked Grin combines dark cartoon horror with classic fruit-machine imagery, creating a quirky and slightly sinister visual style. The game centres around its distinctive grinning skull character, with exaggerated artwork giving the slot a playful yet macabre personality.
The reels feature familiar symbols including grapes, watermelons, bells, cherries and blue sevens, alongside the darker Wicked Grin imagery. This contrast between colourful traditional slot symbols and creepy characters creates an unusual aesthetic that fits well with Hacksaw Gaming’s distinctive style.
The Wicked Grin and Epic Wicked Grin symbols are central to both the theme and gameplay. When they expand across the reels, they transform positions into Coins and Multipliers, giving the skull characters an important role beyond their visual appearance. The bonus features, Stash N Stack and Coin Craze, continue the game’s focus on expanding symbols and accumulating Coin values. Together with the expanding Free Spins symbols, they add further movement and intensity to the presentation.
Overall, Hacksaw Gaming blends classic slot imagery, creepy skull characters and cartoon-inspired horror to create a distinctive theme. The contrast between colourful fruit-machine symbols and the sinister Wicked Grin gives the game a playful but unsettling identity.
Wicked Grin is played on a 5×5 grid using a Scatter Pays system, where wins are awarded for landing six or more matching symbols. The game features medium volatility, an RTP of 96.27%, and a maximum win capped at 10,000x the stake. Bets range from £0.10 to £100 per spin.
Wicked Grin Symbols & Pay Table
There are 13 symbols in total. The four low-paying symbols are represented by Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades, while the five premium symbols feature Grapes, Watermelons, Bells, Cherries and Blue Sevens. Special symbols include Wicked Grin, Epic Wicked Grin, Free Spins Scatter and Super Scatter. The Blue Seven is the highest-paying regular symbol, awarding 100x for 17 or more matching symbols.
Wicked Grin Features & Mechanics
Expanding Wicked Grin Coins
When a Wicked Grin or Epic Wicked Grin lands on the bottom row, it expands after all winning combinations have been resolved. An expanded symbol transforms the other symbols on that reel into Coins or a Multiplier.
All Coins award a value based on the player’s current bet:
- Bronze: 1x, 2x, 3x or 4x
- Silver: 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x or 9x
- Gold: 10x, 20x, 30x, 40x or 50x
- Diamond: 100x, 150x, 250x or 500x
Multipliers can be 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x or 20x.
When a Multiplier is revealed, its value is added to the Coins positioned above it and to Coins on adjacent reels in rows above the Multiplier. If multiple Multipliers appear, their values are applied sequentially from left to right and top to bottom.
Multipliers cannot appear on the top row. An expanded Epic Wicked Grin also causes any other Wicked Grin symbols on the grid to expand from their current positions. Only one type of Wicked Grin symbol can land on an individual reel at a time.
Spreading Free Spins Symbols
When at least one Free Spins or Super Free Spins Scatter lands on the bottom row, the symbol expands across the entire reel after all wins have been awarded.
Each position covered by the expanding Scatter carries a value of 1, 2 or 3 Free Spins. The total number of Free Spins awarded is calculated by adding together the values of all covered positions. Free Spins and Super Free Spins Scatters cannot appear on the grid simultaneously, and a maximum of two Scatter symbols can be present at any one time.
Stash N Stack Bonus
Landing at least one expanding Free Spins Scatter during the base game triggers the Stash N Stack Bonus, awarding between 5 and 30 Free Spins.
The feature retains the base game’s core mechanics but introduces a Stash Multiplier above each reel, starting at 1x. Whenever a Wicked Grin symbol expands, all Coin values on that reel are multiplied by the current Stash value.
After each activation, the corresponding Stash Multiplier increases by 1x for the next Free Spin.
Additional expanding Free Spins Scatters can award between 5 and 15 extra Free Spins each, with the total number of additional spins capped between 5 and 30.
Coin Craze Bonus
Landing at least one expanding Super Free Spins Scatter in the base game triggers Coin Craze, awarding between 5 and 30 Free Spins. This bonus retains the base game’s mechanics while adding a Coin Collector above each reel, initially set to 1.
Whenever a Wicked Grin symbol expands, the Coin values generated on that reel are collected and stored in the corresponding Coin Collector until the feature ends. Any Multipliers revealed during an expansion are applied to the Coin values before they are added to the Collector, with the multiplier also affecting the Collector on the adjacent reels.
At the end of the bonus, the values stored in all Coin Collectors are added together and multiplied by the bet to determine the final feature win. Additional expanding Super Free Spins Scatters can award between 5 and 15 extra Free Spins each, with total additional spins ranging from 5 to 30.
Conclusion
Wicked Grin offers an entertaining combination of expanding Wicked Grin symbols, valuable Coins and powerful Multipliers, with the expanding mechanic providing plenty of opportunities to transform entire reels into cash prizes. The Diamond Coins, which can reach 500x, also give the base mechanics considerable potential.
The two Free Spins modes provide distinct approaches to building bigger wins. Stash N Stack progressively increases the multiplier on each reel, while Coin Craze allows collected Coin values to accumulate throughout the feature. This gives the bonus rounds a strong sense of progression and makes additional Wicked Grin expansions particularly valuable. Be sure to try out this game on launch and check out our exclusive casino offers.