Landing three scatter symbols is usually enough to trigger a bonus round in a slot game. But in some Hacksaw Gaming titles, there is something considerably more unusual waiting for players who manage to land five.
These special bonus features are easy to overlook, particularly when the regular free spins are already packed with multipliers, wild symbols and other mechanics. Yet the five-scatter bonuses can offer a very different experience, often introducing guaranteed special symbols or enhanced features throughout the round.
Four games worth exploring are Le Vampire, Le Fisherman, Le Santa and The Count. Each has its own take on the five-scatter feature, and understanding the differences reveals just how much Hacksaw Gaming has experimented with its bonus mechanics.
Le Vampire – Do Your Fang
Le Vampire is one of Hacksaw Gaming’s more distinctive releases, combining a vampire theme with a bonus system built around Rainbow symbols.
The game’s five-scatter feature is called Do Your Fang, and it awards 10 free spins. What makes this bonus particularly interesting is that every free spin is guaranteed to feature either a Rainbow or an Epic Rainbow.
These symbols are central to the game’s mechanics, creating opportunities for valuable combinations as the bonus progresses. Rather than relying entirely on the occasional appearance of a special symbol, players enter Do Your Fang knowing that one of these features will appear on every spin.
The bonus can also be extended through retriggers, allowing the feature to continue beyond its initial allocation of free spins.
We recently came across a remarkable example of this bonus in action, when a player landed five scatters and eventually collected a €23,000 win after several retriggers.
It is a good illustration of how an extended bonus round can develop, although the guaranteed Rainbow symbols do not guarantee a particular payout.
Le Fisherman – Smokey Under Water
Le Fisherman takes players away from the darker atmosphere of Le Vampire and into a fishing-themed slot built around the Big Catch mechanic.
Its five-scatter bonus, Smokey Under Water, awards 10 free spins with the Big Catch Bar starting at its highest level.
That is an important distinction from the regular bonus experience. Instead of having to progress through the different levels of the feature, players begin with the enhanced version already active.
The Big Catch mechanic is central to Le Fisherman’s gameplay, and starting at the highest level changes the conditions under which the free spins take place.
While Le Vampire focuses on guaranteed Rainbow symbols, Le Fisherman’s special bonus is built around beginning with a fully upgraded feature.
This makes the two games interesting to compare, despite both awarding 10 initial free spins.
Le Santa – Wreck the Halls
Le Santa brings Hacksaw Gaming’s familiar Golden Squares mechanic into a Christmas setting, with coins, clovers and collection symbols all playing a part in the action.
The game has three bonus modes. Three scatter symbols trigger Silent Heist, four activate Sleighing It, and five unlock the hidden epic bonus known as Wreck the Halls.
This feature awards 10 free spins, with one Rainbow symbol guaranteed on every spin. Rainbow symbols are especially important in Le Santa because they activate Golden Squares created by winning combinations.
Once activated, these squares can reveal several special symbols, including coins, clovers, Santa Sacks and Jackpot Boxes. Some increase existing values, while others collect prizes or activate further effects.
The guaranteed Rainbow makes Wreck the Halls particularly interesting because players do not have to wait for one to appear naturally during the feature.
Unlike Le Vampire, which can provide either a Rainbow or an Epic Rainbow, Le Santa specifically guarantees a Rainbow on every spin.
The Count – Count on Blood
The Count takes a different approach to its hidden bonus. Rather than focusing on Rainbow symbols and Golden Squares, the game revolves around Wild Bats, expanding wilds and multipliers.
Its regular bonus, Bat to the Bone, is triggered by three scatter symbols. Four scatters unlock Rest in Pieces, while five activate the hidden epic bonus, Count on Blood.
Count on Blood awards 10 free spins, with at least five Wild Bat symbols guaranteed on every spin. It also increases the chance of landing Epic Wild Bat symbols.
Wild Bats can act as substitutes for other symbols or reveal multipliers of up to 500x. Epic Wild Bats can spread their multiplier values to other Wild Bats and expanded Bloody Wilds on the grid.
This creates a different type of bonus from the other three games. Rather than guaranteeing Rainbow activations or an upgraded collection mechanic, The Count guarantees a minimum number of special wild symbols on every spin.
The appearance of five Wild Bats does not guarantee a winning combination, but it does make the bonus mechanically distinct from the regular free spins.
