Army of Ares Slot Review
Army of Ares from Hacksaw Gaming focuses on Ares, the Greek god of war, known for his fierce nature & raw battle power. Ares was often seen as the physical force of warfare, representing chaos, aggression, & the front line of combat, making him a perfect addition to a slot built around tension & conflict.
As you load into the game, the strong presence of Ares stands ready for battle, following on from Hacksaw Gaming’s most recent release, Spear of Athena. It’s not the first time Hacksaw Gaming has returned to mythological themes across its catalogue.
Invictus explores Roman interests, while Stormborn offers a thrilling Norse experience, and Undead Fortune tackles the blistering heat of the Egyptian sands. Mythology remains popular with players thanks to its recognisable characters, clear story worlds, & strong visual hooks, making each game feel more dramatic and memorable.
Army of Ares continues to explore the world of Greek mythology, offering a high (4/5) volatility score, a fixed RTP of 96.26%, and a generous 15,000x max win potential. Continue reading our full Army of Ares slot review for further insights into gameplay, features, & mechanics…
Base Game & Features
Army of Ares is a highly volatile 5-reel, 4-row video slot with 14 fixed pay lines. Paytable symbols connect as wins when 3, 4, or 5 matching symbols land in any adjacent reel position, starting from reel 1.
The highest-paying symbol falls to the Roman, followed by the Horse, Sword, Axe, Shield, and A, K, Q, J, & 10 royals. Once the reels settle, all winning symbols will award a fixed payout between 0.2x and 10x your bet.
Additionally, Wild symbols are available on all reels and substitute for all symbols when part of a winning combination. Other symbols include FS Scatters & Wrath symbols that cannot appear on the reels in the same spin, whilst Dead symbols act as non-paying icons & do not contribute towards wins.
Wrath Reels
When a Wrath symbol lands in view, it will expand into a Wild Wrath Reel. After expansion, a random Multiplier between x2 and x300 is applied to the entire reel. If a Wild Wrath Reel is part of at least 1 winning combination, its current Multiplier is included in its final payout.
If multiple Wild Wrath Reels are part of the same win, their Multipliers are added together before being applied to the final payout. Please note that only 1 Wrath symbol can appear on each reel per spin.
Furthermore, each Wrath Reel will add 0-5 Wild symbols to random positions after it has expanded. Both the Wrath Reel & additional Wilds substitute for all symbols when completing a winning combination.
Army of Ares: Free Spins
The Fear and Flame Bonus is triggered by landing 3 FS Scatters in the base game, awarding 10 Free Spins. This mode locks in the base game mechanics, while all added Wild symbols from a Wrath Reel will receive a random Multiplier between x2 and x100.
Wrath and Ruin
Triggering the Wrath and Ruin Bonus requires 4 FS Scatters to land in the base game, awarding 3 Respins. In this mode, each refilling spin is displayed on a Life Meter outside the grid, where 3 Lives equal 3 Respins.
When a Disc Multiplier or Battle Horse appears on the grid, the current Respins reset to 3, and once all lives are depleted, the Wrath and Ruin Bonus ends. Throughout the session, a special Multiplier above each reel begins at x1, with only Dead, Disc Multiplier, & Battle Horse symbols able to land.
Each time a Disc Multiplier hits, it will progressively increase its respective Reel Multiplier.
- Green Discs: Add their values (between x1 and x100) to their respective Reel Multipliers once
- Epic Green Discs: Add their values (between x1 and x100) to all Reel Multipliers once
- Red Discs: Multiply their respective Reel Multiplier by x2, x3, x4, x5, or x10 once
- Epic Red Discs: Multiply all Reel Multipliers by x2, x3, x4, x5, or x10 once
When a Battle Horse symbol appears in view, it is collected above its respective reel. Once the Wrath and Ruin Bonus is complete, each collected Battle Horse activates, revealing a random Multiplier between x2 and x50.
The revealed Multiplier is applied to the Reel Multiplier above the corresponding reel, and only 1 per reel is allowed. After each Battle Horse symbol is activated, all Reel Multipliers will add together, multiplied by the current bet, to determine the final win outcome.
Ares Ascends
Ares Ascends is classified as the game’s hidden bonus, awarding 3 Respins for landing 5 FS Scatters in the base game. Utilising the same mechanics from the Wrath and Ruin Bonus, this feature guarantees a full grid of Disc Multipliers & a single Battle Horse at the start of the first spin.
Featurespins & Bonus Buy
Players within eligible markets can purchase any of the following Featurespins & Bonus Buy options:
- Bonushunt Featurespins: Each spin is 5 times more likely to trigger a Free Spins Bonus for 3x your bet (96.28%)
- Carnage Featurespins: Guarantees at least 1 Wrath Reel & a higher chance of Wild symbols for 60x your bet (96.21%)
- Fear and Flame: Awards 10 free Spins & individual Wrath Reels for 100x your bet (96.25%)
- Wrath and Ruin: Awards 3 Respins & a Reel Multiplier that collects Multipliers at the end for 200x your bet (96.3%)
The hidden bonus, Ares Ascends, is not available for purchase via the Bonus Buy tab. This game has a maximum win potential of 15,000x your bet. If a single mode or spin exceeds this, the player is awarded the qualifying amount.
Our Honest Verdict
The Base Game in Army of Ares relies heavily on Hacksaw Gaming’s trademark features, revealing Wrath Reels that act as expanding Wild Multipliers for maximum impact & potential on the reels.
This particular feature has appeared in many slots within Hacksaw Gaming’s catalogue, & anyone familiar with their releases will recognise the similarities right away. It’s a solid feature & setup, but as is often the case with Hacksaw Gaming releases, the majority of action happens beyond the base game.
The first Free Spins Bonus takes these core features & makes them more frequent, highlighting once again how much impact Expanding Multiplier Reels can have when they turn up at the right time, & it ties in nicely with the base game.
The other Bonuses are where things really pick up. Both use Reel Multipliers in a way that feels familiar to players who have spent time chasing big wins on Chaos Crew & other Multiplier-driven titles.
The Wrath and Ruin Bonus is simple & structured, whilst keeping a suspenseful atmosphere. Disc Multipliers raise the stakes as they do the individual Reel Multipliers above the main reel set, with Red & Epic Red Dics being the most promising of the set.
Furthermore, Battle Horses are collected throughout spins, and once the session ends, each one will generate a random Multiplier between x2 and x50, which is then applied to the final win amount, up to a maximum benefit of 15,000x your bet.
If you’re fortunate enough to see the Ares Ascends Bonus in action, the first spin begins with a full grid of Disc Multipliers & a guaranteed Battle Horse symbol to give some weight to the overall outcome. Unlike Le Cowboy, there is no option to gamble your way up to this Bonus, so seeing it in all its glory requires persistence…and a lot of patience.
All in all, Army of Ares is another meaningful & exciting addition to Hacksaw Gaming’s portfolio, and makes a great choice for players who enjoy a more volatile, Multiplier-driven style of gameplay.
*The images found in this slot review are currently from Demo Play. On average, our reviews are written prior to the initial release date and before the game is available for real play.
