Chaos Crew 3 Slot Review
Did you really think you’d seen the last of Cranky Cat and Sketchy Skull? As part of their most anticipated and desirable sequel, Hacksaw Gaming are returning us to an underground scene of absolute chaos in Chaos Crew 3!
After a much-needed system reboot, Cranky Cat and Sketchy Skull are back with more attitude, madness, and ways to win. The streets are buzzing, the reels are loaded, and the gang is back in business, with a new member…welcome the glitchiest of Glitch Dogs – this isn’t just a reunion, it’s an epic upgrade.
Chaos Crew was one of Hacksaw Gaming’s earliest successes in the iGaming industry, and let’s not forget that Hacksaw Gaming primarily began as a provider offering up Scratchcards, and that their focus shifted to slots with Stick ‘Em and other releases that skyrocketed before Chaos Crew’s eventual success.
It was truly a defining moment for Hacksaw Gaming, which quickly became deserving of a sequel in Chaos Crew 2, and now a trilogy, unsurprisingly. Few characters stand out like the indomitable Cranky and Sketchy, but what could a third instalment reveal?
Chaos Crew 2 was good, but let’s be honest, folks, the ‘Best of’ Bonus isn’t exactly one of the defining features of a generation. All of that has been dropped in favour of something much exciting…the new and exciting Glitch Dog – hold onto your hats, people, it’s about to get messy!
Base Game & Features
Chaos Crew 3 is a high volatility release and the third instalment of the Chaos Crew series, featuring 5 reels, 5 rows, and 19 fixed pay lines. Symbols connect and form wins when 3, 4, or 5 matching symbols land on adjacent reels, starting from reel 1.
The highest-paying symbol displays a Red Bomb, followed by demon pizzas, stop signs, brains, and a thumbs-up, awarding payouts between 0.5x and 10x your bet. Alternatively, low-paying symbols spell out the word ‘CHAOS’, applying a fixed payout between 0.1x and 2x your bet, where applicable.
This Cat Is Cranky
The Cranky Cat icon acts as a Wild Multiplier, substituting for all symbols as part of a winning combination. When a Cranky Cat symbol is part of at least 1 winning combination, it will reveal a random Multiplier of x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, or x20.
If more than 1 Cranky Cat symbol is part of the same winning combination, both their values will add together before being applied to the win. Please note that only 1 Cranky Cat symbol can land on a reel throughout the base game.
Can You Spell Chaos?
Landing 5 low-paying symbols in the base game, spelling out the word ‘CHAOS’ in a horizontal line, triggers an Epic Drop Feature, awarding 1 Reward Spin.
During this feature, a special Reel Multiplier is applied to the top of each reel, starting from x1. This mode replaces all paytable symbols with non-paying icons & Glitch Dogs, which jump to new positions before the grid settles.
Once a Glitch Dog symbol hits, it will transform into a Crazy Multiplier symbol, of which there are 4 available:
- Sketchy Skull: Adds a value between x1 & x100 to the Reel Multiplier directly above it
- Epic Sketchy Skull: Adds a value between x1 & x100 to all Reel Multipliers once
- Cranky Cat: Multiplies its respective Reel Multiplier by x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, or x20
- Epic Cranky Cat: Multipliers all Reel Multipliers between x2 and x20 once
The individual Reel Multipliers increase progressively depending on which Crazy Multiplier is revealed. Crazy Multipliers & Glitch Dogs reveal in order from top to bottom, left to right.
At the end of the Reward Spin, each Reel Multiplier is added together and multiplied by your current bet to determine the total win. After this, the grid returns to its original base game state for the next spin.
Chaos Crew 3 Free Spins
Triggering the Ctrl+Alt+Chaos Free Spins mode requires 3 FS Scatters to land in the base game, awarding 3 Refilling Lives. At the start of the mode, the awarded Lives are displayed on a Life Meter outside the grid.
During this mode, if any Crazy Multipliers hit, the total Lives are reset to 3, including the first time a Glitch Dog appears in view. In addition, a special Reel Multiplier, starting at x1, remains active outside the grid. In this mode, only Dead, Glitch Dog, and Crazy Multipliers are available.
By landing a variety of Crazy Multipliers and Glitch Dogs, the individual Reel Multipliers will progress in value. When a Glitch Dog hits, it will transform into a Crazy Multiplier (as mentioned in the Can You Spell Chaos? section).
Once the Glitch Dog has awarded its value, it will return to its original form and jump to a new position in the next spin. Once in a new position, the Glitch Dog will reveal a new Crazy Multiplier upon its transformation, continuing in this manner until the round ends.
Once the Ctrl-Alt-Chaos mode is complete, all Reel Multipliers will add together, further multiplied by your current bet to determine the final outcome.
The Korrupted K9
The Korrupted K9 Free Spins mode is triggered when 4 FS Scatters land in the base game, awarding 3 Refilling Lives. This mode maintains the same functions and mechanics found in Ctrl-Alt-Chaos, with 4 Crazy Multipliers & 1 Glitch Dog guaranteed at the start.
In addition, a special Chaos Upgrade symbol will activate if a Crazy Multiplier or Glitch Dog appears within a 3×3 square area. Once active, the Chaos Upgrade adds a Multiplier between x1 and x100 to all Crazy Multipliers & Glitch Dogs within a 3×3 square area.
Once the Crazy Multiplier and Glitch Dog symbols have revealed their values, the Chaos Upgrade symbol adds its multiplier to each one within a 3×3 square area. After this, the upgraded values are distributed to their respective Reel Multiplier, and the Chaos Upgrade symbol is removed from the grid.
Hidden Bonus: An Epic Glitch
Lastly, a special hidden bonus, named An Epic Glitch, is triggered when 5 FS Scatters land in the base game, awarding 3 Refilling Lives. This mode continues to utilise the same mechanics and functions found in The Korrupted K9, guaranteeing a full grid of Crazy Multipliers, 1 Chaos Upgrade symbol, & at least 1 Glitch Dog.
Featurespins & Bonus Buy
Players may purchase one of the following Featurespins & Bonus Buy options:
- Bonushunt Featurespins: Each spin is 10 times more likely to trigger a Free Spins mode for 5x your bet per spin (96.29%)
- Byte Me Epic Drop Featurespins: Each spin guarantees at least 5 Crazy Multipliers for 200x your bet (96.38%)
- Ctrl+Alt+Chaos: Awards 3 refilling lives and glitch dog symbols for 100x your bet (96.41%)
- The Korrupted K9: Awards 3 refilling lives with the chance to trigger An Epic Glitch Free Spins mode for 200x your bet (96.36%)
Each of the above Featurespins & Bonus Buy options offers a variable volatility score of High, Very high, & Extreme.
Chaos Crew 3 has a maximum win potential of 30,000x your bet. If a single session exceeds this, the current mode ends, and the player returns to the base game with the qualifying amount.
Our Honest Verdict
Sometimes in life, the best changes are the most subtle, and that’s something we’ve come to accept in the iGaming industry. When Chaos Crew 2 released, it was like old times, only with the addition of the ‘Best Of’ Bonuses, but it didn’t go far enough to better the series.
What we mean by this is that the ‘Best Of’ Bonuses didn’t carry the crown that belongs to the original Chaos Crew. It had its moments, if you’re into that sort of thing, and had the capacity to reward stealthy payouts, but it also became a little intense and boring to sit through.
Chaos Crew 3’s base game is quite significant thanks to the ‘Can You Spell Chaos?’ feature, allowing players to trigger Epic Drops for a nail-biting experience, but the bulk of its appeal lies within the Free Spins modes, of which there are 3 available.
The Ctrl+Alt+Chaos mode is very traditional of the series so far, which will be recognised by those who have played the previous instalments. Chaos Crew 3 has some meaningful changes where it matters, and the addition of a new companion (Glitch Dog) in The Korrupted K9 mode is exactly what Chaos Crew fans demanded in order to take things to the next level.
Like many Hacksaw Gaming releases, there is also an elusive and non-purchasable Hidden Bonus buried deep in gameplay, but getting it to come out and play is another story. Given its potential, we can understand why it’s not available for purchase and why it’s not so easy to trigger.
The hidden bonus goes off the charts by filling the entire grid with Crazy Multipliers, a Chaos Upgrade, and at least 1 Glitch Dog, taking you even closer to the 30,000x max win potential.
All in all, Chaos Crew 3 did not disappoint and is worthy of a standing ovation – Kudos, Hacksaw Gaming!
*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 real play is available.
