Hot Ross

Hot Ross Slot Review

Things are heating up as Ross the Crazy Cat takes over the reels in Hacksaw Gaming’s latest release, Hot Ross. You’ll find him hovering beneath the flickering neon streetlight, furry sleeves rolled up, and firing lightning cannonballs like it’s just another regular Tuesday.

After Maxx stole the limelight in Rad Maxx, Ross rules the reels here, leaving Maxx watching from the sidelines. With 8 lives to burn, a single sharp eye, and 6 claws ready for trouble, Ross is not a cat you want to cross in the dark.

Get ready to be thrown into the chaos in this 5×5 video slot, where up to 15,000x your bet is accessible from every game mode. Once you hit RIP City, the rule is simple: Smoke ’em while you’ve got ’em…

Base Game & Features

Hot Ross is a highly volatile (5/5) slot with 5 reels, 5 rows, and 19 fixed pay lines. Connecting pay lines with 3, 4, or 5 identical symbols triggers a winning combination, so long as it starts from the leftmost reel.

The 8 Ball has the highest pay value, followed by the Dice, Spray Can, Fish, Banana, and A, K, Q, J, & 10 card suits. Once each spin settles, all available winning combinations award a fixed payout between 0.2x and 20x your bet.

Other symbols include Wild Bombs, which substitute for all symbols when part of a winning combination. Additionally, FS Scatters cannot land below a Ross symbol. If 4 or more reels are activated in the Nine Lives Bonus, FS Scatters cannot land in view.

Ross & Hot Ross Symbols

During any random spin, when a Ross or Hot Ross symbol hits, it will expand to fill its current reel, so long as it would create a winning combination once expanded. Both symbols act as Wilds for every position covered after expansion. All Ross symbols that fail to expand will count as a single Wild symbol.

• Ross: Expand downward until they reach the bottom reel position
• Hot Ross: Travels to the top of its reel, where it expands downwards to cover its entire reel. Expanded Hot Ross symbols from adjacent reels move to the top of their reel, also expanding to cover their entire reel.

When a Ross or Hot Ross symbol expands through an existing Wild, it transforms into a Multiplier between 2x and 200x your bet, which is applied to the entire reel. If a Ross or Hot Ross symbol expands through multiple Wilds, the available Multipliers will be added together to reveal a single value.

When a winning combination includes more than one expanded Ross or Hot Ross symbol with an active Multiplier, the values are added together before being applied to wins they are a part of.

Hot Ross: Free Spins

Triggering the Cat Calls Bonus requires 3 FS Scatters to land in the base game, awarding 10 Free Spins. This mode is powered by the same base game mechanics, with an increased chance of landing Ross & Hot Ross symbols.

Landing 2 or 3 FS Scatters anywhere on the reels awards an additional +2 and +4 Free Spins, respectively.

Nine Lives

Alternatively, accessing the Nine Lives Bonus requires 4 FS Scatters to land in the same spin, awarding 10 Free Spins. Again, this bonus follows the same mechanics as the Cat Calls Bonus.

During this mode, each time a Ross or Hot Ross symbol hits, its respective reel is activated. Once a reel is active, it guarantees a single Ross or Hot Ross symbol will land on every spin, with the reel remaining active until the end of the feature.

Landing 2 or 3 FS Scatters awards a further +2 and +4 Free Spins, respectively.

Big Boss Ross

The final mode, Big Boss Ross, is classified as the game’s Hidden Bonus, triggered when 5 FS Scatters land in the same spin, awarding 10 Free Spins. While following the same base game mechanics, at least 2 Hot Ross or a single Wild is guaranteed to land on every spin.

Having 2 or 3 FS Scatters appear in view will award a further +2 and +4 Free Spins, respectively.

Featurespins & Bonus Buy

Players may purchase any of the following Featurespins & Bonus Buy options:

• Bonushunt Featurespins: Each spin is up to 5 times more likely to award a Free Spins mode for 3x your bet
• Feisty Featurespins: Each spin guaranteesat least 3 Ross symbols to land in a spin for 60x your bet
• Epic Drop Featurespins: Each spin guarantees 5 Ross symbols and at least 3 Wilds per spin for 1,000x your bet
• Cat Calls: Awards 10 Free Spins and a higher chance of landing Ross symbols for 100x your bet
• Nine Lives: Awards 10 Free Spins where reels activate when Ross/Hot Ross symbols land for 200x your bet
• Big Boss Ross: Awards 10 Free Spins and at least 2 Hot Ross + 1 Wild symbols with each spin for 1,000x your bet

Hot Ross has a maximum win capacity of 15,000x your bet. If a single mode exceeds this, the player returns to the base game with the qualifying amount.

Our Honest Verdict

Hot Ross is yet another instalment that highlights how effectively Hacksaw Gaming can produce varied features & mechanics, while retaining a consistent visual style, charming characters, and its fun ‘cat vs mouse’ storyline.

While the original RIP City slot introduced us to the concept & lovable characters, it does feel as if this release should have come after the individual releases centred around both characters. That said, it’s still impressive to see what began as a fan-favourite instalment grow into an inspiring series, one that explores a wide variety of features while keeping certain elements of gameplay close to its predecessors.

While we can’t help but feel drawn to Rad Maxx for its interesting Pay Direction Arrows format, Hot Ross still has a few nifty tricks up its sleeve, some of which arguably outweigh what Rad Maxx brings to the table.

The most noticeable upgrade comes in the form of significantly boosted Multipliers, derived from activated Ross symbols, which can now expand up to 200x your bet. Alongside this is the welcoming addition of Hot Ross symbols, triggering a chain reaction when all adjacent Ross/Hot Ross symbols expand, adding an extra element of appeal.

As is the case with almost every Hacksaw Gaming release, Hot Ross features 3 distinct Free Spins modes. However, the Hidden Bonus remains the most difficult to access, requiring 5 FS Scatters to trigger it. In a rare move, Hacksaw Gaming has made this mode available via the Bonus Buy panel in eligible markets, though it comes with a hefty price tag of 1,000x your bet.

All in all, Hot Ross builds confidently on what came before it, introducing positive upgrades and fresh ideas while staying true to the foundations that define Hacksaw Gaming’s catalogue.

*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.

Hot Ross FAQs

• How many Free Spins modes are in Hot Ross?

  Hot Ross includes 3 higher-tier Free Spins modes, continuing Hacksaw Gaming’s standard format across each of their releases.
• Does the Bonus Buy include the Hidden Bonus?

  Yes, players within eligible markets can participate in several Bonus Buy options, including multiple Featurespins modes for a fixed price per bet.
• Can Hot Ross be played on mobile?

  Yes, Hot Ross is fully optimised for mobile and tablet play, running smoothly across modern devices.