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9 January 2025 
Phoenix DuelReels Demo
Phoenix DuelReels Slot Review
Step into the heart of an ancient battle, where myth and legend collide, in Hacksaw Gaming’s latest release, Phoenix DuelReels!
The story of the mighty Phoenix isn’t one first told here. Many slots have adopted the creature of myth in slots of their own, and most do well to capture the essence of the Phoenix, from its shimmering wisdom and how it may rebirth from the ashes of its own demise. Phoenix DuelReels may be a new one from Hacksaw Gaming thematically, but it welcomes the return of Duel Reels as its name would give away.
It’s proven to be a popular staple of Hacksaw Gaming slots, proven by the enduring popularity of slots like Wanted Dead or a Wild. Others too have adopted the ‘duel’ mechanic for their own, with Angel vs Sinner by Pragmatic Play as a notable example.
Will Phoenix DuelReels evoke a blazing resurgence of popularity like the mythical bird it celebrates? or will it smoulder quietly?
Base Game & Features
Phoenix DuelReels is a 5-reel, 4-row Video Slot with 14 active pay lines and a number of bet sizes between £.€0.10 and £.€100 per spin. Other statistics include an overall RTP of 96.19% and a generous max win cap of 10,000x your bet.
Wins are guaranteed when 3 or more matching symbols land from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel. Of the 5 High-paying symbols, the Phoenix is the highest-paying, awarding wins between 2x and 10x your bet. Wilds substitute for all symbols except Scatters.
DuelReels
In the base game, whenever a VS Symbol appears, it will expand into a DuelReel. This only occurs if the VS symbol is part of a winning combination.
Expanded DuelReels cover the entire reel they appear, causing a Duel to take place between the Phoenix and Water Dragon. Each DuelReel has 2 Multipliers between x2 and x100. The winning duelist’s multiplier will be applied to the entire reel, affecting any wins that pass through it.
Each expanded DuelReel acts as a Wild, substituting for all symbols except Scatters. If more than 1 DuelReel is part of the same winning combination, their multipliers are added together and applied.
Resurrection Spins
When the Phoenix loses a DuelReel battle, the Resurrection Spins Feature is triggered. Once active, the Phoenix will award 1 Respin, guaranteeing at least 1 VS Symbol to land on the reels. This process continues until no DuelReel symbols appear in view.
Bonus Gamble
Each time you enter 1 of 2 Bonus Games, you will have the choice to either continue directly into Free Spins or Gamble. If you choose to gamble, you will be presented with 5 Phoenix Eggs.
Simply choose up to 3 Phoenix Eggs, with each one containing 2-10 Free Spins or a Bonus Upgrade. The bonus upgrade is only available if you are currently on the Fire & Water Free Spins round. If a bonus upgrade is revealed, you will immediately enter the Rise of the Phoenix Bonus with 10 Free Spins.
Bonus Buy
- Bonushunt Featurespins: Each spin is 5 times more likely to trigger a Bonus Game (3x your bet)
- Phoenix Featurespins: Each spin guarantees that at least 2 VS symbols land in view (60x your bet)
- Fire & Water Bonus: Awards 10 Free Spins (100x your bet)
- Rise of the Phoenix Bonus: Awards 10 Free Spins with improved Resurrection Respins (200x your bet)
Fire & Water Bonus
Landing 3 FS Scatters in the base game triggers the Fire & Water Bonus, awarding 10 Free Spins.
This round retains the same features from the base game, with a higher probability of landing VS Symbols. Landing 2 or 3 FS Scatters awards an additional +2 and +4 Free Spins respectively.
Rise of the Phoenix Bonus
Landing 4 FS Scatters in the base game triggers the Rise of the Phoenix Bonus, awarding 10 Free Spins.
This bonus has an enhanced Resurrection Spins feature, where the amount of VS Symbols that land during the Respins function will be equal to the number of DuelReels with losing Phoenixes during the triggering spin. Landing 2 or 3 FS Scatters awards an additional +2 and +4 Free Spins respectively.
Our Verdict
Hacksaw is one of the few providers that rarely disappoint, and we don’t think that Phoenix DuelReels will break that trend. The DuelReels mechanic is well-established and well-loved by fans of the Hacksaw Gaming portfolio, partly we think because of its effectiveness and simplicity. Hacksaw have their fair share of quirky mechanics, but DuelReels is good old-fashioned Wild Reels and Multipliers wrapped and presented to players in a package that reaffirms our love for ‘basic’ mechanics like this one.
Does it make as much of a statement? No. Were it not for Wanted Dead or a Wild it may have, but to us, the former just feels too memorable with a thematic presentation that is just too unforgettable.
Still, Phoenix DuelReels adds to the growing portfolio nicely. It won’t prove to be Hacksaw’s A-list game, but it offers fans of mechanics like the ones here another option.
Welcome Bonus
