Stormforged Slot Review
Stormforged from Hacksaw Gaming is next up in the list of exciting Hacksaw instalments, and the name alone is enough to get us excited.
Men in particular might be drawn in by certain buzzwords in Stormforged that gets the dopamine flowing. Storm, yep. FORGE? Manly as hell. Vikings? We’re sold already.
Of course, we’ll go more in-depth with Stormforged rather than stamping a high score on it due to the name alone, but we’ve got a feeling that we won’t be disappointed with gameplay either.
Without further ado, let’s check it out.
Stormforged Base Game and Features
Stormforged is a 5-reel slot with 14 fixed pay lines. Winning combinations are formed when 3 or more of the same symbols land from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.
The minimum bet available here is £/€0.10 per spin and the maximum bet available is £/€100 per spin, with plenty of other options in between the two. Stormforged has a theoretical RTP of 96.41% and a max win cap of 12,500x.
In terms of symbols, the highest-paying regular symbol here is the Wolf, followed by the Bird, Ram, Helmet, Axe, and Swords. Low-paying symbols are standard Ace, King, Queen, and Jack. Wilds substitute for all High and Low-paying symbols in the paytable.
Portals to Muspelheim
During the base game, when the Hand of Surtur symbol lands in view, it will rip downward toward the bottom of the reel, creating a Portal to Muspelheim.
Portals will act as Wilds, substituting for all High and Low-paying symbols in the paytable. The Hand of Surtur will only activate if the new Portal would create or form part of at least one winning combination.
If the Hand of Surtur tears through a Wild symbol, it will reveal a random Multiplier between x2 and x200 that is applied to the entire Portal, affecting any winning combinations that pass through it.
If a win line passes through more than one Multiplier, both Multiplier values will be added together and applied to the win.
If the Hand of Surtur tears through a Treasure Chest symbol, it will shatter and award its contents as an additional Cash Prize. Cash Prizes vary from 5x to 2,500x your current bet.
If the Hand of Surtur symbol happens to tear through both a Wild and Treasure Chest symbol, the Multiplier from the Wild will also be applied to the Cash Prize from the Treasure Chest.
Stormforged Free Spins
Hacksaw Gaming has provided us with not 1 but 2 exciting Bonus rounds to play with. More on these below!
Surtur’s Vengeance Bonus
Landing 3, 4, or 5 Surtur Scatters across the reels triggers the Surtur’s Vengeance Free Spins round, awarding 10, 12, and 14 Free Spins respectively.
During Free Spins, the first Wild symbol to land in view will automatically become Sticky, until the end of the Free Spins round.
If any Wilds were currently in view at the time of triggering the Free Spins round, they will be automatically carried over into the Bonus and become Sticky.
There can only be 1 Sticky Wild symbol present on each of the 5 reels at any time. If a particular reel already has a Sticky Wild, no additional Wild symbols will appear on that reel.
Whenever the Ice Brand symbol lands in view, it will trigger a Portal to Midgard, slicing downward toward the bottom of the reel, breaking any Wild or Treasure Chest symbol in its way.
The Ice Brand symbol will only activate if the new Portal creates or forms part of at least one winning combination. Landing 2, 3, 4, or 5 Surtur Scatters awards an additional +2, +4, +6, and +8 Free Spins respectively.
Warriors of the Storm Bonus
Landing 3, 4, or 5 Viking Scatters across the reels triggers the Warriors of the Storm Free Spins round, awarding 10, 12, and 14 Free Spins respectively.
During Free Spins, whenever the Hammer of Thor symbol lands in view, it will forge the reel it’s on into a Storm Reel that continues until the end of the Free Spins round.
Storm reels are full Wild reels that substitute for all High and Low-paying symbols in the paytable. During each Free Spin, all Storm Reels will reveal either a Viking Warrior or filled with a Raging Storm.
Three unique Warrior symbols can appear in each Storm Reel, revealing one of the following Multiplier values.
- Rogue Warrior – Awards a random Multiplier of x2, x3, x4, and x5.
- Shieldmaiden Warrior – Awards a random Multiplier of x6, x7, x8, x9, and x10.
- Berserker Warrior – Awards a random Multiplier of x15, x20, x25x, x50, x100, and x200.
Each warrior symbol will reveal one of the above Multipliers that is then applied to the whole Storm Reel, affecting any winning combinations that pass through it. If more than one Multiplier is part of a winning combination, they will first be added together and then applied to the win.
When a Storm Reel is filled with a storm, it will only be Wild for that particular spin, moving one position to the left at the start of the next Free Spin. The moving Storm Reel will also push other storm reels in its path to the left.
Landing 2, 3, 4, and 5 Viking Scatters during this time will award an additional +2, +4, +6, and +8 Free Spins respectively.
Stormforged Bonus Buy
Those outside the UK will benefit from a Bonus Buy option. Hacksaw Gaming has granted players access to 6 Bonus Buy options, as follows.
- BonusHunt Featurespins – Each spin is 5 times more likely to trigger either Bonus round for a total cost of 3x your current bet. (RTP 96.27%)
- 2 Hands of Surtur Featurespins – Each spin guarantees that at least 2 Hand of Surtur symbols land for a total cost of 20x your current bet. (RTP 96.35%)
- 3 Hands of Surtur Featurespins – Each spin guarantees that at least 3 Hand of Surtur symbols land for a total cost of 50x your current bet. (RTP 96.43%)
- Surtur’s Vengeance Bonus – Awards the Surtur’s Vengeance Free Spins round for a total cost of 100x your current bet. (RTP 96.24%)
- Surtur’s Fury – Awards the Surtur’s Vengeance Free Spins round with a minimum of 12 Free Spins and at least 1 Sticky Wild for a total cost of 200x your current bet. (RTP 96.29%)
- Warriors of the Storm Bonus – Awards the Warriors of the Storm Free Spins round for a total cost of 200x your current bet. (RTP 96.34%)
Stormforged: Our Verdict
When it comes to a new Hacksaw release, we’re always quite excited to see what they bring to the table next, and Stormforged does not disappoint.
Not quite a dark title, but it’s not cute and cuddly either. Stormforged is a beautifully designed slot with its thrilling Portals to Muspelheim feature and gripping Free Spins rounds. If you’re keen to give it a go, you can find a UK site with no wagering free spins offers to play, giving you a clean shot at those fiery bonuses without strings attached.
The Portals of Muspelheim feature has the potential to deliver great things if it tears through Wilds and Treasure Chests, but minus these, it’s just a glorified traditional Wild symbol.
In true Hacksaw style, Stormforged has not one but two exciting Free Spins round for you to enjoy. Out of the two, Warriors of the Storm Free Spins seems to be the more promising Bonus round, but that doesn’t mean that Surtur’s Vengeance can’t deliver epic wins when it wants to.
Overall, Stormforged isn’t one to be missed. Hacksaws’ creative abilities are truly evident in this one, and so is the potential.
