Beam Boys

Beam Boys Slot Review

Slot Provider: Hacksaw Gaming

RTP: 96.35% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 12,500x

Our Score: 8.2

Play at Grand Ivy Casino
QUICK LINKS: Game Information | Where To Play | Full Review | Testing Notes | Compare Slots | Tips For Players | About The Developer

WHY YOU CAN TRUST THIS REVIEW: The information and opinions on this page are the result of an comprehensive process of information gathering and live game testing by the gambling experts who work at allslotsites.com. Find out more here.

About Beam Boys

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 22nd January 2024

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

Beam Boys is an off-beat online slot from Hacksaw Gaming featuring a bionic cat that fires laser beams from its dead-white eyes to transform pay symbols into wilds across the reels and boost your wins. Unusually, in this slot you can choose your own volatility level of low or extreme. There is also a free spins round with up to 40 free plays. The maximum win is 12,500x and spins start at 10p.

Beam Boys Game Information

  • RTP: 96.35% | 94.24% | 92.3% | 88.25%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 12,500x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 6
  • Rows: 4
  • Paylines: 6,561
  • Minimum Stake: £0.10
  • Theme: Animals
  • Features: Wilds, Laser Cat Wilds, Free Spins

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Beam Boys

IMPORTANT: To give you an accurate assessment of the games we review our writers play 200 spins. Whilst this is a useful tool to help us review games and to give an example of what might happen when you play, keep in mind that 200 spins is only a very small sample and cannot be used to accurately predict what might happen over another 200 spins. The outcome of all slots play is always random.

Boom Or Bust? Our Session By The Numbers

I played 200 spins on Beam Boys to test the game. This is what happened.

  • Stake Size: £1
  • Start balance: £5,000
  • End balance: £5,015.60
  • Hit Rate: 32.5% (65 winning spins in 200)
  • Biggest Win: 43.3x
  • Free Spins Round: 3

I chose to play 100 spins in Extreme Volatility mode and 100 spins in Normal Volatility mode to test this game. This is a breakdown of the two mini-sessions.

Extreme Volatility

  • Overall Win / Loss:  + £63.40
  • Hit Rate: 31% (31 winning spins in 100)
  • Wild Rows: 8
  • Biggest Win: 43.30x
  • Free Spins Rounds: 2

Normal Volatility

  • Overall Win / Loss: – £47.08
  • Hit Rate: 34% (34 winning spins in 100)
  • Wild Rows: 8
  • Biggest Win: 15.2x
  • Free Spins Rounds: 1

I should add the caveat here that 100 spins is a very small sample size for a slot, but it does give you some idea of how the game can feel under each volatility setting. The most successful of the two rounds was under Extreme Volatility, thanks to two free spins rounds, the first of which kicked out a 43.3x win. The hit rate was marginally lower at the higher variance, perhaps to be expected, but the main feature, Wild Rows, showed up an identical 8 times on each setting. Those hit rates aren’t far off what Hacksaw predict (35.75% and 33.11%) by the way. Elsewhere, it was noticeable on both settings how, without the wilds, the wins were always small. Thats to be expected with such low values in the paytable.

Adjusting Volatility Setting in Beam Boys
Adjusting the volatility setting to Normal

For me, the extreme setting was more fun because it produced fewer, but bigger wins, typical of higher volatility. But keep in mind that on another day, those free spins might have tanked and the overall experience would have been different.

A 43.3x win in Beam Boys
43.3x win came up in the free spins round on Extreme Volatility setting

Overall, in this test I found Beam Boys to be surprisingly fun. It might sound overly simple, but like other Hacksaw slots that sound odd on paper, it just works. The hit rate was good and the wild rows dropped just enough (8%) to keep teasing you back for more. And you’ll have that stuttering, electronic soundtrack stuck in your head for hours after you put the game down … if you can.

What We Liked

  • Crazy theme unlike anything we've seen before!
  • Chance for 40 free spins in the bonus round
  • Lots of wilds from the Laser Cats
  • Good 12,500x top win
  • Choose your own volatility level

What We Didn't like

  • Fewer features that other Hacksaw Gaming slots
  • No big multipliers in the free spins round

Beam Boys Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 9
  • RTP and Variance 8
  • Maximum Win 8
  • Symbols and Paytable 7
  • Features and Gameplay 9

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"A totally weird but awesome creation from the mad scientists at Hacksaw Gaming. Simple but exciting gameplay and customisable variance add to the fun!"

Overall Score: 8.2

Theme & Design

Our Score 9

Instantly Recognisable As A Hacksaw Gaming Slot With It’s Monochrome Color Mode

In terms of design, Beam Boys is a quintessential Hacksaw Gaming slot. It utilises a mix of monochrome and neon blue and orange. Comparing artwork, the closest games are RIP City, the retro cartoon game, and Hand of Anubis, Hacksaw’s most popular high variance slot. The premise for the theme is a weird one and I’ve never seen a slot before with bionic feral cats in it. But this is Hacksaw’s world we’re in! To the right of the reel set you’ll see the lead Beam Boy. The game crackles with life and has a certain charm that is typical of this studio’s output.

Beam Boys by Hacksaw Gaming
Beam Boys – A typically idiosyncratic Hacksaw Gaming slot

RTP and Variance

Our Score 8

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

Beam Boys has 4 available RTP settings – 96.35%, 94.24%, 92.3% or 88.25%. The top setting of 96.35% is good but it will be at the discretion of your casino which rate you play the game at. I recommend you open the game info screen after loading up Beam Boys and checking the RTP rate before spending any money. In my experience the best option for Hacksaw slots is MrQ which always runs their games at the optimum RTP.

Beam Boys has a unique customizable maths model which means players can choose a volatility setting from normal (low) to extreme (high). Broadly speaking, at the normal level wins will be more frequent with a hit rate of 35.75%, though smaller in size. At the extreme level the game will be much more turbulent with less infrequent wins, with a hit rate of 33.11%, but the potential for some big, one-off payouts. If you choose to play at the higher setting, remember that the game can burn you quickly so you will need a large balance and to set your stake level sensibly.

Maximum Win

Our Score 8

What Is Maximum Win?

Maximum win refers to the maximum amount a player can win from one spin. It is expressed as a multiple of the stake. For example, where the maximum win is 100,000x, from a £1 stake, the maximum win would be £100,000.  

The maximum payout on one spin in Beam Boys is 12,500x. High variance slots from Hacksaw Gaming usually have a max win of 10,000x to 15,000x so this is about average.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 7

The game plays out on a 6 reel and 4 row game area and uses a win ways engine. That means wins are triggered by landing 3 or more identical symbols on adjacent reels, regardless of their row position, from left to right, starting at the left most reel. There are 6,561 win ways in play on each spin.

You have 12 symbols in the paytable. Values are very low but remember this is a win ways game so it is easier to trigger payouts and there are also plenty of wilds, and more free spins that unsual, to help boost your wins.

Beam Boys Paytable
Paytable with 1.2x for 6 snakes

At the low end are the cards, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace. These are valued at from 0.1x for 3 on a line up to 0.5x for 6 on a line. The premium symbols are a rat, a bird, a fish, a hare of a snake. These are valued at from 0.2x for 3 rats up to 1.2x for 6 snakes.

There is also a laser cat wild which will substitute for all pay symbols to complete win lines AND pay out 5x if 6 land, all on adjacent reels, on one spin.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 9

Beam Boys is a less complex slot than many others in the Hacksaw catalogue but it does have one really fun feature – the Laser Cats Wilds. These can land ANYWHERE on reels 1 to 6. When they do, they shoot a beam horizontally from their position through every row to the left most reel, turning ALL symbols on the line wild.

Wild Rows Feature in Beam Boys
3 Wild Rows from the main feature in Beam Boys

Remember, this is a win ways game, so when the Laser Cat Wild lands on reel 6 you are guaranteed a win of 5x.

The free spins feature in Beam Boys is notable for the high number of plays you can get. You need to land the FS scatter symbol to trigger the round. Here is what you get:

  • 3 FS Scatters: 5 free spins
  • 4 FS Scatters: 10 free spins
  • 5 FS Scatters: 20 free spins
  • 6 FS Scatters: 40 free spins

Unlike many other Hacksaw slots there are no multipliers in the free spins round. The only difference is you get better odds of landing the Laser Cat Wilds. And if you land 2 scatters on one spin during the bonus you get 2 more spins, or 4 more spins when you land 3 scatters.

The Final Verdict

Fans of Hacksaw Gaming slots will love Beam Boys. Alongside it’s idiosyncratic design style and whacky theme, it has the same kind of simple but compelling gameplay that you find across their catalogue in slots like Break Bones and Itero too. The option to choose your own volatility setting is a good idea as it makes this slot attractive to all types of slots players, from those with big budgets chasing big wins to more casual players who just want to enjoy the experience of winning, however small those payouts. I add the caveat that this game doesn’t have as many interacting features as other popular high variance slots, and it’s lack of big multipliers might put off some players, but overall, for me it’s another hit from Hacksaw.

Useful Tips When Playing Beam Boys

Remember, online slots are games of chance, there is NO strategy that can improve your odds of winning. However, reading our review and following these tips will help you get the most out of your time playing this slot game.

1. Choose Your Preferred Volatility

Don’t forget to make use of the opportunity to choose your preferred variance (volatility) setting. If you like more frequent, but smaller payouts, go low. But if you love high risk for high rewards slots play, go high. Find out more in this guide.

2. Watch Out For Laser Cat Wilds On Reels 5 and 6

This game is so simple – it won’t give you a headache like some Hacksaw slots! Just keep your eye out for those Laser Cat Wilds, preferably on reels 5 and 6. If they land there then they will give you 5 or 6 wilds in a row, with a high chance of scoring wins.

 

3. Manage Your Bankroll Carefully

As with all slots, I advise that you manage your bankroll carefully by choosing a stake level that suits your balance. Remember, if you choose the high variance setting you will lose fund quicker due to the lower hit rate. Hacksaw slots have a 10p minimum stake which means you can play safe, low bets.

4. Play At Our Recommended UK Slot Sites

Make sure you choose one of our recommended UK slot sites to play at. They are all licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and offer fair, safe and secure slots play with responsible gambling tools and fair and transparent terms.

Who Made Beam Boys?

  • Name: Hacksaw Gaming
  • Established: 2018
  • UK License: 54059
  • Total Games: 50 +
  • Known For: Dark, high variance output and bonus rounds driven by combining multipliers
  • Popular Slots: Hand of Anubis, Itero, Gladiator Legends, Break Bones
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