Born Wild

Born Wild Slot Review

Slot Provider: Hacksaw Gaming

RTP: 96.28% | Variance: Medium | Maximum Win: 2,500x

Our Score: 7.4

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About Born Wild

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 2nd February 2023

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.

Back in June 2021, Hacksaw Gaming, then still relatively early in their journey to high-risk superstars, released Born Wild, a highly volatile slot with a top prize of £10,000,000. Perhaps it was just too volatile to gain traction with slots players because a year later, in July 2022, Hacksaw re-released it with a toned-down variance and a far more realistic top win of 2,500x. The result is a cool, skater-style game with the same graffiti styling that you find in slots like Break Bones, and a balanced pay model that will appeal to a wider audience than the original.

Born Wild Game Information

  • Release Date: July 2022 (Re-Launch)
  • RTP: 96.2%
  • Variance: Medium
  • Maximum Win: 2,500x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 5
  • Rows: 4
  • Paylines: 26
  • Minimum Stake: £0.20
  • Theme: Animals
  • Features: Wilds, Sticky Wilds, Re-Spins, Free Spins

What We Liked

  • Original, skater-style design
  • Sticky wilds in free spins round
  • Balanced pay model for regular wins
  • Cool bass-funk soundtrack

What We Didn't like

  • Less multipliers than other HG slots
  • Lower top payout than most HG games

Born Wild Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 9
  • RTP and Variance 7
  • Maximum Win 6
  • Symbols and Paytable 8
  • Features and Gameplay 7

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"Original style, cool theme and artwork and potential to deliver nice wins with sticky wilds. A worthwhile re-boot from Hacksaw!"

Overall Score: 7.4

Theme & Design

Our Score 9

With its odd mix of skater-style artwork and scary animal images, Born Wild is an eccentric and original slot that shows Hacksaw as a developer prepared to strike out on their own. You won’t see any other games like this. A simple, slimline 5×4 reel set with a dark granite backdrop, graffiti logo and neon colors perfectly reflects the simple gameplay that Born Wild is all about.

We’ve come to know Hacksaw as a modern slot developer with mobile play in mind, and the design of this game perfectly shows how they are appealing to both the aesthetic tastes and play habits of a new generation of slots fans.

RTP and Variance

Our Score 7

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.

Born Wild has three possible RTP settings: 96.2%, 94.25% or 92.14%. Your casino will choose which setting to run the game on. We checked the RTP at five of our favourite online slot sites in the UK. This is what we found:

  • MrQ (independent): 96.2%
  • BacanaPlay (Skill on Net): 92.14%
  • Temple Nile (White Hat Gaming): 94.25%
  • Casumo (independent): 94.25%
  • MrPlay (Aspire Global): 92.14%

Most casino operators choose to run the games at the lower settings. MrQ was the only site we found where the optimum setting was chosen. We recommend you play there if RTP is a big concern for you.

Regarding variance, Born Wild was originally a notoriously volatile game with an outrageously high win potential, but since its re-vamp it is now rated as medium-variance so it provides a more balanced payout exprience with fewer extreme peaks and troughs.

Maximum Win

Our Score 6

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.  

Born Wild has one of the lowest maximum win levels of any Hacksaw Gaming slot at 2,500x. If this is too low for you then you could try other mid-variance games from this studio like Fruit Duel (3,333x) or Gronk’s Gems (7,500x).

Explore Games With Similar RTP, Variance and Maximum Win

Like the numbers? Here are some more games you might want to try.

Slot SiteSupplierRTPVarianceTop Payout
Dork UnitHacksaw Gaming96.28%Medium10,000xPlay Here
Frank’s FarmHacksaw Gaming96.31%Medium5,000xPlay Here
Fruit DuelHacksaw Gaming96.3%Medium3,333xPlay Here
Gronk’s GemsHacksaw Gaming96.22%Medium7,500xPlay Here
RIP CityHacksaw Gaming96.22%Medium12,500xPlay Here

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 8

The game grid here is a 5 reel and 4 row set up with wins formed by landing 3 or more identical symbols along one of 26 paylines from left to right.

As well as an original symbol format, the paytable offers some good value at the top end of the premiums and 5 of a kind wilds. Here is how it works:

Never ones to do things the traditional way, instead of using symbols, Hacksaw have opted for animal noises to represent the low payers on the reels: Howl, Claw, Hiss, Grrr, Roar! These are valued at from 0.1x for three Howls up to 1x for five Roars. The premiums are the animals themselves: snake, lion, gorilla, rhino, wolf. These are valued at between 0.5x for 3 wolves up to 15x for 5 snakes.

Wild symbols are also available and these substitute for all others to complete win lines as well as paying up a 50x prize if 5 land on a payline.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 7

As well as the standard symbols there are also TWO special symbols in this game – the Lion and the Free Spins Lion. Each triggers a special feature.

The Lion’s Roar, Re-Spins and Potential 2,500x Win

Firstly, you have the Lion’s Roar. This will be triggered by landing the Lion three or more times on one spin in the base game. Now Lions are sticky and re-spins keep happening until no more new Lions drop. At this point, your Lions convert to Wilds and THREE more spins are credited.

This has big potential as theoretically you could fill the entire screen with Lions and trigger the max 2,500x payout.

Get Free Spins With Sticky Wilds

The free spins round is triggered by landing the Free Spins symbol three or more times on one spin. This round is simple – ALL wilds stick through out and you get 10 free spins.

 

More Games Like Born Wild Slot

Chaos Crew by Hacksaw Gaming – If you are into the Hacksaw style we see in Born Wild – monochrome backgrounds and splashes of neon colors and graffiti – but want the volatility dialled up then dive into Chaos Crew: 5 reels, 5 rows and 15 lines of high variance mayhem. Wilds and multipliers aplenty drives wins up to 10,000x potential.

Break Bones by Hacksaw Gaming – Alternatively, keep things simpler with this medium variance 3 reel, 3 row game with a 3,333x top win. It’s an edgy little game that utilises the Echo Spins feature from Itero with global multipliers of up to 100x.

 

Where to Play Born Wild Slot – Further Recommendations

Bacana Play – This Skill on Net slot site is a great place to try Hacksaw Games. In total they have more than 4,000 slots to try and you can search your favourites using a cool search menu to filter by paylines, supplier, theme and more. Deposit from just £10 including Paypal.

Dream Vegas – Alternatively try one of our favourite White Hat Gaming casinos, Dream Vegas. Here there are over 2,500 games to try including the full Hacksaw list and others like Nolimit City. Deposit and play from £20. Paypal and Trustly options included.

The Final Verdict

The Born Wild re-boot showcases Hacksaw’s ability to create excellent mid-variance slots to sit alongside their mind-bendingly volatile games. This slot has everything we love about this studio – including cool artwork, leftfield design and features (never seen symbols replaced by animal noises!) and ace gameplay. Born Wild is essentially a very simple slot that comes down to converting as many lions as possible into wilds in the Lion’s Roar or scoring as many sticky wilds as possible in the free spins round. It’s no Hand of Anubis, but if you are looking for a more balanced game, Born Wild makes a good choice.

Who Made Born Wild?

  • 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
Find More Hacksaw Gaming slots

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