Rise of Ymir

Rise of Ymir Slot Review

Slot Provider: Hacksaw Gaming

RTP: 96.31% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 15,000x

Our Score: 8.0

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QUICK LINKS: Game Information | Where To Play | Full Review | Testing Notes | 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 Rise of Ymir

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 11th October 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.

Rise of Ymir is a Norse-themed slot from Hacksaw Gaming featuring the mythological character of Ymir whose body formed the earth, sea and heaven. It’s an epic game with a heavy amount of multipliers that stick and combine in ingenious ways from base game to free spins rounds. Ymir Wild multipliers are valued at up to 100x and stick and trigger re-spins, whilst the Megamultiplier™ collects up all Ymir values to apply to all wins. The free spins culminate in a Hold and Spin round where Megamultipliers™ and Asgardian Orbs collect and re-distribute all multipliers on the grid.

This high volatility slot has a 15,000x max win. Spins start at 10p.

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Rise of Ymir Game Information

  • Release Date: 24.10.24
  • RTP: 96.31% | 94.24% | 92.25% | 88.23%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 15,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 5
  • Rows: 4
  • Paylines: 14
  • Minimum Stake: £0.10
  • Theme: Norse
  • Features: Free SpinsHold and WinMultipliersRe-SpinsSticky WildsWilds
  • Format: 5-Reel

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Rise of Ymir

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 Rise of Ymir on Hacksaw Gaming’s test servers prior to release to test the game. This is what happened.

  • Stake Size: 1
  • Start balance: 5,000
  • End balance: 4,941.40
  • Win Rate: 23.5% (47 winning spins in 200)
  • Biggest Win: 25.2x
  • Free Spins Round: 1

This was very much a session of two halves, reflecting the volatility of Rise of Ymir. In the first 100 spins the balance shot up thanks to several good wins combining Ymir Wilds with good multiplier values and a 25.2x from a free spins round. This was the Dawn of Gods game, so the simplest of the three. I had two 1x’s and a 4x and a 3x in play for part of the round which helped drive the win. The second 100 spins in the session were much tougher, with a few streaks of 10 or more spins where nothing happened at all.  By the end the balance had taken quite a hammering.

4 Ymir Multipliers in Rise of Ymir
4 Ymir Multipliers in the Free Spins Round

For anyone familiar with multiplier mechanics in slots it’s not hard to see how this game could produce stunning payouts from time to time, but on this evidence its going to be a slog trying to unlock them. I didn’t see a single Megamultiplier™ in 200 spins which was disappointing, and the one free spins round I did see produced only a modest win.

25.2x win in Rise of Ymir
A 25.2x win in the free spins round in testing

Having said that, the win rate was decent enough at 23.5% – close to 1 in 4 spins a winner – and the Ymir Wilds were very regular. I’d say they showed up in around 3 or 4 spins. The caveat to that is they often don’t create a win, so you can often see a good 10x or more multiplier go to waste.  In short, a lot of teasing but not quite delivering!

What We Liked

  • Awesome gameplay with potential to build huge multipliers
  • THREE exciting free spins rounds
  • Megamultiplier™ symbols can be very powerful
  • Dark and ominous Norse theme
  • High volatility for fans of high risk gameplay

What We Didn't like

  • Low RTP at some slot sites
  • A tough game to crack due to that volatility

Rise of Ymir Review Scores

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

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"Another darkly volatile creation from Hacksaw which will produce really epic moments for some lucky punters!"

Overall Score: 8.0

Theme & Design

Our Score 8

Hacksaw have created another dark slot with ominous sounds, scary imagery and an epic backstory. Ymir is a character from Norse mythology whose role is described in verse printed on the rules page of the game. Amongst other things it says his flesh formed the earth and his bones the hills. Pretty big then! He is represented here by a frightening giant that looms over the reels, all glassy-eyed and wild-haired. The setting is a freezing land scattered with warriors and over-looked by rocky mountains. The soundtrack is a relentless drumbeat. And the production is one fans of games like Stormforged will enjoy. Top stuff.

Rise of Ymir by Hacksaw Gaming
Rise of Ymir Game Screen

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.

Rise of Ymir has been given 4 RTP rates by Hacksaw Gaming – 96.31%, 94.24%, 92.25% and 88.23%. Which you play at will be down to your casino operator. Whilst the top rate of 96.31% is good, the lower rates, particularly 88.23% are to be avoided. We always recommend playing at MrQ from Lindar Media because their policy is to run ALL games at the optimum rates.

TIP: Wherever you play you can check the RTP in a Hacksaw slot by hitting the little hamburger icon under the reels, then the Game Info link. Scroll through the rules until you see Return to Player displayed.

The dark and ominous production in Rise or Ymir already tells you that this is going to be a highly volatile gaming experience. The style isn’t far from their most infamous releases like Hand of Anubis and Itero. So expect a bumpy ride, and a game that can blow hot and cold in streaks.

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 max payout from a single spin in Rise of Ymir is 15,000x. That puts it at the top end for Hacksaw slots, most of which come in between 10,000x and 15,000x. Others with a 15,000x top payout included the western slot, 2 Wild 2 Die.

Looking for games with even bigger payouts? Then check out our list of the highest max win slots.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 8

The format for Rise of Ymir is simple enough. The game plays on 5 reels, each displaying 4 rows, with 14 paylines in play on each spin. You need to land 3 or more identical symbols on a payline from left to right to trigger a win.

Rise of Ymir Paytable
The paytable with 20x for 5 top paying premium characters

There are 10 symbols to do this with. Low value ones are the cards, 10 through to Ace. These are valued at from 0.2x for 3 10s up to 2x for 5 Aces. The premium symbols are the horn, axe, hammer, and two character symbols. These are valued at from 1x for 3 horns up to 20x for 5 of the yellow bearded character.

The wild symbol is Ymir himself. He will substitute for any pay symbols to complete a payline AND pays out at 20x if 5 appear on a payline.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 9

Rise of Ymir is classic Hacksaw Gaming – an absolutely crazy mix of multipliers (including a new Megamultiplier™) and no less than three free spins rounds with increasingly powerful configurations.

This is how it all works.

Ymir’s Conquest With Combining Sticky Wild Multipliers  

Hacksaw’s (commendable) obsession with multipliers in high variance slots continues here as they land, stick and combine in awesome ways …

The blue Ymir symbol is the wild and it carries a random multiplier of 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 50x, 75x or 100x. This multiplier is applied to any win Ymir is a part of, and if more than one appears on a line, then their values are added together before that total is applied to the win.

Rise of Ymir Multiplier Wilds
Ymir multiplier wilds in play

But that’s not all. When an Ymir is part of a win it sticks on the reels and triggers a re-spin, potentially creating more wins. And if more Ymir symbols land on the re-spin then the process repeats.

That sounds tasty as it allows you to start building up several wilds on the reels with a higher chance of scoring wins as a result.

Furthermore, you can also create a Giant Ymir symbol if FOUR Ymirs all land on the same reel. Then their multipliers are added together and applied to any wins that pass through the Giant Ymir.

Megamultiplier™ Takes In ALL Multiplier Values

Even better is landing a Megamultiplier™ symbol. This is trademarked by Hacksaw so expect to see it appear in new slots in the future. It’s simple: if the Megamultiplier™ symbol lands on a spin then it gathers up the values of any Ymir multipliers currently on the reels. This super multiplier is then applied to any wins on that spin.

The Megamultiplier™ also triggers re-spins, gathering in the multiplier values of any new Ymir symbols that land each time. This carries on until no more re-spins occur.

THREE Free Spins Rounds

That’s just the base game. There are also 3 free spins rounds to get your head into. They get increasingly crazy the harder they are to unlock. The FS scatter – a blue symbol with the letters FS on it – is your ticket to these features.

We’ll go through them one by one.

Dawn of Gods With 10 Free Spins

If you hit 3 FS scatters in the base game then you’ll trigger the Dawn of Gods bonus with 10 free spins. The rules are the same except odds have shifted so that landing Ymir symbols is easier, as is landing Ymir symbols with the higher value multipliers.

You can extend this round by landing 2 or 3 FS symbols on the same free spin to get yourself 2 or 4 more spins.

Rise of Ymir Dawn of Gods Free Spins
The Dawn of Gods Free Spins Round

Fury of Ymir With 10 Free Spins

If you hit 4 FS symbols in the base game then you’ll trigger the Fury of Ymir bonus with 10 free spins. The rules are the same once again, with higher value Ymir multipliers more likely, except this time the Megamultiplier™ will be sticky between spins, effectively allowing you to build a much bigger global multiplier as the round progresses.

Remember, all your Ymir multipliers are being gathered up by the Megamultiplier™ so big things can happen in this way!

And again, you can extend the round by landing 2 or 3 FS symbols on the same free spins to earn 2 or 4 more spins.

Fall Of Ymir Re-Spins Round

The final free spins round – Fall of Ymir – is a bit different. It would be better described as a re-spins or hold and win round. You need 5 FS symbols to land in the base game to trigger this one.

Now you are on a different grid where only Volcanic Ymirs, Megamultipliers™, Asgardian Orb or ‘dead’ space symbols are available.

Each spin diminishes your spins count by 1. But if you land one of the 3 active symbols then the counter re-sets to 3. The round only ends if the counter drops to zero.

The important symbol here is the Volcanic Ymir. The objective is to build the multiplier values of these symbols as big as possible. You do this with the help of the Megamultiplier™ and the Asgardian Orbs.

When it first lands, the Volcanic Ymir, has a multiplier value of 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 50x, 75x or 100x.  If a Megamultiplier™ lands at the same time as a Volcanic Ymir is on the grid, then the Volcanic Ymir’s multiplier value is added to a global multiplier. But in this case, the Volcanic Ymir does NOT lose its value.

Then, if a GREEN Asgardian Orb lands then it takes in the global multiplier value and gives it back out to any Volcanic Ymirs on the same reel on which it appears. If there are none, then the Orb does nothing.

And if a GOLDEN Asgardian Orb lands then after taking in the global multiplier value it gives it back out to ALL Volcanic Ymirs, regardless of which reel they are on.

When the Orbs do their thing, then the global multiplier re-sets to zero. It requires more Megamultiplier™ symbols to land in order to start building it back up again.

The final win calculation from the round is done when there are no spins left. Then, the value of ALL Volcanic Ymirs is added together and multiplied by the bet size.

The Final Verdict

This is a well-designed game that fans of Hacksaw’s darker output will love. Volatility fans will enjoy chasing down those big multiplier moments too, and there is definitely potential for this one to deliver. Overall, not quite on the iconic level of Hand of Anubis, but a slick beast nonetheless.

Useful Tips When Playing Rise of Ymir

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. Confused? Try In Demo Mode First

If you find the rules to this one a bit confusing, try our demo version first. That’ll help you to understand before you spin for real.

2. Wait For Megamultpliers™

These symbols are a powerful way to boost your wins. It will take in the value of any visible Ymir Wilds AND trigger respins!

3. Use A Low Stake

This is definitely a game for careful bankroll management. Set a low stake relative to your balance to avoid burning out too quick on the volatile game engine.

4. Play At Our Recommended Slot Sites

We have chosen the sites on this page because they all scored high in our reviews and they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. That makes them fair and safe places to play slots.

Who Made Rise of Ymir?

  • 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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