Vending Machine
By Hacksaw Gaming
Vending Machine is a medium variance slot from Hacksaw Gaming with a relaxed vibe and urban setting.
The game uses cascading wins and cumulative multipliers on EVERY row in both base game and bonus round to build up win potential unlocked by landing Lightning Bolt scatters at the same time.
It’s a typically eccentric and innovative Hacksaw game with a 5,000x max win. Spins start at 10p.
Game Name | Vending Machine |
---|---|
Developer | Hacksaw Gaming |
Release Date | July 2023 |
Rows | 5 |
Reels | 5 |
Paylines | 35 |
RTP Rate | 96.28% | 94.26% | 92.32% | 88.28% |
Max Win | 5,000x |
Min Bet | £0.10 |
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Review Scorecard
What Our Reviewer Says …
Unique, intriguing and definitely laid-back slot with big multiplier potential
What We Like
- Big cumulative multipliers in free spins
- Clever and unusual gameplay
- Nice design style and urban setting
- Epic multiplier boosters!
What We Didn't Like
- Quite hard to follow at first
- Bit too chilled for some perhaps!
Theme and Design
A Typically Unique Theme and Setting For An Online Slot From Hacksaw
Hacksaw Gaming are known for taking their fans to places other developers don’t go with their slot games. And Vending Machine is another eccentric one for sure. Utilising the design of a classic vending machine to frame the reels is an interesting concept. So too is the urban setting, crescent moon, veranda, neighbourhood cat and bored girl browsing her phone, leaning on the machine and occasionally kicking it for good measure.
It’s not like anything we’ve seen in a slot before. But nor were the graphics in Break Bones or Book of Time for that matter. It's what Hacksaw do, and once again they've built something totally unique.
RTP and Variance
Vending Machine has four available RTP settings: 96.28%, 94.26%, 92.32% or 88.28%. This is not uncommon. You will find multiple RTP settings in most Hacksaw slots. Which setting you play at will depend on the level set by your casino. We checked the setting at five popular UK slot sites and this is what we found:
- Casumo – 94.26% RTP
- MrQ – 96.28% RTP
- Vegasland – 92.32% RTP
- BacanaPlay – 92.32%
- Barz Casino – 94.26%
As you can see, not all casinos will run Vending Machine at its optimum RTP level. If RTP is a key consideration for you then we recommend that you play at MrQ where the game is running at the top level of 96.28%.
This is also a medium variance slot so it should be less volatile than recent titles by Hacksaw like Mighty Masks or Mayan Stackways. If you prefer their more chilled fare like Frank’s Farm then this slot could suit your tastes.
Maximum Win
The maximum payout in this game is 5,000x. That is standard for a medium variance slot from this provider and puts it in the same bracket as games like Fear the Dark. If you want a medium variance slot from Hacksaw with a higher top payout, try Dork Unit (10,000x).
Symbols and Paytable
Vending Machine is a 5 reel and 5 row slot with 35 fixed paylines in play at all times. The objective is to land 3 or more identical symbols across a payline from left to right. Symbol values are reasonably good, and there is enough multiplier action in the features to ensure regular boosts to your wins.
Low payers are the bread, sweets, chewing gum and lolly pop. These are all worth from 0.1x for 3 up to 2x for 5 on a line. Premiums are the ice cream, drink can, drink carton and slushy drink. These are worth from 0.5x for 3 ice cream up to 20x for 5 slushy drinks.
There is also a Wild Popcorn which will substitute for any other symbol to complete a line and also pay out 20x where 5 land on a line.
Features and Gameplay
Vending Machine, like many Hacksaw Gaming slots, is ALL about the multipliers! The objective is to build them as high as possible then land Lightning Bolts to unlock them so that they are applied to your latest win.
Cascading Wins
First thing to note is that this is a cascading wins game. That means after any winning spin, winning symbols are removed and new ones drop in to replace them. This may create more wins to trigger the process again.
Multiplier Lights on Every Row
To the left side of each row are multiplier values displayed on arrows. The value of each multiplier is chosen at random before each spin – 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, 10x.
The multiplier values can be increased in TWO ways.
First, after a winning spin, multipliers on all rows that include a symbol that was part of the win increase by the same number of winning symbols on the row. For example, if a winline converges with a row twice, then the multiplier for that row increases by 2x.
Second, if a Multiplier Boost symbol lands, then it increases the multiplier on the row it landed on by 2x. An Epic Multiplier Boost increases ALL multipliers by 2x.
Then … if a Lightning Bolt lands on a row, it activates the multiplier for that row for the duration of the rest of the cascades.
Now, once activated, a multiplier is applied to ALL winlines that converge with its’ row.
But beware … because if a Blackout Skull lands on a row, it deactivates the multiplier!
Two Free Spins Rounds
There are also two free spins rounds in this game.
First is Lo Fi Free Spins. If you land 3 FS Scatters, you will trigger this round with THREE activated multipliers. The round just keeps going until each of the three has been deactivated.
Finally, there is a Spin and Chill round triggered by landing FOUR FS scatters. Now, ALL FIVE multipliers are active when the round starts. And spins continue until each has been deactivated.
Remove and Cascade
As a cheeky extra, Hacksaw have added this one. At the end of any spin / cascade, randomly all low payers may be removed for one more cascade.
Final Verdict
Once again we have been wowed by the unique production skills of Hacksaw Gaming. Vending Machine might not have the visceral excitement of their darker, high volatility slots, but with its unique game mechanics, unusual setting and 100% chilled vibe, it’s a game whose company you can’t help but enjoy. And whilst the variance may be more towards the medium side, it still feels like it has the potential to surprise you and pop once in a while when those multipliers build for long enough.
Testing Notes
For this review I played Vending Machine for real money at Casumo for 200 spins. These are the numbers from that session.
- Spins: 200
- Stake Size: £0.1
- Start balance: £26.72
- End balance: £18.50
- Biggest Base Game Win: 13x
- Biggest Bonus Round Win: 26x
- Free Spins rounds: 1
- Session Time: 24 mins 25 seconds
For a medium variance slot, Vending Machine was a tough play for my 200 spins. There were plenty of small wins, less than the stake, and a very small number of wins in the 1x to 10x bracket. The highest was 13x before I hit the bonus round on my 197th spin. Everything seemed promising with multiplier building steadily on each row before they all got snuffed out over 10 spins. Result? A modest 26x win shown in the video below.
Who Made Vending Machine?
- Name: Hacksaw Gaming
- 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