Theme & Design

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).

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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.

The Final Verdict

Hacksaw make a lot of the laid-back vibe of this game. The opening line of the info screen says it all … ‘Vibe Check! Feeling good? Great! Then kick back and relax with us for a while.’ The peaceful urban setting, the chilled girl leaning on the vending machine and the bland music all create a sort of comfy world to sink into. And that is great for a short while, but the lack of any visceral excitement like you find in a Hand of Anubis or Gladiator Legends means things can quickly become boring.

And whilst the idea of row multipliers seems like a compelling one, for the most part whilst playing Vending Machine it feels like not a lot is happening. Wins and multipliers come and go without drama and time goes by. For balance I should say that if the bonus round had been kinder, it might have felt like a very different game. After all, there was a 45x multiplier on row 1 just waiting to deliver a big win until it got deactivated, and on another day that might have produced something special.

In conclusion, Vending Machine is a great-looking game with an interesting mechanic, but it’s medium variance and laid back vibe make it a slot that can lose your attention before long. One for casual gamers rather than those on the hunt for hard core, high risk thrills.