Developer: Hacksaw
Reels: 5
Rows: 5
Paylines: 19
RTP: 96.22% | 94.27% | 92.32% | 88.02%
Free Spins Freq: 18%
Max Win: 12,500x
Volatility: Medium
Min/Max Bet: 0.10/100 (Eur)
Release Date: November 30th, 2023
Slot Overview
Hacksaw Gaming has arguably been one of the best providers of 2023, delivering many great games over the year, and this Christmas title is no exception.
Those familiar with their RIP City slot will immediately understand the math and mechanics of Xmas Drop as it’s a direct reskin of said title.
We’ll go into more detail below, but you can expect all the Hacksaw classic features such as Bonus Hunt, Bonus Buys, and Base Game Feature Spins.
Slot Features
Wild Santa Symbol
Wild Santa symbols expand if the expanded symbol would be part of at least one win once it does so. When expanded, they count as a wild symbol on each position the expanded symbol covers. Wild Santas only spread downwards to the bottom of the reels. Wild Santas that do not expand are counted as a single wild symbol, and each reel can only have one Wild Santa at a time.
Wild Gift Symbol
Suppose a Wild Santa symbol expands through a Wild Gift symbol. In that case, it becomes a multiplier applied to the expanded Wild Santa symbol. Possible multiplier values range from x2 to x200. Suppose a winning combination has more than one expanded Wild Santa with a multiplier. In that case, the multiplier values are added together before being applied to the win.
Night Before Xmas
Landing 3 FS scatters in the base game triggers this bonus round with 10 free spins. In this feature, you can land Wild Santa and Wild Gift symbols better than in the base game. Hitting 3 FS symbols while the round is active awards +4 free spins. Or, hitting 4 FS symbols in the round upgrades it to Santa Claus Is Coming To Town at the end of the spin. If less than 10 free spins remain, the number of free spins is set to 10.
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Landing 4 FS scatters in the base game triggers this feature with 10 free spins. In this round, landing a Wild Santa symbol can activate the reel it lands on. Once a reel is activated, a Wild Santa is guaranteed to land on the reel for all remaining free spins. Hit 3 FS scatters, and the reward is +4 more free spins.
Feature/Bonus Buy Menu
BonusHunt FeatureSpins – 3x the bet where each spin is 5 times more likely to activate a bonus game. Highly volatile.
2 Wild Santa’s FeatureSpins – 20x the bet where each spin is guaranteed to land at least 2 Wild Santas. Very highly volatile.
3 Wild Santa’s FeatureSpins – 50x the bet where each spin is guaranteed to land at least 3 Wild Santas. Highly volatile.
Night Before Xmas – 110x the bet. Highly volatile.
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – 200x the bet. Highly volatile.
Summary
Although Xmas Drop is a Reskin of RIP City, that does not make it a bad title. The mechanics are just as fun to play as the previous title, and a refreshing theme change from the dark colour tones.
I prefer Xmas Drop, as the Santa opening his giant mouth when expanding as a wild is more humorous to me than the RIP City cat, or I could be wrapped up in that Holiday spirit.
Those players that love Hacksaw and the mentioned RIP City will be fans of Xmas Drop, no matter the season.
Rating: 7.5/10 – Diya Lear
Demo: https://www.hacksawgaming.com/games/xmas-drop
