At this point, it’s common knowledge that men think about ancient Rome with the same frequency toddlers think about snacks, roughly every six minutes. The idea of empires, gladiators, and legions just rattles around in their heads rent-free. 

Now,  imagine if Roman warriors weren’t just burly dudes in sandals swinging swords, but full-blown Samurai with katanas, armour, and an even bigger death wish. That would not just occupy a corner of men’s brains; it would melt them completely. You would not be able to walk down the street without seeing some guy staring blankly into the distance, trying to mentally reforge the Roman Empire with Samurai code and a sick pair of shoulder pads.

This mashing of worlds seems to be exactly what Hacksaw was going for when they sat down to create the illustrations for the Reign of Rome slot.

When in Rome, do as the Samurai do

The Reign of Rome slot from Hacksaw features 19 paylines across 5 reels instead of a Cluster Pays mechanic. Betting starts at just $0.10, with a maximum limit of $20. If you are betting at the upper limit, you could win up to $300,000, thanks to the 15,000x maximum multiplier. The slot has medium to high volatility, meaning wins may not be frequent but can be significant. The RTP is 96.27%.

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Tribute symbols land in four types: Adding (1x–10x), Revealing Adding (15x–500x), Multiplying (x2–x5), and Revealing Multiplying (x6–x25). A cash prize is awarded when Tribute symbols form a LootLine, with Multipliers combined from right to left. Adding Tributes increase the total, Multiplying Tributes multiply it, and any Multiplier in the leftmost position is treated as an Adding value.

Landing three FS scatter symbols in the base game activates the Path To Power bonus round with 10 free spins. Tribute symbols with higher values appear more often. Landing two or three additional FS scatters during the feature awards +2 or +4 extra free spins.

Four FS scatter symbols unlock the This Is Rome bonus round with 10 free spins. This feature follows the same mechanics as the base game and Path To Power, but non-winning Tribute symbols that land on a spin with a Tribute win are stored in one of five LootBar positions beneath the reels. When all five LootBar positions are filled, the stored Tribute values are awarded, and the LootBar resets. Additional free spins can also be earned during the feature.

Landing five FS scatter symbols triggers the Fight For Glory bonus round with 10 free spins. Each LootBar position starts with a 20x multiplier, and non-winning Tribute symbols add to the existing LootBar values. At the end of the round, the total value of all LootBar positions is awarded as a prize. The round can be retriggered.

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Reign of Rome offers five bonus buys: BonusHunt spins for 3x the bet to boost bonus chances, Shield Wall spins for 50x with guaranteed winning Tributes, Spears Out spins for 50x with guaranteed Tribute symbols including a Revealing Tribute, and direct buys of Path To Power and This Is Rome bonuses for 100x and 200x the bet respectively.

Is the Reign of Rome slot worthy of the Samurai name?

Even the loading screen for the Reign of Rome slot is beautiful. Like, what the hell?! I don’t know if this is what they were going for, but the faceless legionnaires flanking the reels, illustrated in a dark anime style, absolutely kill! The sound effects and music are also just perfect, and that’s not even an element of a slot that I usually bother commenting on. The bonus features will probably feel familiar to anyone who plays a lot of Hacksaw slots, but they are plentiful enough that their familiarity never distracted from what was a genuinely great experience. I honestly loved this slot. I give it my rare and confusing rating of eleven out of ten.

If you’re looking for a few other Hacksaw slots that I love, try out 2 Wild 2 Die and Rise of Ymir, which is another insanely beautiful slot from the provider.