R.I.P. City by Hacksaw Gaming - Online Slot Review

We land in a dark back alley straight from some noir detective movie, and it's almost surprising that there aren't any dead bodies on the ground or bullet holes in the walls. Instead, two tags glow on the grey surface, Ro$$ in pink on the left and Maxx in green on the right. The contrast most likely reflects the massive difference in the characters' way of being, also showing us that nothing else matters in RIP City since the entire setting overflows with shades of gray (perhaps even more than 50, wink).

The third leading color, yellow, covers all high-paying symbols making them stand out from between lifeless royals. Even though it's a simple and not too elegant a solution, one can't argue that the hierarchy is as clear as it gets. We hardly ever care about the low-payers, so why put any effort into exposing them? The top half of the pay table shows a more significant attempt at diversifying the symbols, using faint additions of white in items like a peeled banana, a candle-wearing skull, a pair of dice, a dead smiley face, and an eight-ball on a punctured heart. A quirky yet somehow fitting design choice that undoubtedly carries more than one clever innuendo. Since contrast and dominating colors seem to be the fundamental idea of the theme, let's not forget about special symbols that secured their own unique hues and are responsible for triggering several attractive features.

How To Win On RIP City Slot - Features & Mechanics

At first glance, it may seem that the peculiar setting hides some mechanics used in the studio's other productions, but it's not entirely the case. There are some instantly visible similarities to games like "Wanted Dead or a Wild", for instance, the low number of paying lines and the expanding Wild, which becomes more frequent in the bonus. However, nothing is precisely the same, and the subtle differences make up a completely new experience. Regarding base wins, at least 3 matching symbols on one of the 19 pay lines form a hit that pays from 0.2 times the bet for the lowest combinations, up to 20 and 25 times for 5-of-a-kind scores on the top-payer and Wilds, respectively.

Wild Cat Feature

If you enjoyed the VS symbols in the western slot, you'd welcome the jaw-dropping (literally) mechanism in RIP City. Ro$$, our Wild Cat, may land on any reel and expand to cover all spaces below him, turning them Wild. Additionally, if the motion covers a regular Wild at the same time, a multiplier between x2 and x200 will be added to the affected area. Landing several Wild Cat symbols with multipliers will make them add up before boosting the total win.

Ro$$ Bonus

Landing 3 Scatter symbols in a single spin triggers the bonus round consisting of 10 free spins, and if you hit the same combination there, you'll get another 4. You usually wouldn't expect such shady characters to be generous, but Ro$$ becomes much more visible here. He eagerly appears on the reels, often accompanied by a regular Wild that guarantees one of the juicy multipliers. 

Maxx Bonus

The mouse is undoubtedly the true boss of the RIP City, despite the cat's undermining attitude, as it's his bonus that takes the excitement to the next level. You'll need one more Scatter (so 4 total) to trigger it either straight from the base game or the Ro$$ stage. If you're entering from the main part, you'll get 10 free spins, and if you progress from the first bonus, your spin counter will reset to 10 regardless of how many you had left (unless you already gathered more through retriggering).

Even though they both hate each other's guts, Ro$$ is more than welcome to roam around Maxx's bonus round. Once he lands on any of the reels, that column becomes active and guarantees his appearance on every spin until the end.

RIP City Buy Bonus & Feature Spins

We all know that regular spinning sometimes becomes frustrating, especially if you're not hitting any features. Hacksaw Gaming has a remedy for that in the form of its unique buy-in functionality that instantly triggers an array of in-game events. The choice is yours:

• For a 3x bet increase, each spin will be 5 times more likely to activate free spins.
• A 20x bet increase guarantees 2 Wild Cat symbols on each spin.
• A 50x bet increase guarantees 3 Wild Cat symbols on each spin.
• Ro$$ bonus instant trigger for 110x bet.
• Maxx bonus instant trigger for 200x bet.

RIP City On Mobile

As expected from a provider specializing in mobile design, the slot works perfectly on any portable device, thanks to the latest HTML5 technology. There are no differences between the landscape and desktop views due to identical viewport proportions. The portrait mode, however, presents an even more depressing atmosphere since we can't see the characters or their highly-contrasting graffiti on the walls, so all the additional colors are limited to symbols on the reels.

Final Thoughts

Those of us who follow the online gambling industry closely and dig a little deeper into the relations between the studios may try to find a bit of subtext in the slot's atmosphere and its title. It's no mystery that Nolimit City has been a precursor of the gritty and controversial game themes, on which some studios now try to build their reputation as well. Is RIP City a humorous prophecy from Hacksaw Gaming to their competition, or just an (unfortunate?) coincidence? It feels like it's the latter, but you never know. Regardless if there's a hidden message, the game itself may produce a lot of mixed feelings. The theme and graphical design may not appeal to most potential recipients. You must simply like this one, niche, old-school style, and it's impossible to claim it's a generic feel. It has its upsides, though. Thanks to the simplistic outlook among hundreds and thousands of games bursting with the entire plethora of colors, submerging yourself in this almost-monochromatic setting might be a refreshing change. Mechanically, RIP City can be as frustrating for the players as the endless conflict is for the game's characters, with many wins barely crossing the active stake level. It's a good thing there are multiple options for triggering the featured ad hoc, but then again, that requires a deep wallet. All in all, it's another brave move in exploring unusual art directions and pairing them with familiar mechanics to create an entertaining setting that delivers the desired experience from a fresh perspective.