Warrior Ways
By Hacksaw Gaming
Overview
Step into the neon-drenched streets of a futuristic, alternate Japan in Warrior Ways, a high-octane slot from Hacksaw Gaming that plunges you into a fierce urban clan war. This High volatility showdown unfolds across a dynamic 5-reel, 4-row grid, offering a staggering 1,024 ways to win as four distinct clans battle for supremacy. Witness cinematic graphics bathed in the glow of pink and purple lights, blending 'Warlords - Crystals of Power' with 'Blade Runner' aesthetics, all underscored by an exotic Asian-inspired soundtrack. At its core is the unique Duel feature, where rival warriors clash to deliver multipliers and symbol transformations, driving the relentless action. With a potential Max Win of 10,000x your bet, every spin promises intense combat and thrilling outcomes. This game is a masterclass in atmospheric design, drawing players into its gritty, high-stakes narrative. Perfect for thrill-seekers and fans of immersive, action-packed slots looking for deep gameplay beyond traditional spins. Prepare for an adrenaline-fueled journey where strategic combat meets massive win potential.
Gameplay & Features
Four competing Clans are bound to clash eventually, and in Warrior Ways, they actually fight quite often via a Duel feature. Duels are central to Warrior Ways as they can be found in the base game and the two bonus rounds.
• Duels
•
A Duel isactivated when a VS symbol lands right between two premium warrior symbols from different Clans. VS symbols appear onreels 2, 3, or 4. When triggered, the two warriors are each given arandom multiplierof x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, x15, x20, x25, x50, or x100. When the Duel ends, the winning Clan's premium symbolreplaces all instances of the losing Clan's symbol. This could be the lows, the highs, or the low and high losing clan symbols. Also, the VS symboltransforms into the winning Clan's high symbol. If the winning Clan's symbols result in a win, its multiplier is applied to it.
• Clash
•
This is triggered when3 Clash symbolsland anywhere on the grid. The first part of Clash is theCollect phase. During this phase,3 spinsare awarded, which are reset whenever a VS symbol or Clan Multiplier symbol lands. Reel 1, 2, 4, and 5 corresponds to a Clanand starts with anx1 multiplierabove it. When a Clan multiplier symbol with avalue of x2 to x100 hits, it is added to the reel multiplier. There is a chance anEpic Clan Multiplierlands on reel 3, which multiples all other reel values by x2 when it hits. When spins run out in the Collect phase, the bonus switches to theClash phase. The number of VS symbols collected equals the number of spins awarded for the Clash, and a Duel is guaranteed on each spin. Battling Clan members take the multipliers achieved during the Collect phase.
• Conquest
•
Lanbding3 Conquest symbolsin the base game awards10 free spins. Whenever a Conquest symbol lands during the feature, an extra free spin is awarded. Four Clan bannerssit beside the reels for Conquest, andwhenever a Clan loses a Duel, the banner takes damage. When a Banner has been destroyed bydamaging it twice, the respective high and low symbols of that Clan areremoved from the reels for the rest of the feature. Moreover, +1 extra free spin is also awarded when this happens.
• Buy Bonus
•
Hitting the Buy Bonus button, if it is there, let's players buy either bonus round. Clash costs100x the bet, is highly volatile and has a maximum RTP of 96. 44%. Conquest has a price tag of400x the bet, is medium volatile and has a max RTP of 96. 51%
Final Thoughts
Hacksaw Gaming slots tend to be simpler than Warrior Ways, though still outrageously fiendish in their design. Often, there'll be a clever feature in the base game which gets amplified during a bonus round. Warrior Ways has a bit more depth than that, putting it on a par with games likeWanted Dead or a WildorThe Bowery Boys. The Duel feature is the central concept running through it all, tying everything together into one big Clan showdown.
Warrior Ways' pace can be quite placid much of the time, despite the fairly frequent Clan Duels taking place. They're fun enough, though the base game lacks a collection/progression element of a battle slot likeYggdrasil's Vikings Go range or the variety of modifiers available inWarlords – Crystals of Power. What made this noticeable was the amount of time it took to trigger the two bonus rounds.
So which bonus round to pick? Both were solid performers, starting with Clash and its Collect phase, which played out a bit likeChaos Crew, where the goal is to stack as many multipliers and VS spins as possible. UnlikeChaos Crew, you then have to put the acquired multipliers to work in the Clash phase, adding an extra layer of complexity. Conquest is the significantly more expensive buy option and generally resulted in 1 or 2 sets of Clan symbols being removed from the reels. Since Hacksaw armed the game with ways instead of paylines, symbol removals can be rather potent. Dominate these means streets, and players can walk away with wins of up to 10,000x their bet.
Warrior Ways is an imaginative game, with a gang warfare in the streets story, a level of atmosphere, and a set of features that have been neatly intertwined with each other. This being a Hacksaw production, Warrior Ways can be exasperating at times, but it's also got all the parts necessary to hack and slash with the best of them on its day.
