Gladiator Legends (Hacksaw Gaming) – Review & Demo Play

Gladiator Legends - Game Overview

I’ve spent a fair bit with Gladiator Legends from Hacksaw Gaming, and it lands hard. The five-reel, four-row setup with 10 paylines sits in a smoky arena, steel and ash everywhere, backed by a heavy score. Bets run from 0.10 to 100 per spin. It’s rated 5/5 volatile, and the model lives up to that tag. The hook is the VS system that can turn a routine spin into a proper scrap, and that carries straight into both bonus rounds.

Symbols and Paytable in Gladiator Legends

Symbols are straight to the point. Lows are 10, J, Q, K and A, paying 0.5x to 1x for five of a kind. Highs are the kit of war: hammer, one-sided axe, double axe, sword with silver shield, and sword with gold shield, paying 5x to 30x for five. Wins pay left to right across the 10 lines. The hit rate sits around the mid-20s, so you see plenty of small top-ups while waiting for the gladiators to clash.

The roaring lion wild substitutes for regular pays and is worth 30x your stake for five on a line, matching the top symbol. The crossed swords VS symbol is the engine of the game. In the base, it expands to a full Duel Reel only if it can make a win, often as a wild with a multiplier. You also get two scatters: Arena to enter Champions of the Arena, and Beast to access Unleash the Beast.

Gladiator Legends Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	Wild
	5	x30
	5	x30
	4	x5
	3	x2
	5	x10
	4	x3
	3	x1
	5	x10
	4	x3
	3	x1
	5	x5
	4	x1
	3	x0.5
	5	x5
	4	x1
	3	x0.5
	5	x1
	4	x0.3
	3	x0.1
	5	x1
	4	x0.3
	3	x0.1
	5	x1
	4	x0.3
	3	x0.1
	5	x1
	4	x0.3
	3	x0.1
	5	x0.5
	4	x0.2
	3	x0.1
	Scatter
	Scatter

Bonus Features in Gladiator Legends

VS symbols expand into Duel Reels showing two multipliers, top and bottom, playing out a quick bout. The winning fighter’s value applies to the reel. In the base game, Duel Reels can count as wilds with multipliers from x2 to x100, and if more than one helps the same win, the values add together before being applied. It’s a tidy system that can turn a single line into a tidy hit when reels sync up with multiple VS actions.

Champions of the Arena lands from three Arena symbols and gives you three spins that reset on any VS hit. A reel multiplier sits above each reel; when a Duel Reel lands, the winning value replaces the current one. Normal Coins multiply a single reel by x2 to x10, while Epic Coins multiply all reels by x2 to x10. Duel values here range from x1 up to a hefty x1,000. When spins end, the sum of all reel multipliers is paid times your bet.

Unleash the Beast triggers from three Beast symbols, with three spins that also reset on each VS. Reels 1, 2, 4, and 5 build persistent reel multipliers as Duel Reels land, adding values rather than swapping them. Reel 3 starts locked; open it by landing a VS on all other reels. The Beast Reel then shows a special x2 to x20 Beast Duel, multiplying the other Duel multipliers before they’re added. Outer Duel values run x1 to x250. Total is paid as sum times stake.

Bonus Buy Feature

Each Spin Guarantees a Minimum of 1 VS Symbol When Feature Spins are activated, each spin guarantees certain features and costs х10 Bet. Feature Spins remain active until you disable them.
Feature Cost:	x10 Bet
RTP:	-
Volatility:	High
Each Spin Guarantees a Minimum of 2 VS Symbol When Feature Spins are activated, each spin guarantees certain features and costs x40 Bet. Feature Spins remain active until you disable them.
Feature Cost:	x40 Bet
RTP:	-
Volatility:	High
Champions of the Arena
Feature Cost:	x100 Bet
RTP:	-
Volatility:	Extra
Unleash the Beast
Feature Cost:	x400 Bet
RTP:	-
Volatility:	High

RTP, Volatility and Max Win in Gladiator Legends

The default RTP is 96.31%, with a recorded hit frequency around 26.7%. Variants exist, so check the info panel in your venue. Volatility is as high as it gets, marked 5/5, and the game can swing hard both ways. The stated max win is 10,000x the bet, reachable across the bonus rounds when multipliers snowball. Base game lines hit often enough to keep things moving, but the serious stuff lives in the VS system and the two arena features.

Buy Bonus Options in Gladiator Legends

Where allowed, the Buy Bonus menu offers four picks. Pay 10x the bet for a spin with at least one guaranteed VS symbol (RTP 96.45%). Pay 40x for a spin with at least two guaranteed VS symbols (96.40%). Pay 100x to jump straight into Champions of the Arena (96.43%). Pay 400x to start Unleash the Beast (96.46%). Prices track the risk profile, and the persistent build in the beast round explains the premium.

Gladiator Legends - My Verdict

I like how Gladiator Legends keeps the base game alive with frequent VS appearances. When two or three Duel Reels line up and the multipliers add, you can nick tidy hits without leaving the main. The art and audio set the mood without getting in the way, and the five-by-four, 10-line shape makes wins easy to read. It’s a lean package with a clear focus: multipliers, reels, and the scrap that links them.

The two bonuses feel different where it counts. Champions of the Arena can sting when a low Duel knocks off a fat reel multiplier, but the coin hits can turn it around fast. Unleash the Beast is the one I chase, as values build rather than swap and the Beast Reel can crank everything up before totals are counted. High risk, sharp peaks, and a ceiling of 10,000x; that’s the ride, and I’m fine with it.