Gronk’s Gems (Hacksaw Gaming) – Review & Demo Play

Gronk’s Gems: Slot Overview

Gronk’s Gems is a cluster-paying grid slot in Hacksaw’s Pocketz Series, built for mobile but tidy on desktop as well. It runs on a 6x6 layout with cascading wins and cluster pays formed by 5+ matching symbols. Stakes go from 10p up to £100. The default RTP is 96.24%, and volatility sits at a medium 3/5. Max win is 7,500x. I rate the setup as mid-range Hacksaw: friendly troll, sharp gem maths, and a base game that keeps ticking over between features.

Gronk’s Gems Slot Features

Wins charge matching symbols, making them glow and appear on a charge bar above the grid. After cascades, the Epic Gem can drop. When the grid settles, it activates, transforming all charged symbols into the highest-paying charged symbol. The Epic Gem then absorbs them and counts as one winning cluster. It always counts as 4 symbols, so a single charged symbol in view is enough to form a win. After absorption, it explodes and triggers another cascade.

Three Gronk’s Head scatters trigger Gronk’s Treasure for 10 free spins, with a higher chance to land Epic Gems. Three Gem Bag scatters trigger Gem Hoarder with 5 refilling free spins; landing 3 Gem Bags at once refills to 5. In Gem Hoarder, the charged state is off. Each removed winning symbol increases the global multiplier by an amount equal to the number removed. Any cluster connected to an X-Gem gets multiplied, once per connected X-Gem.

Where available, the Buy Bonus menu offers Bonushunt Featurespins at 3x the bet for five times the chance to trigger a bonus, Gronk’s Treasure at 110x, and Gem Hoarder at 200x. All buys are labelled and rated highly volatile, and the choice can affect volatility. This menu is not in the UK for sure, so I played it straight in regulated markets and used the buys only where jurisdiction allowed.

Special Symbols in Gronk’s Gems

The Epic Gem is a feature symbol that does not appear during Gem Hoarder. The X-Gem acts as a wild and substitutes only in Gem Hoarder, where it also connects wins to the global multiplier. Gronk’s Head is the scatter for Gronk’s Treasure, and the Gem Bag is the scatter for Gem Hoarder. There are no wilds in the base game, so the engine leans on the charged state and Epic Gem absorption to create the bigger clusters.

Gronk’s Gems Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	36+	x1500
	31+	x500
	26+	x400
	7+	x15
	6	x5
	5	x1.5
	36+	x500
	31+	x300
	26+	x200
	7+	x10
	6	x3
	5	x1
	36+	x400
	31+	x200
	26+	x150
	7+	x5
	6	x2
	5	x0.7
	36+	x300
	31+	x150
	26+	x100
	7+	x3.5
	6	x1.5
	5	x0.5
	36+	x200
	31+	x100
	26+	x75
	7+	x2.5
	6	x1
	5	x0.3
	36+	x200
	31+	x100
	26+	x75
	7+	x2.5
	6	x1
	5	x0.3
	36+	x150
	31+	x75
	26+	x50
	7+	x1.5
	6	x0.5
	5	x0.2
	36+	x150
	31+	x75
	26+	x50
	7+	x1.5
	6	x0.5
	5	x0.2
	Scatter

Gronk’s Gems Symbols and Paytable

You win by landing 5 to 36+ matching symbols in a cluster, connected horizontally or vertically anywhere on the 6x6 grid. Five-of-a-kind pays between 0.2x and 1.5x your bet, while clusters of 36+ pay between 150x and 1,500x. Winning clusters are removed, new symbols drop, and cascades continue until no new cluster forms. This cycle pairs well with the Epic Gem, which can turn modest boards into upgraded clusters after the grid settles.

The low pays are rough, half-gem shapes in green, blue, purple, and yellow. The higher pays are a blue octagonal gem, a purple hexagonal gem, a star, and a diamond, with the diamond topping the table. In the base and Gronk’s Treasure, there are no wilds. In Gem Hoarder, the X-Gem appears as a wild and links wins to the global multiplier. The paytable also reflects adjustable RTP ranges across some sites, so I always check the info panel.

Gronk’s Gems: Slot Verdict

Hacksaw’s blend of cute and ruthless is alive here. The Epic Gem mechanic is simple yet capable of those blasts of excitement when a charged board upgrades and gets absorbed for a chunky cluster. The base game holds interest with steady cascades, while Gronk’s Treasure leans on a higher Epic Gem hit rate. On mobile, the Pocketz polish shows; I flip to landscape to keep Gronk in view and watch reactions during long cascade chains.

Gem Hoarder felt more intense in my sessions. Five refilling spins add urgency, retriggers were not rare, and the global multiplier can climb fast if the clusters keep rolling. You then need X-Gems to connect and apply it, once per X-Gem, which can spark the better runs. With a 7,500x cap and medium volatility, this sits in Hacksaw’s mid-range sweet spot. Bonus buyers are well catered for where allowed; otherwise, the natural path still delivers.