Stack Em (Hacksaw Gaming) – Review & Demo Play

Welcome to Stack ‘Em Slot

I came to Stack ‘Em as someone who’s put in a shift on Hacksaw’s catalogue, and this follow-up to Stick ‘Em fooled me at first with its idyllic countryside and charming Canny the Can and Mona the Mouse. Don’t be misled. The volatility can be brutal, with larger payouts arriving in sudden spikes seemingly out of nowhere. The cluster pays engine, the stacked symbol reel multipliers, and the overall flow make this vastly superior to the original, both in gameplay and in the maths model.

How to Conquer Stack ‘Em Slot

The grid is 5x6 and wins come via a cluster of 5 to 25+ matching symbols connected horizontally or vertically. Hit a win and all non-winning symbols are removed, while the winning ones drop to the bottom. Retained stacks generate a reel multiplier below each reel, equal to the number of symbols stacked above it. A full reel is 6x, and all involved reel multipliers are added together up to 30x, then the sequence resets for the next spin.

I like warming up with the demo and a block of 100 auto spins to clock the essential combinations and see which symbols carry the best rewards. The bet range runs from 0.20 to 100, which covers most bankrolls. Once I’ve mapped the pace of the cascades and how stacks build, I’ll look at triggering the feature the regular way, and only then consider quicker routes for more focused testing of the bonus dynamics.

Mighty Bonus Features in Stack ‘Em

Wilds land anywhere and step in for regular pays, and the stacked winning symbol reel multiplier can deliver solid hits, with base game potential up to 6,000x if the grid, stacks, and cascades play nice. The engine feels punchy when reels fill and that 30x combined reel cap gets close. It’s that rhythm of retention plus fresh drops that keeps me engaged between feature triggers.

Land 3 scatters in the same cascading sequence to trigger 5 free spins, displayed as hearts above the grid. A progressive global multiplier sits over the reels and increases by the number of symbols in each winning cluster, so an 8-symbol cluster adds +8. The ‘X’ symbol is key: winning clusters need to be adjacent to ‘X’ for the win sum to be multiplied by the current global multiplier. When ‘X’ lines up, things can snowball fast.

The ‘?’ symbol does one of three things: it can add +2 to +5 hearts, add +1 to +50 to the global multiplier, or multiply the current multiplier by x2, x3, x4, or x5. There’s a bonus buy at 129x stake for direct access, though this option is not available for UK players. I’ve had streaks where hearts top up, the multiplier climbs above 100x, and one cluster connected to ‘X’ turns the round on its head.

Stack ‘Em Symbols and Paytable

High-paying symbols are the leaf, dead bird, skull, snake, and the thumbs-up, with all highs sharing the same scale except the thumbs-up. Highs pay roughly 0.25x to 100x for 25+, while the thumbs-up pays about 0.50x up to 200x for 25+ in a cluster. Low-paying A, G, E, R, T sit in the 0.10x to 25x band for 25+. Clusters start paying from 5 symbols, and the jump in value as you approach 25+ is where the game really opens up.

The Wild is the tile with ‘Wild’ on it. The free spins symbol shows the mouse with ‘FS’. Because winning symbols remain and drop, you often upgrade clusters across cascades, which in turn feeds the reel multipliers. When multiple reels contribute, those per-reel multipliers add together up to 30x before applying to the win, making stacked thumbs-up clusters the dream setup.

Stack Em Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	25+	x200
	20-24	x100
	15-19	x30
	13-14	x10
	11-12	x6
	9-10	x4
	7-8	x2
	5-6	x0.5
	25+	x100
	20-24	x50
	15-19	x20
	13-14	x5
	11-12	x3
	9-10	x2
	7-8	x1
	5-6	x0.25
	25+	x100
	20-24	x50
	15-19	x20
	13-14	x5
	11-12	x3
	9-10	x2
	7-8	x1
	5-6	x0.25
	25+	x100
	20-24	x50
	15-19	x20
	13-14	x5
	11-12	x3
	9-10	x2
	7-8	x1
	5-6	x0.25
	25+	x100
	20-24	x50
	15-19	x20
	13-14	x5
	11-12	x3
	9-10	x2
	7-8	x1
	5-6	x0.25
	25+	x25
	20-24	x12.5
	15-19	x4
	13-14	x1
	11-12	x0.6
	9-10	x0.4
	7-8	x0.2
	5-6	x0.1
	25+	x25
	20-24	x12.5
	15-19	x4
	13-14	x1
	11-12	x0.6
	9-10	x0.4
	7-8	x0.2
	5-6	x0.1
	25+	x25
	20-24	x12.5
	15-19	x4
	13-14	x1
	11-12	x0.6
	9-10	x0.4
	7-8	x0.2
	5-6	x0.1
	25+	x25
	20-24	x12.5
	15-19	x4
	13-14	x1
	11-12	x0.6
	9-10	x0.4
	7-8	x0.2
	5-6	x0.1
	25+	x25
	20-24	x12.5
	15-19	x4
	13-14	x1
	11-12	x0.6
	9-10	x0.4
	7-8	x0.2
	5-6	x0.1
	Scatter
	Wild

RTP, Variance, and Max Win in Stack ‘Em

RTP is 96.20% in the good config, with a lower 94.25% version also in the wild, so I always check the info panel in real money mode. Variance is high, and the hit profile mirrors that: dry spells, then out-of-the-blue payouts. Max win is 10,000x, with the non-resetting global multiplier in free spins doing the heavy lifting when hearts and ‘?’ cooperate. The maths can feel punchy in the base too, thanks to those stacked reel multipliers.

Review Summary for Stack ‘Em

Hacksaw’s simplistic charm works a treat here. The cluster pays engine, the stacked reel multipliers, and a bonus round where the global multiplier grows by symbols in each win give me the right mix of grind and burst. I’ve had sessions where it’s not hard to rack up a triple-digit multiplier, and when ‘X’ connects with a chunky cluster the screen count shifts in a blink. That’s where the game sings.

It’s not all roses. Five free spins can be over quickly unless hearts drop, and the bonus round’s punch is dependent on the ‘X’ symbol showing up in the right spot. The RTP range across versions is another thing I’m not too fond of. Still, with base game pop up to 6,000x and a 10,000x ceiling, Stack ‘Em is a worthy successor that hits different when the stacks line up.