Shadow Strike (Hacksaw Gaming) – Review & Demo Play

Shadow Strike: Slot Overview

Backseat Gaming, a partner of Hacksaw, packs the hi‑yahs into Shadow Strike, a martial arts slot set against a calm Asian scene. The 5‑reel layout uses 14 paylines on a 5x4 grid, with Ninja Reels sitting above and below. Those lanes start locked, adding a tactical layer before any fireworks. Stakes run from 0.10 to 100 per spin via the familiar interface. Three separate bonus rounds headline the package, and there are several feature buys for anyone who wants direct entries.

The vibe works straight away: gentle music, an ornate roof framing the reels, and a sense of poised combat. Volatility sits in the medium to high bracket, which suits the feature set. Wild multipliers, reel splits, and sticky or expanding wilds can flip a session fast, yet the base game behaves fairly. I found the stop‑start rhythm engaging, as the lock‑and‑unlock flow means you’re always on the cusp of something, rather than spinning a flat, static board.

Shadow Strike Slot Specifications: RTP, Volatility, Max Win & Theme

RTP figures sit around the mid ninety‑six mark. I’ve seen 96.26% quoted, while the provider’s feature buys show 96.27% to 96.34% depending on mode. Volatility ranges from medium‑high to high, matching the punchy modifiers. The headline potential is 15,000x, and it’s live in all modes. That ceiling needs stacked wild multipliers or a strong Koi outcome, but it never feels fantasy level; the maths can deliver with the right setup, even if that path is spiky.

Theme wise, Shadow Strike leans into classic dojo imagery: cherry blossom, lanterns, and steely warriors. The palette stays clean on mobile, and the audio keeps things unhurried between hits. It looks and sounds like a Backseat take on a Hacksaw framework, which is fair given the partnership. I rate the coherence here; the sights, soundtrack, and mechanics line up, and that makes the transitions into each feature feel natural rather than forced.

Gameplay & Features in Shadow Strike

Core play runs on a 5x4 grid with 14 lines, while two Ninja Reels sit above and below. In the base game, they’re locked until any of the three bonus symbols land on the main grid. When they open, those lanes can feed wilds, MultiSplit, or +FS into the action, with dead symbols filling the rest. Wilds may carry multipliers from x2 to x50, and when more than one wild connects on a line, their values add before payout.

Exciting Features of Shadow Strike Slot Explained

Wilds on a Ninja Reel create a new wild in a random spot on the corresponding main reel. That wild may receive a multiplier, and if multiple wilds join a win, their values combine. MultiSplit symbols only appear on Ninja Reels and carry a multiplier value. When they pass over a reel, they multiply the multipliers attached to any wilds on that reel; if a wild has no value, MultiSplit adds its own, turning small connections into tidy scores when lines fall right.

Mysteries of the Dojo lands 10, 12, or 14 free spins from 3, 4, or 5 scatters. Across this bonus, both Ninja Reels stay open, and wilds on the main grid stick. +FS on the lanes can award +1 to +3 extra spins per symbol, so the board can pack out with sticky wilds as the round develops. The stickiness means steady progress, and if MultiSplit gets involved on reels holding wilds, lines can spike to very handy totals.

Secrets of the Scroll mirrors the spin counts and unlocked lanes, but here wilds expand to cover the full reel. That change shifts the focus to line coverage, with multipliers on those wilds doing the heavy lifting. Wisdom of the Koi breaks play into Collection and Payout. You start with three lives; new wilds, multipliers, or MultiSplit reset them. Reel multipliers begin at x1 and grow, the bottom lane unlocks via MultiSplit, then three final spins drop collected wilds with their reel multipliers applied.

Decoding the Paytable in Shadow Strike

Lows are four weapon symbols; highs are four warrior portraits. Five of a kind on the lows pays 2x to 5x the bet, while a line of five matching warriors pays 7.5x to 20x. Wilds substitute across the board and can land on all reels. A full wild line pays 20x, matching the top warrior. The paytable is straight, but the headline numbers arrive when wild multipliers stack and MultiSplit amplifies them on the right reel.

Shadow Strike uses 14 fixed paylines, scoring left to right. The Ninja Reels do not carry pay symbols; they serve to inject wilds, MultiSplit, or +FS when triggered by bonus symbols. Because multipliers on wilds add together before applying to a line, even middling symbol values can snowball when several wilds connect. That’s the key link between the paytable and the features, and it explains why certain boards explode while others tick along.

Shadow Strike Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	5	x20
	4	x5
	3	x2
	5	x10
	4	x5
	3	x2
	5	x7.5
	4	x3
	3	x1
	5	x7.5
	4	x3
	3	x1
	5	x5
	4	x2
	3	x0.5
	5	x2
	4	x1
	3	x0.2
	5	x2
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.2
	5	x2
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.2
	Wild
	5	x20
	Wild, Multiplier
	Bonus
	Scatter

Win Potential in Shadow Strike

In practice, I saw both sides. I triggered Mysteries of the Dojo from scatters and booked roughly 70x, which felt fair for a basic entry. Buying Wisdom of the Koi and building decent reel multipliers returned close to 400x, with the three final spins doing the damage. The game can climb towards 15,000x, yet the ride is lumpy: high volatility, stacked multipliers, and only three spins in Koi’s Payout mean timing matters. BonusHunt and Ninja Power entries exist for focused shots.

Our Verdict on Shadow Strike

I rate Shadow Strike as a busy, well judged fighter from Backseat. The Koi round’s two phase structure breaks the mould, and the sticky or expanding wild modes give you distinct routes to a score. The base game carries itself, too, with those lanes teasing action without feeling gimmicky. It does echo a Hacksaw style, but the build has its own rhythm. For me, Ninja Reels plus MultiSplit is the hook; line them up and the slot sings.