Sand and Ashes Slot Review
Ancient Egyptian culture centered around the idea of Scarabs. Yes, this is not just decorative. The idea that a Dung Beetle rolls its ball on the ground was seen as a symbol of the sun god Ra pushing the sun 🌞across the sky.
They were sculpted into jewelry (amulets), buried with the dead, and made into gold rings. Even more so than other animals, they would use them as official seals of authority.
A bug 🪲 known to eat poop is considered one of the most iconic symbols of ancient Egyptian civilization. Then again, it’s hard to argue against a bug that is constantly moving, continually rolling something along, and working non-stop as worthy of deification. ✊
Let’s play Sand and Ashes slot from Hacksaw.
Gameplay
The desert backdrop is mysterious with a sandstorm haze on the horizon, crumbling stone columns framing the reels, and a dangerous-looking figure approaching from the left, looking to swing his massive sword. The whole thing has a grim, end-of-empire atmosphere.
The game uses a 5-reel, 5-row grid with 19 paylines. High-paying symbols are Horus and Tutankhamun at 10x each for five matches, followed by Sobek and Anubis at 5x each. Lower-paying symbols are the card royals J, Q, K, and A, each paying 1x for five-of-a-kind.
The Wild Scarab symbol also pays 10x for five of a kind.
For this game, the stats are: a 96.27% RTPRTP stands for “Return to Player.” The RTP describes the total bet amount that a game returns to players over millions of spins, and that figure is represented by a percentage. Table games, such as Roulette, typically have higher RTPs than many slots.
RTP needs to be considered in conjunction with a game’s volatility rate., medium volatility, a 10,000x max multiplier, and a $350,000 max win. BTC, BCH, and ETH are not accepted.
Features
WILD SCARAB MULTIPLIER AND RE-SPINS
The Wild Scarab Multiplier substitutes for all paying symbols and lands with an additive multiplier value of 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 50x, 100x, or 200x.
If more than one Wild Scarab Multipliers is involved, their values are added together.
Every time a Wild Scarab Multiplier lands, it triggers a re-spin. The Wild stays in position while new symbols fill the rest of the grid. If another Wild Scarab Multiplier lands during the re-spin, it triggers another one. This continues until no new Wilds appear or the grid is full.
Wild Scarab Multipliers and FS Scatter symbols cannot appear on the grid at the same time.
FIRESTORMS
During a re-spin, a Firestorm may trigger before new symbols land. When it does, no new symbols are dropped; instead, the Firestorm randomly adds 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 50x, or 100x to every Wild Scarab Multiplier on the grid.
After the boost, new symbols land and wins are paid. Wild Scarab Multiplier can get as high as 999x this way.
SANDSTORMS
A Sandstorm may also activate during a re-spin before new symbols land. It nudges all Wild Scarab Multipliers one reel to the left. A Wild can’t be nudged if it’s already on the leftmost reel, or if the adjacent position is blocked.
Note that Firestorms and Sandstorms cannot both be triggered on the same re-spin.
FREE SPINS (DESERT FURY)
Three FS Scatters get you into Desert Fury, which starts you off with 8 Free Spins. Everything you know from the base game still applies here: Wilds trigger Re-spins, Firestorms can boost them, Sandstorms can shift them.
The main difference is that Wild Scarab Multipliers show up more often.
Pick up 2 extra FS symbols mid-round, and you'll add 2 spins to your count; 3 extra gets you 4 more.
FREE SPINS (STORMING SPHINX)
Four FS Scatters unlock Storming Sphinx and its 10 Free Spins. The big change here is that Wild Scarab Multipliers don't go anywhere once they land; they stick around for the rest of the round.
Re-spins don’t trigger in this mode, but Firestorms and Sandstorms are still very much on the table every spin. Any multiplier value a Wild picks up from a Firestorm stays with it, and its position on the grid doesn't change unless a Sandstorm comes along and shifts it left.
The re-trigger rules are the same as during Desert Fury: 2 FS symbols add 2 spins, 3 FS symbols add 4.
BUY BONUS
Taking the Buy Bonus route presents the following options:
- Bonushunt (3x) - Each spin is 5x more likely to trigger a bonus game.
- Pharaoh Phrenzy (50x) - Guarantees at least 2 Wild Scarab Multipliers land on every spin.
- Desert Fury (100x) - Triggers 8 Free Spins on your next spin.
- Storming Sphinx (200x) - Triggers 10 Free Spins with persistent Wild Scarab Multipliers on your next spin.
Performance
No issues to report across desktop or mobile.
Maximum Win
Bets range from $0.10 to $35. Landing the 10,000x max multiplier on a $35 bet delivers the $350,000 max win.
Conclusion
The Wild Scarab Multiplier is doing most of the heavy lifting. Its base multiplier value (up to 200x on landing) is already helpful, but that’s before a Firestorm gets involved.
Each Firestorm adds to every Wild, so a Wild that starts at 25x can reach 999x if enough Firestorms fire during the re-spin chain. Two Wilds on the same payline at that point aren’t just adding their values; they’re combining them before the win calculation.
Re-spin chains are key in the base game. One Wild landing isn’t much, while 2 or 3 Wilds accumulating across consecutive re-spins, with a Firestorm or two in the mix, is a different situation.
Desert Fury is the more accessible bonus round, and it keeps the re-spins running, which means Firestorms and Sandstorms are still in play. The higher Wild frequency helps, but the payout possibilities are lower than Storming Sphinx because nothing persists. Every spin starts fresh.
During Storming Sphinx, Wilds don’t disappear between spins, their multipliers carry, and Firestorms keep stacking on top of whatever is already there. A Wild sitting at 150x from previous boosts that catches another Firestorm during spin 7 of 10 is still in play all the way.
The longer the round runs and the more Firestorms you can trigger, the more the grid fills with high-value sticky Wilds. That’s also how you can get your hands on the 10,000x max.
At 200x, the Storming Sphinx buy is the most expensive option, but the most direct route to the conditions the max win actually requires. The 100x Desert Fury buy is a reasonable middle ground for players who want guaranteed Free Spins without committing to the full price.
Pharaoh Phrenzy at 50x guarantees 2 Wilds per spin in the base game, which keeps the Re-spin engine running constantly without the flat fee of a direct bonus buy.
The 3x Bonushunt is the lowest commitment, suited to players who want a nudge toward the feature without a significant outlay.
Slot Details
Game Provider: Hacksaw
Game Type: Video Slots
PaylinesPaylines are preset lines that run across the reels, and when you land matching symbols on them, that will result in a payout. The more paylines, the more ways you can win, but also the higher your bet per spin.: 19
RTPRTP stands for “Return to Player.” The RTP describes the total bet amount that a game returns to players over millions of spins, and that figure is represented by a percentage. Table games, such as Roulette, typically have higher RTPs than many slots.
RTP needs to be considered in conjunction with a game’s volatility rate.: 96.27%
Volatility RateSlot games can have low, medium, high, or extremely high volatility rates (or a combination thereof).
The less volatile the game, the more often it should pay out, but the lower the amount, the less the payout, as this is in keeping with the risk you’re taking. Volatility rate should be considered in conjunction with a game’s RTP.: Medium
Bonus Round: Yes
Progressive: No
Free Rounds: Free Spins, Re-spins
Max Multiplier: 10,000x
Max Win: $350,000
Published by
BitStarz, award-winning Bitcoin Casino
