Chaos Crew 3: Slot Overview
Software provider Hacksaw Gaming released the first Chaos Crew slot in 2020, and it was both an early example of the studio’s unique experimental streak and a clear break from the more childishly themed slots it had previously produced, such as Om Nom, Cash Compass, and The Respinners. Fine slots in their own right, sure, but Chaos Crew oozed an anti-establishment attitude and punk rock ethos that helped set Hacksaw Gaming on the path to online slot dominance it finds itself on today. The team released Chaos Crew 2 several years later, which greatly expanded on the original, and has now slung Chaos Crew 3 upon us.
Chaos Crew 3 keeps the series’ bold, distinctive style and attitude alive, while tossing players like a gnawed bone into mayhem alongside a motley crew of oddball characters. Familiar faces such as Cranky Cat and Sketchy Skull return, while introducing the new Glitch Dog, Milo (according to the name on the kennel). Beyond that, Chaos Crew 3 delivers the same striking neon-soaked, unhinged descent into anarchy and chaos that fans of the series have come to expect.
Chaos Crew slots are all about their Reel Multiplier growing bonuses, but there’s also a base game where 19 paylines are used to evaluate regular line wins. At all times, the action takes place on a 5×5 gaming area, taking bets of 10c to $/€30 per spin. At best, the RTP is 96.18%, while the math model is highly volatile.
Regular pay symbols are C, H, A, O, S, low pays, and hang loose hands, brains, stop signs, pizza slices, and bomb high pays. Lows award 2x the bet for 5 OAK, or 5x to 10x is added to the balance for hitting 5 matching high pays.
Chaos Crew 3: Slot Features
The features in part three include Cranky Cat symbols, Epic Drops, Crazy Multipliers, Glitch Dogs, three bonus rounds, and feature buys.
Cranky Cat
The Cranky Cat symbol is a wild multiplier that substitutes for all symbols on the pay table. When a Cranky Cat is part of a win, it multiplies it by a displayed value of x2 to x20. If more than one Cranky Cat is part of the same win, they multiply each other before being applied to the win. In the base game, only one Cranky Cat can land per reel.
Can You Spell Chaos?
Landing 5 low pay symbols spelling CHAOS horizontally across a row triggers an Epic Drop. For the Epic Drop, a Reel Multiplier of x1 is added to the top of each reel. The 5 CHAOS symbols transform into Glitch Dogs that jump to new positions before the grid settles. All other symbols are replaced with dead symbols. When Glitch Dogs land in their new positions, each one glitches (converts) into a Crazy Multiplier symbol. Possible Crazy Multiplier symbols are:
- Sketchy Skull – adds its value to the Reel Multiplier once.
- Epic Sketchy Skull – adds its value to all Reel Multipliers once.
- Cranky Cat – multiplies its Reel Multiplier once.
- Epic Cranky Cat – multiplies all Reel Multipliers once.
Sketchy Skull values are x1 to x100, while Cranky Cat values are x2 to x20. When the Epic Drop ends, the total value of the Reel Multipliers is awarded, before being reset for the next spin.
CTRL + ALT + CHAOS
Landing 3 FS scatters in the base game triggers this feature. Only dead symbols, Glitch Dogs, or Crazy Multipliers may land. It starts with 3 free spins represented by 3 lives on the Life Meter, and Reel Multipliers of x1 above each reel. When a Crazy Multiplier lands, the number of lives resets to 3. A Glitch Dog symbol also refills the Life Meter the first time it lands. When all lives are consumed, the round ends.
Landing Glitch Dog symbols and Crazy Multipliers increase Reel Multipliers. Landed Glitch Dogs glitch into one of the Crazy Multiplier symbols, which adds its value to the Reel Multiplier. After values have been added to Reel Multipliers, the Glitch Dog symbol returns to its original form and jumps to a new position on the next spin, repeating the process. At the end of the round, Reel Multipliers are combined and awarded.
The Korrupted K9
This bonus is triggered by landing 4 FS scatters in the base game. It has the same mechanics as CTRL + ALT + CHAOS, plus at least 4 Crazy Multipliers and 1 Glitch Dog land at the start. In addition, a Chaos Upgrade symbol may land and activate if a Crazy Multiplier or Glitch Dog symbol is within one position of the Chaos Upgrade symbol in a 3×3 square. When activated, the Chaos Upgrade symbol adds a multiplier of x1 to x100 to all Crazy Multipliers and Glitch Dog symbols within the 3×3 square. The Chaos Upgrade value is not added to Reel Multipliers, and it is removed for the next spin. Only 1 Chaos Upgrade may land per spin, and it does not refill the Life Meter.
An Epic Glitch – Hidden Epic Bonus
Landing 5 FS scatter in the base game triggers An Epic Glitch, the hidden epic bonus round. As well as the mechanics of The Korrupted K9, this bonus guarantees a full grid with Crazy Multipliers, 1 Chaos Upgrade, and at least 1 Glitch Dog from the start.
Feature Buy
Chaos Crew 3’s BonusHunt FeatureSpins cost 5x the bet and make each spin 10 times more likely to trigger a bonus game, while Byte Me Epic Drop FeatureSpins cost 200x to guarantee at least 5 Crazy Multipliers land on each spin. CTRL + ALT + CHAOS can be bought for 100x or The Korrupted K9 for 200x – buying this bonus may trigger An Epic Glitch.
Chaos Crew 3: Slot Verdict
The jump from Chaos Crew to Chaos Crew 2 was quite a technical leap, with the sequel introducing a stack of new features such as a wider range of multiplier symbols, including sticky versions, as well as the innovative Best of Bonus concept, where players are awarded three bonus or super bonus rounds and keep the result of the best performing one. It’s a concept that has appeared in a few Hacksaw Gaming slots like Dawn of Kings and Slayers INC, but hasn’t seen much light of day for a while. It doesn’t show up in Chaos Crew 3, either, and part three doesn’t present as significant a mechanical upgrade as the one which occurred between part one and part two. That’s by no means to say it’s devoid of innovation, though.
One of the obvious developments is the Glitch Dog, who appears in all bonuses, including the Epic Drop. Is it better than the sticky Skulls and Cats part two had? Maybe, maybe not, but Glitch Dogs inject a thrill factor of their own as they bounce around the board, revealing values that apply to Reel Multipliers before converting back to dogs and bouncing again. The same can be said about Chaos Upgrades, which can transform multiplier values in certain sections of the grid when they hit in the right spots. Both are useful and potentially exciting features, but some fans of the Crew may have been hoping for greater cutting-edge tech ideas, perhaps.
Still, strip away the extras, and the heart of Chaos Crew beats strongly in Chaos Crew 3. That is, using Crazy Multipliers to increase Reel Multipliers before collecting the lot. And there is a lot to potentially collect here too, up to a maximum of 30,000x the bet, which any game mode can technically produce. The result is a robust return to chaos alongside Cranky, Sketchy, and Milo, with exciting new features for new and returning players to discover.
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