Life and Death by Hacksaw Gaming brings the biblical Four Horsemen to a 6×5 grid with 19 paylines and an apocalyptic atmosphere. Players face Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death as wild multipliers that can expand across entire reels with values ranging from 2x to a massive 200x. The slot features two distinct bonus games—Devastation and Reckoning—with the latter introducing persistent Death Reels that remain active throughout the free spins. With high volatility, 96.36% RTP, and maximum wins of 15,000x your bet, this game balances biblical mythology with sophisticated multiplier mechanics. Players can access bonus features directly through various purchase options, including innovative FeatureSpins that guarantee certain features on every spin.
In the apocalyptic realm of online slots, few titles capture the essence of biblical doom quite like “Life and Death” by Hacksaw Gaming. This 6-reel, 5-row creation invites players to witness the rise of the Four Horsemen as they bring terror and death across mortal worlds. The game balances on the precipice between existence and oblivion, offering payline wins and the tempting possibility of a 15,000x max win across all game modes.
The Apocalypse Unleashed: Game Overview
“Life and Death” isn't just another slot with an end-of-days theme—it's a calculated risk wrapped in biblical mythology. The game features a 6×5 grid layout with 19 predetermined paylines that pay from left to right, starting with the leftmost reel. This configuration might seem standard, but the integration of expanding wilds and multiplier mechanics creates a distinctive gameplay experience.
The theoretical return-to-player (RTP) stands at 96.36%, calculated through an extensive simulation of 10 billion rounds. This positions the game slightly above industry average, offering reasonable long-term value while maintaining the high volatility characteristic of Hacksaw Gaming's portfolio.
Bet levels range from €0.10 to €100.00, accommodating both cautious players and high rollers, though feature purchases may exceed this limit. The game maintains Hacksaw's signature volatility, where patience might be rewarded with substantial payouts during both base game and bonus features.
Mythology and Setting: The Four Horsemen
The apocalyptic narrative of “Life and Death” draws directly from biblical sources, specifically the Book of Revelation, where the Four Horsemen represent harbingers of the apocalypse. Hacksaw Gaming has cleverly transformed these sinister harbingers into wild multipliers, each with their own identity, color scheme, and power level.
The Four Horsemen in the game are: Blue Pestilence – The first horseman rides a blue steed, bringing disease and contamination with modest multipliers (2x-4x). Red War – The second horseman charges forth on a crimson mount, wielding the power of conflict with mid-range multipliers (5x-9x). Yellow Famine – The third horseman arrives on a pale yellow horse, carrying the weight of hunger with substantial multipliers (10x-25x). Green Death – The fourth and most feared horseman rides a sickly green horse, representing the final end with potentially massive multipliers (30x-200x). This color-coding system creates visual clarity while maintaining thematic coherence—the deadlier the horseman, the higher the potential multiplier value.
Wild Multiplier Mechanics: Harbingers of Doom and Fortune
The Four Horsemen don't merely serve as thematic dressing—they form the core of the game's most distinctive mechanic. Each horseman functions as a wild multiplier symbol that can substitute for any standard symbol. When participating in a winning combination, the wild multiplier applies its value to that win.
What makes this system particularly interesting is the fixed association between specific reels and horsemen: Blue Pestilence is linked to reel 2, Red War is linked to reel 3, Yellow Famine is linked to reel 4 and Green Death is linked to reel 5.
While any wild multiplier can appear on reels 2-5, they have a special relationship with their linked reel. When a wild multiplier lands on its connected reel and would create at least one winning combination after expansion, it transforms into an expanded wild reel, covering all positions and maintaining its multiplier value.
The multiplier values range dramatically, creating a risk-reward dynamic: Blue Pestilence: 2x, 3x, or 4x, Red War: 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, or 9x, Yellow Famine: 10x, 15x, 20x, or 25x and Green Death: 30x, 40x, 50x, 75x, 100x, or 200x.
When multiple wild multipliers participate in the same winning combination, their values are added together before being applied—creating the potential for extraordinary multipliers exceeding 200x.
Devastation Bonus: The First Wave
Landing three FS scatter symbols simultaneously in the base game triggers the Devastation bonus feature, awarding 10 free spins. This bonus maintains the core mechanics of the base game but increases the frequency of wild multiplier appearances.
The Devastation bonus can be extended by landing additional scatter symbols during the feature: Two FS symbols grant 2 extra spins and Three FS symbols provide 4 additional spins.
While maintaining the fundamental mechanics of the base game, the increased likelihood of encountering wild multipliers significantly raises the potential for substantial wins. The added frequency of these special symbols shifts the dynamic from occasional excitement to sustained anticipation.
Reckoning Bonus: Death Reels Unleashed
For those who manage to land four FS scatter symbols in the base game, the Reckoning bonus activates with 10 free spins. This premium bonus includes all features from both the base game and Devastation bonus, plus the game-changing persistent Death Reels mechanism.
The Death Reels mechanic functions as follows: when a wild multiplier lands on its connected reel, that reel becomes activated as a “Death Reel.” Once activated, the corresponding wild multiplier will automatically expand into a wild reel whenever it appears on any of the four central reels, provided it forms at least one winning combination.
This persistent activation creates a progressive improvement system throughout the bonus, where each activated Death Reel increases the potential for massive multiplied wins on subsequent spins. The bonus can be extended with additional scatters using the same structure as the Devastation bonus.
The strategic depth comes from watching which Death Reels become activated and anticipating the expanding wilds that follow, creating a sense of building momentum throughout the feature.
Premium Access: Bonus Buy Options
For players unwilling to wait for natural bonus triggers, “Life and Death” offers direct purchase options through its Bonus Buy feature. The game provides several purchase options:
- BonusHunt FeatureSpins (RTP: 96.29%)
- Four Horsemen FeatureSpins (RTP: 96.29%)
- Devastation direct purchase (RTP: 96.32%)
- Reckoning direct purchase (RTP: 96.31%)
The FeatureSpins system represents an interesting middle ground between standard play and bonus purchases. When activated, each spin guarantees certain features at a fixed cost based on the current bet level. These remain active until manually disabled, creating a sustained premium experience.
Symbol Hierarchy and Payouts
The paytable reveals a structured hierarchy of symbols with varying payout values. The top premium symbol offers 100x the bet for six of a kind, while the lowest pays 0.4x for three matching symbols. This wide range creates significant variance in base game outcomes.
The paytable includes information about all symbol combinations and their respective payouts, adjusted dynamically based on the selected bet level. Only the highest win per payline is awarded, though multiple payline wins can accumulate within a single spin.
Visual and Audio Design
While the document doesn't explicitly detail the visual and audio design, the theme suggests a dark, apocalyptic aesthetic fitting the Four Horsemen mythology. The color-coding of the horsemen (blue, red, yellow, and green) likely creates a stark visual language that communicates gameplay information while reinforcing the thematic elements.
The multiplier values displayed on wild symbols provide immediate feedback about potential rewards, while expanded wild reels likely create dramatic visual moments during significant wins.
Game Mathematics and Strategy
With an RTP of 96.36%, “Life and Death” offers fair long-term returns. However, the game's volatility suggests that patience is required, with extended periods of modest returns potentially punctuated by significant wins, particularly when multiple wild multipliers combine.
Strategic considerations for players include:
Bankroll management becomes crucial given the high volatility. The wide betting range (€0.10 to €100.00) allows players to adjust their exposure based on risk tolerance and bankroll size.
Bonus buy evaluation requires weighing the guaranteed access to features against the premium cost. The slightly lower RTP for bonus buys (96.29%-96.32% vs. 96.36% for standard play) represents the convenience fee for immediate gratification.
Death Reel activation during the Reckoning bonus creates meaningful decisions about when to purchase this premium feature, as the progressive improvement system can lead to substantially improved odds in later spins.
“Life and Death” demonstrates Hacksaw Gaming's commitment to high-volatility experiences with substantial win potential. The 15,000x maximum win cap applies across all game modes, creating a clear upper boundary for expectations. The integration of biblical mythology with expanding wild mechanics creates a coherent experience where theme and functionality reinforce each other. The Four Horsemen aren't merely decorative—they're central to the game's risk-reward structure, with each harbinger bringing progressively higher multiplier potentials. The dual bonus games provide distinct experiences, with the premium Reckoning bonus offering a sophisticated persistent improvement system through its Death Reels mechanic. This creates a natural progression that rewards players who manage to trigger the more elusive four-scatter bonus. For players who appreciate high-volatility slots with thematic coherence and substantial win potential, “Life and Death” offers a compelling package. The game balances accessibility with depth, providing straightforward mechanics that conceal surprising strategic considerations in bonus feature targeting and bankroll management.
