Horror slots online are rarely innovative these days. If it wasn’t for Hacksaw Gaming, we’d be stuck with the same ol’ vampire stories. Hacksaw decided to give the theme a new approach with the spooky but light-hearted Fear the Dark slot that looks like it was destined for Halloween. We’re not sure why it was released months earlier, but we’re glad we played it.

A medium volatile Cluster Pays machine, Fear the Dark has an RTP of 96.25%. It’s set in a dark graveyard with spooky ghosties and other nocturnal undead creatures. It all looks like a cartoon from a visual standpoint, looking similar to the Cuphead video game and the rubber hose style of animation that was popular a century ago. Talk about being unique.

Other than that, the slot setup is familiar. Like all Cluster Pays machines, you get bigger wins for popping a higher number of symbols in a cluster, but that’s not where the surprises stop. Read our Fear the Dark slot review below to see what lurks beneath the surface (pro tip: it’s not a ghost).

You don’t need to fear the dark in the eponymous slot. As a matter of fact, it’s a light-hearted horror slot game with almost cute ghosts and other undead creatures. The 6x6 grid feels very familiar, but the overall design of the slot makes it stand out in the crowd. You’ll love the spooky music and the dead of night, which is so silent that you don’t even hear the symbols pop in and out of the grid. Classic transparent ghosts will pop out from the graves left and right, giving the slot distinct vibes. It’s spooky but not scary.

If you love older animation art styles, this one will be a huge hit. Hacksaw Gaming got it right across the board, and the soundtrack and sound effects keep the action going.

Fear the Dark is a fully mobile-optimized slot that doesn’t require downloading any software or casino apps. It works perfectly on an instant play platform, so you can play it on the go via any Android or iOS mobile browser.

Set a bet between $0.10 and $100 per spin and hit the Spin button to roam the graveyard. Wins are formed for a combination of 5-14 symbols on the grid. High-paying symbols pay up to 120x your bet, while other symbols pay less. Popping clusters of 15+ symbols delivers the best punches, while cascades will keep you on your toes, delivering win after win. There are no wilds in the Fear the Dark slot, but the cascading clusters and medium variance offer frequent wins, so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Just above the reels, you’ll see hollow shapes. When you land the moon, scatter, and you’ll trigger the Full Moon Feature, which will rise in the background behind the grid. One of the hollow shapes will then display a high-paying symbol with a random multiplier value between x2 and x100. This will be applied to any winning cluster that contains that particular symbol. When the cascades end, the multipliers and symbols are removed along with low-value symbols from the grid, which means you receive cascade after cascade.

For three or four Candle Scatters, you’ll receive 10 or 15 free spins in the Alone in the Dark Bonus Round. Every Scatter in the Bonus Round gives you 4 extra spins. You can also enter the Darkness mode in the Bonus Round when you run out of free bonus spins.

Initially, the grid will shrink to 4x4 in size. On the next spin, it’ll shrink to 2x2. If you land the moon scatter in Darkness mode, the grid returns to normal. Unfortunately, you can’t retrigger the Bonus Round in full, although you do get pairs of free spins with Scatters or when you enter the Darkness mode.

Cluster Pays slots usually have a bit lower RTP thanks to the winning potential, and Fear the Dark is proof of it. The RTP is 96.25%, which is decent for a medium variance slot game. With a bit of luck, you can receive payouts of up to 5,000x the bet.

Fear the Dark may be set in a haunted graveyard, but it’s one of the most entertaining and cute slots we’ve seen. We love the art style Hacksaw Gaming went with for this slot, which is reminiscent of cartoons in the 1920s and 1930s. It’s not just retro vibes and looks. The slot has plenty of great gameplay features, including clusters and cascades that can keep going on and on.

In addition to that, you have a Bonus Round with a fun mode that can get you some much-needed bonus spins. It all combines to make Fear the Dark one of the most entertaining online slot we’ve played at the best casinos online in the past few years.