Software developer Hacksaw Gaming is fast making a name for itself in the casino world. It has created an identity that makes its slot games distinguishable from all others. My concern is that, having broken into the market, it is becoming too comfortable.

Sorry, that’s a rather dull way to open a review about an octopus named Otto attacking a central metropolitan area. But here in lays the problem. The title Octo Attack is just that – a title. The game is void of any further conceptual ideas. For example, there is no animation of any attack. I wanted to see Octo Attack fully invested in mucking things up. Alas, this game is entirely something else.

Hacksaw Gaming has a way of making street-art games. There are graffiti styles in there mixed with pop art. Visually, they get their games perfect. However, this review will highlight the lack of gaming ingenuity. I will focus on the bonus rounds, features, design, the jackpot, and the programming.

The free demo of this game is available, and you can play it on any Android- or iOS-programmed mobile or tablet.

Octo Attack by Hacksaw Gaming comes with its classic monochrome backdrop and game board so that the colorful symbols blast out of the screen. The city is in the background, and the game board almost bleeds into it as it comes with the same black and dark grey coloring. The octopus character stands to the left of the reels, moving its head and arms from left to right. The layout of the slot is five rows by six reels and presents a Tumbler mechanism with a Cluster Pays setup.

Whether you play Octo Attack for real money or as a free slot game, the process is the same. When you have loaded the game, first set your betting value. The price per spin starts at $0.10 and goes up to a max bet amount of $100 per spin. With your bet set, press the spin button to begin. The Tumbler mechanism of this game means that symbols won't spin but instead drop off and onto the game board. Wins are formed by having five or more symbols drop into a cluster formation. The five symbols must be joined and can be formed anywhere on the slot’s grid.

When you have produced a win, those symbols will pop off the grid, and new symbols will drop into it to take up the vacated spaces. This motion of play creates the possibility of new clusters being formed. This means that players can potentially collect several consecutive wins from the same spin.

The top symbols to land are the dead fish, the can, the mushroom, the lollipop, and the shark. The lower symbols in the pay grade are the greyed-out ones—the hook, the bolt, the speech bubble, the box, and the heart.

Playing is about repeating the action of spinning, or in this case, dropping the symbols and hoping you can win enough to cash out when you want to quit the game. Those are the basics, but some special features and bonuses add to the expanse of the gameplay.

Wild Multipliers: If a Wild Multiplier forms your win, you will receive a booster. The values of this feature go from 1x up to 10x.

Eye of Otto & Tenta-Grab: When the Otto eye symbol drops, an animation will activate the Tenta-Grab feature, but only if it lands on an Ink Stain area of the slot. When activated, a tentacle will select a random symbol, changing all other Ink Stains with that same selected symbol. The selected symbol can be of any kind.

Ink Stains: These stains only appear after a win and during the Tumble of new symbols.

Eight Arm Charm: This is the main bonus round of the game. Land three or more red FS symbols to unlock the bonus. The number of FS symbols will mirror the number of free spins you play with. During the bonus, all Ink Stain spaces are open until filled by the Tenta-Grab feature. You can win further spins with each FS that drops.

Give Me Eight: This bonus round unlocks by landing three or more yellow FS symbols. The number of symbols equals the number of free spins you will play. The Ink Stain spaces remain open until used by the Tenta-Grab feature. In this bonus, the Tenta-Grab can only grab Wilds or Wild Multipliers. Further yellow FS symbols that drop will award you free spins.

Bonus Buy: Increase your chances of landing FS symbols by upping your bet by 3x the value. Pay 50x your bet and get a guaranteed win from the Eye of Otto feature. Buy the Eight Arm Charm bonus for 100x your bet. Pay for the privilege to play the Give Me Eight bonus for a cost that is 300x your bet.

I have played many Hacksaw Gaming slots, and Octo Attack seems to have the same dynamics as the rest. So, I’m not overly in a state of “oh-wow, I can’t wait to play this.”

I load the Octo Attack slot and set my bet to $1 per spin. I also put the game into auto-spins mode and set it to spin 50 times. The first win is on spin four, which comes in at $0.10. The Tumbler mechanics help prolong the gameplay time, but when wins are so low, it can feel like a drag.

Over the next twenty or so spins, I land several other small wins, but none over the $1 bet value I am playing. With seventeen spins left, I still haven't activated a feature. However, the Eye of Otto feature lands two spins later, and with a load of lollipop symbols being the result, I win $50.  After this, I play a few spins but decide to pull out early with eleven spins left and cash out $14.70.

Octo Attack brings a medium volatility to the gameplay, which is my preferred setting. The RTP is standard at 96.27%. The jackpot is 10,000 times your wager. So, if you are betting $100 a spin, the return would be $1,000,000 max.

The Octo Attack slot by Hacksaw Gaming looks great but there is nothing new to the dynamics of play. I’d have liked to have seen attacks on the city tied to actions on the game board—if you land this, that happens, and it becomes more immersive visually. Shifting a background from one grey and black setting to another after landing the bonus round doesn’t really do much. It’s an okay game, but I’m worried Hacksaw Gaming is getting too repetitive.

If you want to play other games similar to Octo Attack, then I recommend these slots:

• Mutant Trawlers by Yggdrasil
• Octopus Treasure by Play’n GO
• Creature from the Black Lagoon by NetEnt

Play all these slots free at akfxoqsd.shop and claim your new welcome bonus when you sign up for any new online casino.