Buffalo Stack ‘n’ Sync

Buffalo Stack'n'Sync: Slot Overview

Just for fun, let's set the scene for this review with a quote from Jim Morrison; "We are from the west. The world we suggest should be of a new wild west… Strange and haunting. The path of the sun..." If Jim hadn't fronted the psychedelic rock band The Doors, he might have fit in developing online slots, as The Wild West, in its variety of forms, is one of the most popular themes around. Buffalo Stack'n'Sync from Hacksaw Gaming might not be the gunslinging version, but it's set on the Great Plains, which is west of the Mississippi River, so let's run with it.

To create the location, Hacksaw has filled the view with cacti and rock formations, imbuing the game with a haunting sense of loneliness, but in a good way. This is the sort of place half-imagined gurus lead explorers on spirit quests, where brave adventurers can lose themselves and find themselves. Or, as Hacksaw poetically puts it, a place of "great buffalo, soaring eagles and grass swaying in the wind." To be honest, there isn't much grass. There are shed loads of animals, though, led by bison, who are instrumental in triggering some of Buffalo Stack'n'Sync's most exciting times.

Hacksaw Gaming is synonymous with volatile slots, and while Buffalo Stack'n'Sync isn't the most capricious they've done, its volatility has been rated at 4 out of 5. As is common practice these days, the RTP is variable, so that's something to look out for, where the highest version has a return value of 96.36%. This is when playing naturally, at least, as the theoretical return increases if/when buying one of the three feature options. Any device from mobile to desktop can be used to play Buffalo Stack'n'Sync, where bet levels vary from 10 p/c to $/€100 per paid game round.

Mechanically, Buffalo Stack'n'Sync's game board is constructed of 5-reels, 4-columns, and 10 static paylines. On these paylines, players collect a win when three to five identical symbols land, from left to right, starting at the left. Its symbols are pretty standard for this genre, such as the low pay 10-A cards and the five animals high pays – horses, cougars, wolves, eagles, and bison. Hitting a five a kind winning line gets you 2 to 4 times the bet for the card symbols, 10x to 20x the bet for the premium symbols. Cactus wilds appear on any reel to substitute for all paying symbols and are worth the same as the bison if five land on a payline.

Buffalo Stack'n'Sync: Slot Features

A couple more symbols appear in Buffalo Stack'n'Sync to trigger certain effects. The bonus symbol appears in the base game only, the Stack'n'Sync symbol lands in the base or bonus game, while the Stack symbol appears only during Stampede Spins. Here's how they work.

Stack'n'Sync

When an S'N'S (Stack'n'Sync) symbol hits, its reel is boosted with 15, 30, 45, or 60 symbols of one type. In addition, 1 respin is awarded for each S'N'S symbol in view. If more S'N'S symbols land on a respin, those reels are synced to the reels that are already stacked, and additional respins are awarded.

Stampede Reels

If a stack of buffalo symbols land on a reel, they merge to create a Stampede Reel with a multiplier of x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, x15, x20, x25, x50, x75, or x100. These reels are not wild and can only link with buffalo symbols on other reels. Multipliers are applied to any buffalo win, and if more than one Stampede Reel is used, the multipliers are added together.

Free Spins

Land 3 flaming scatter symbols awards 10 free spins. During the free spins round, high paying symbols are more likely to land stacked than in the base game, technically improving the odds of getting stacks of buffalo symbols.

Stampede Spins

Landing 4 bonus symbols trigger this round, where reels display only buffalo symbols, Stack symbols, or value-less skull symbols. Each time a Stack symbol lands on a reel, 5-60 buffalo symbols are added to the reel, replacing skull symbols. Also, +1 additional free spin is added for each Stack symbol in view.

Buy Bonus

Hit this button, if it is present, to reveal three bonus buy options. First is 15x the bet for a game round which guarantees an S'N'S symbol and at least one respin (RTP 96.4%), then 100x the bet for free spins (RTP 96.46%), or 250x the bet for Stampede Spins (RTP 96.5%).

Buffalo Stack'n'Sync: Slot Verdict

After Hand of Anubis and Itero, it felt a little strange to see Hacksaw turn to such a commonplace theme. However, as usual, they've used their creative prowess to produce a unique slot that should please players looking for a game with a bit of volatility, which includes old and new elements. We say 'a bit' of volatility, but Buffalo Stack'n'Sync can be quite unforgiving. As some have pointed out, Hacksaw slots can be 'Lambo or Ramen' experiences, and Buffalo Stack'n'Sync has no issues going nowhere if it doesn't blow up. That might have some players relishing the challenge as much as it'll make others want to dodge the stampede.

By now, we've come to expect a level of ingenuity in each Hacksaw release, and Buffalo Stack'n'Sync doesn't disappoint. In some ways, Buffalo Stack'n'Sync is pretty simplistic when you break it down. The task is hitting S'N'S tiles to stack symbols on the reels, then landing as many of the stacked symbols as possible to collect line wins. In general, the more respins you can squeeze out, the better, while the ultimate is stacking bison to create Stampede Reels. As such, the 15x entry-level feature buy might be an attractive option, and its inclusion could well be appreciated by bonus buyers who don't want to go as all in by shelling out for a full bonus round.

Stampede Spins are slightly more sophisticated, yet they can still frustrate, especially when stacks of bison symbols are repeatedly added to the same reel or reels and never seem to hit. It can go the other way at times, and since stacked bison create Stampede Reels with potentially sizable multipliers, good things can emerge. When raging, Buffalo Stack'n'Sync can fire off wins as high as 10,000x the bet. A respectable total, but if you're after extra kick, Bison Battle from Push Gaming might be a better choice. However, both games are solid options that make use of intelligent gameplay to transcend the traditional theme they've been given.