Hot Ross: Slot Overview
At the start of 2023, software provider Hacksaw Gaming revived the classic cat vs mouse rivalry in the online slot RIP City, introducing gamblers to Ross the cat and Maxx the mouse. It followed up a while later with a slot that put the spotlight on Maxx the mouse in Rad Maxx and has now given his feline pal Ross his own space to strut. The slot is Hot Ross, and not only does it revisit a previous character, but it also revisits much of the gameplay, meaning a return of the expanding wild mouth effect with possible multipliers thrown in for good measure.
The Ross and Max series aren't exactly renowned for their luminously invasive colouration. In Hot Ross, yellows and pinks pop onto the screen at times, a bit of blue about the place, and the highest bonus round dabbles in green, but for the most part, Hot Ross is another one that's happy throwing up a lot of blacks, whites, and greys. The base game setting is about as humdrum as it gets, as the game opens up to a nondescript street/alleyway scene in the middle of anywhere. It does have a quasi-Edward Hopper touch to it, though, tapping into themes of urban isolation and loneliness, or it would if Ross wasn't there next to the gaming area, bringing his individual charm back to the reels.
Where Rad Maxx expanded the ways to win, Hot Ross brings the technical specs back to the original meaning a 5x5 grid is where the symbols land, evaluated along 19 paylines. With its highly volatile math model pushing out a maximum RTP of 96.32%, players can stake $/€0.10 to $/€50 per base game round.
Ten through Ace are the low pays, awarding 5x to 10x the bet for 5 OAK. Then there are bananas, fish bones, spray cans, dice, and eight balls, awarding 15x to 20x for a five-of-a-kind winning line. The bomb is wild, replacing regular paying symbols to make up a win, or awarding 25x for a five wild-only winning combination.
Hot Ross: Slot Features
Expanding wild symbols return in the form of Ro$$ and Hot Ro$$ symbols, which hit in the base game and the three bonus rounds. No fewer than six feature buys are available, too.
Ro$$ and Hot Ro$$ Symbols
When a Ro$$ or Hot Ro$$ symbol lands, it expands if it would be part of a win by doing so. Expanded symbols are wild in every position they cover. Ro$$ symbols that do not expand remain as single wilds. Only one Ro$$ or Hot Ro$$ can land on a reel at a time. When triggered, Ro$$ symbols expand downwards to the bottom of the grid from where they landed. When Hot Ro$$ symbols trigger, they move to the top of the reel and expand to the bottom, covering it. Expanded Hot Ro$$ symbols trigger Ro$$ symbols on directly adjacent left and right reels to move to the top and expand down to cover the whole reel. When a Ro$$ or Hot Ro$$ symbol expands through a wild, it gets a multiplier of x2 to x200 for the entire expanded symbol. If it expands through multiple wilds, the multiplier values are added together.
Cat Calls Bonus Game
Hitting 3 scatters in the main game triggers this feature with 10 free spins. Cat Calls has an extra chance of landing Ro$$ and Hot Ro$$ symbols. In all bonus rounds, landing 2 or 3 scatters awards an extra +2 or +4 free spins, respectively.
Nine Lives Bonus Game
Activating this bonus and 10 free spins happens by landing 4 scatters in the main game. On top of Cat Calls' mechanics, when a Ro$$ or Hot RO$$ symbol lands on a reel, the reel is activated throughout the round. When activated, the reel guarantees one Ro$$ or Hot Ro$$ symbol lands on it every spin.
Bigg Boss Ross
Landing 5 scatters in the base game triggers 10 free spins in the Bigg Boss Ross round. It keeps the mechanics of Cat Calls, plus at least two Hot Ro$$ and one wild symbol is guaranteed on each spin.
Feature Buys
Here you will find BonusHunt FeatureSpins for 3x, making each spin 5 times more likely to trigger a bonus, Feisty FeatureSpins at 60x to guarantee at least 3 Ro$$ symbols land, and Epic Drop FeatureSpins at 1,000x to guarantee 5 Ro$$ symbols and at least 3 wilds land. All three bonus rounds can be bought. Cat Calls for 100x, Nine Lives for 200x, or Bigg Boss Ross for 1,000x the stake.
Hot Ross: Slot Verdict
Where Rad Maxx deviated from RIP City in terms of features, and somewhat experimental elements such as altered pay directions, Hot Ross brings things back to the original and redelivers some Hacksaw Gaming favourites. Expanding symbols are one of the studio's staples, and expanding them through certain other symbols to gain a multiplier value is a classic HG move. As a result, in many ways, Hot Ross is a business-as-usual slot that is able to hit like a sack of bricks, but which might not raise the excitement levels of gamblers who feel Hacksaw Gaming has lost its magic touch of late.
However, there are mutations to be found here, whether they be considered minor or not. One is the way a Hot Ro$$ symbol teleports to the top of the reel before expanding downwards. That could be a biggie, as a full reel wild has a heck of a lot more wallop than a 1x1 wild. Especially if you get really lucky and it passes through wilds as it expands, gathering multiplier values. The way Hot Ro$$ symbols cause adjacent Ro$$ symbols to do the same is an excellent touch as well, and may lead to some sweet expanding, wilding chain reactions. Demoing feature buys is a handy way of getting a taste of what Hot Ross can do, though at the extreme edge, 1,000x for a single spin or a bonus round is a hefty real money price tag.
The final cherry on Hot Ross' top is winning potential of 15,000x the bet, which is higher than was found in the previous releases, and technically achievable in all game modes. So, while Hot Ross might not seem crazy innovative at first, or maybe even at all, Hacksaw Gaming has made a few potently subtle and highly positive changes that are able to alter the way the game unfolds.
It might not seem hugely innovative at first, but Hot Ross comes with several interesting mechanical tweaks that manage to evolve the series a notch or two.
