Hacker's Haven Slot Review

Hacker's Haven Slot Overview

Hacker's Haven is a casino slot from Degen Studios, letting players explore the world of cybercrime through the eyes of a talented hacker. He may not look like your badass Hollywood operator in a mysterious black hood, tapping away at the keyboard at lightning speed, but he clearly has some serious skills that can source wins up to 20,000x the bet. In today's reality dominated by the internet, where nobody's privacy is safe, and shady information is flowing through the dark web, it's best to stay on the good side of such people.

Hacker's Haven marks the studio's debut entry into the online slots domain in partnership with Yggdrasil's YGG Masters program. For seasoned players, the title will undoubtedly feel somewhat familiar from the get-go considering the specific UI and the combination of features used in the game. But we'll get to that later. For now, let's step into the dark (and probably a bit smelly) apartment of the lonely hacker and let him work his magic to crack the code and open the way to big wins.

Hacker's Haven is a video slot from Degen Studios with 5 reels, 5 rows, and 15 paylines. Players can choose their stake from a range of options, starting from a Min.bet of 0.1 up to a Max.bet of 150. The game offers a default RTP of 96.00%, although two lower variants of 94.00% and 90.50% are also available for operators. Players will experience high volatility, with a max win capped at 20,000x the bet. The expected base game hit frequency is 25.06%.

While hackers must rely solely on their programming skills to break through digital barriers, players can use helpful features to bring them closer to lucrative prizes. The features of Hacker's Haven are Virus Symbol, Multiplier Wild Symbols & Respin, Hacking Event, Access Granted Free Spins, System Breach Free Spins, Hacker's Haven Free Spins, and Feature Buy.

Hacker's Haven Slot Information

The Hacker's Haven title has a bit of an idyllic sound to it but when you first visit the establishment in question, you'll find out it's more of a cluttered den. It's clear that our hero doesn't do much beyond eating, consuming energy drinks, and pounding at the keyboard. The omnipresent darkness fills the interior only occasionally illuminated by flashes of digital light from the monitors and a mysterious glow from behind the door on the right. In the middle, an old monitor in a cracked frame holds the playing grid on which wins are awarded for matching at least 3 symbols on designated paylines while utilizing adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost one. Players can enter the thrilling world of cybercrime from any modern device, whether it's a desktop, a smartphone, or a tablet.

In the paytable, we recognize two sets of regular symbols. The low-paying ones appear as royal letters from playing cards, including J, Q, K, and A, awarding 1.5x the bet for a combination of 5. High-paying icons are represented by an email notification, a flash drive, a hard drive, a bitcoin, and a hacker. Those pay from 3x to 25x the bet for a 5-of-a-kind hit. In addition, several special symbols may land on the reels, like the Virus Symbol, the Multiplier Wild Symbol, and the Scatter.

Hacker's Haven Slot Features

What is the max win in the slot Hacker's Haven?

You can win up to 20,000x the bet.

What features are available in the slot Hacker's Haven?

The features are Virus Symbol, Multiplier Wild Symbols & Respin, Hacking Event, Access Granted Free Spins, System Breach Free Spins, Hacker's Haven Free Spins, and Feature Buy.

Virus Symbol

A piece of jumbled green code represents the Virus Symbol. It acts as a Wild, substituting for any regular symbols. However, if it doesn't become a part of a winning combination, it will destroy all regular symbols in a cross pattern that reaches the edges of the grid. After the removal, a cascade occurs, bringing new symbols to the board to fill the empty spaces.

Multiplier Wild Symbols & Respin

Two Multiplier Wilds exist in the game, one represented by a yellow skull icon and the other by an orange one. Upon landing, each will expand to cover the entire column and generate a multiplier applied to any wins involving the Multiplier Wild. The orange variant additionally awards a respin while staying sticky on the grid.

Hacking Event

Randomly, during any base game spin, the Hacking Event may trigger and offer a chance to activate one of the Free Spins modes without the need to land Scatter symbols.

Access Granted Free Spins

Scoring 3 Scatters anywhere on the grid in the same base game spin activates 10 Access Granted Free Spins. During the round, each spin has a chance to upgrade low-paying symbols into high-paying ones.

System Breach Free Spins

Landing 4 Scatters anywhere on the grid in the same base game spin activates 10 System Breach Free Spins. During the round, each spin has an increased chance to land a regular Multiplier Wild.

Hacker's Haven Free Spins

5 Scatters achieved anywhere on the grid during the same base game spin triggers 10 Hacker's Haven Free Spins. Within this mode, there's an increased chance of landing Sticky Multiplier Wilds.

Feature Buy

Instead of trying to look for holes in the code to break the barriers, players can circumvent the system with several feature buy options available in the game.

1.5x = Bonus Boost providing a higher chance to trigger Free Spins.

3.2x = Wild Spins with a higher chance to land Sticky Multiplier Wilds.

45x = 10 Access Granted Free Spins.

75x = 10 System Breach Free Spins.

125x = 10 Hacker's Haven Free Spins.

Hacker's Haven Slot Conclusion

Whether hacking is used for illegal activities or to look for vulnerabilities to strengthen security, it's undoubtedly one of the modern activities shrouded in plenty of mystery. Movies and TV shows presented hackers in various ways, from sci-fi protagonists like Neo in The Matrix to withdrawn geniuses like Elliot Anderson in Mr. Robot. Degen Studios, however, seems to have a different idea of such a figure, and perhaps a more realistic one as well. In Hacker's Haven, it's the scruffy, overweight fella who's responsible for sneaking into the forbidden parts of the web. His headquarters accurately reflect the attitude of not caring about anything beyond breaching the code. The cartoony design of the setting gives it a casual and slightly mocking feel which combines well with the exaggerated depiction of a lonely whiz whose life exists mainly in the digital world. All things considered, it's a nicely executed theme packed with humorous bits and high-quality effects that empower the fast-paced gameplay.

Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room, and we don't mean the hacker. The game's technical side closely resembles that of Hacksaw Gaming's, especially considering the nearly identical minimalistic UI, feature buy structure, leading mechanics, and the bonus round split into three modes. Knowing very little about Degen Studios at the time of writing this review, it's difficult to say if that's a result of some internal falling out. Whatever the case, the combination of mechanics in Hacker's Haven is likely to bring Wanted Dead or a Wild to mind with its expanding Multiplier Wilds with values up to x100 that imitate VS Symbols. There is, however, a subtle additional twist in the form of a second variant that also awards respins and a Virus symbol responsible for destroying icons in a cross formation should it fail to become part of a win. Within the 3 bonus modes, players can experience symbol transformation from low to high-paying, plus increased chances of landing regular or sticky Multiplier Wilds. It's a capable and engaging combo of features even if the majority of it has been borrowed from Hacksaw.

Hacker's Haven is Degen Studios' bold entry into the slots world, offering a unique, humorous theme and a mix of powerful features that feel surprisingly similar to one of the competitors'.