Infernus: Slot Overview

Grab something light and breathable, because developer Backseat Gaming is whisking players off to a scorching, crackling corner of the reels in Infernus. If Latin wasn’t your thing, “infernus” can mean “of the underworld”, “infernal”, or “the lower regions”—basically somewhere you’d rather not end up. This slot version, however, could be a tempting pick for anyone who enjoys big, blunt-force features that don’t necessarily show up constantly, but when they land, one powerhouse symbol can shake up the entire grid.

Infernus’ base game unfolds in a red-tinged, smoky setting, though it doesn’t feel like a sealed-off pit below ground, since the moon hangs in a starry sky above the reels, lighting the ruins. Symbolism, perhaps? Where Hacksaw Gaming might have pushed a game called Infernus into full-on demonic territory, Backseat Gaming dials back the misery somewhat. Visually it’s an easy-on-the-eyes slot, with a fiery, chunky, cartoon style that gives off faint Beat the Beast vibes.

The reels use a 5×5 action area, with wins checked across 19 inset winlines. It’s rated 5 out of 5 for highly volatile gameplay, and of the two RTP setups available, 96.27% is the top option. Bets run from 10 c to $/€100, and players can also switch on four optional bonus modes.

Infernus features 9 standard pay symbols: 10-A royals plus a fiery cauldron, a crown or ring, a skull, and a phoenix. A 5 OAK royal line returns 1-2.5 times the bet, while a 5 OAK premium hit pays 5 to 20 times the bet.

Infernus: Slot Features

Wild Blocks are the engine behind Infernus’ impact, appearing in the base game and also throughout the two bonus rounds—Inferno’s Gate and Cerberus’ Rage—both of which can be purchased from the bonus buy menu.

Wild Blocks

Wild symbols arrive as blocks sized 2×2, 3×3, 4×4, or 5×5, showing 2, 3, 4, or 5 heads respectively. Each head uncovers a multiplier of x2 to x100; these values are totalled to create a single multiplier applied to the whole wild block. Wilds substitute for any regular pay symbol and pay 20x for a 5-wild winning line.

Inferno’s Gate

Players win 10 free spins in the Inferno’s Gate bonus by landing 3 scatter symbols in the base game. Inferno’s Gate has an increased chance of landing wild blocks.

Cerberus’ Rage

This feature, along with 10 free spins, is triggered when 4 scatters land in the base game. During the Cerberus’ Rage bonus, wild blocks are sticky, and a bigger block can replace a smaller one.

Bonus Buy

Activating BonusHunt FeatureSpins costs 2 times the bet and makes each spin 3 times more likely to trigger a bonus game. Hellfire FeatureSpins cost 75 times the bet, and they guarantee wild block hits. Following on, the Inferno’s Gate feature may be bought for 100x the bet or Cerberus’ Rage for 200x.

Infernus: Slot Verdict

Jumping into the Infernus demo for this review without checking the small print (and overlooking the not-so-subtle hints on the home screen), the initial impression was that it felt oddly light on features for a Hacksaw Gaming slot. There were no spreading elements, no clockwork-style precision, and not much in the way of layered feature complexity. After pausing to take it all in—and noticing it was created by partner Backseat Gaming—the design approach clicked. In broad terms, where Hacksaw Gaming titles tend to focus on finely tuned finesse that makes them stand out, Backseat Gaming leans more toward raw, blunt power features—effective, but more like a sledgehammer impact than a slow-building, creeping threat. Speaking very generally, of course.

Infernus shows that kind of muscle-first philosophy in action. The core mechanic is the wild blocks, which can crash in at up to 5×5, potentially blanketing the entire grid. A huge wild could already swing a spin by itself, but Infernus pushes it further by having each head on the wild contribute a multiplier that’s added together. That summed multiplier can massively influence outcomes, which is a big reason the game plays so volatile. Free spins, for example, might trundle along without much happening until a large wild multiplier lands and dramatically changes the picture. They’re sticky in Cerberus’ Rage as well, though rather than expecting wilds to pour in nonstop like embers in a blaze, it may be smarter to hope for one properly sized wild to do the heavy lifting.

With that level of strength, it’s possible to hit Infernus’ 15,000x the bet maximum win across all game modes. Waiting around for a worthwhile wild block can feel a bit soul-sapping if they’re playing hard to get, but one solid drop is all it takes for Infernus to boil over.