The Haunted Circus: Overview

Malta based developer Hacksaw Gaming delivers another slot as they continue to broaden their game catalogue. After beginning with online scratch cards, the studio made an impressive move into slots with the appealing debut Stick ‘Em. Since then, Hacksaw has gone big, creating some of the largest fixed jackpots available today. Their previous release, Cubes, also proved to be a notable success for the team.

Next in line is The Haunted Circus, and its main draw is clearly the massive fixed jackpot. It may not be the absolute biggest around, but it’s still a hefty prize and likely to tempt plenty of hopeful punters. The question is whether the rest of the slot can keep up, or whether it feels overshadowed by the headline payout.

On desktop, or on mobile in landscape mode, the 5-reel, 4-row layout appears as though you’re peering through a strange keyhole. Alternatively, it could feel like tunnel vision as the edges fade away. The outer area of the display is darkened, leaving a view of an old Victorian-style circus. Think strongmen in leopard print tights with enormous curled moustaches, hoisting weights overhead with a single finger.

Initially, the “haunted” element can be hard to spot. The Haunted Circus isn’t designed to startle; its creepiness is more understated. In truth, the base game doesn’t feature much overt spookiness beyond the unsettling soundtrack and symbols that animate into things like eyeballs. The eerie vibe increases during the bonus game when the action shifts up a notch. Even so, the overall production is strong—perhaps a touch plain at first, but the unusual theme paired with excellent audio does grow on you.

For a slot with some eye-catching numbers, it’s worth checking the standard stats too. As a jackpot game, expect an RTP of 94.83%. That’s on the low side, though not shockingly so considering the top prize available. Volatility sits in the medium/high bracket, with Hacksaw rating it 4 out of 5, alongside a notably high hit frequency of 36.35%.

To join this sinister soiree, you can set stakes from 20 p/c to $/€100 per spin. In the base game, wins are formed left to right starting from the first reel. Any row can contribute, giving 1,024 ways to win.

The symbol set is an unusual blend: 10-A royals in a circus/Wild West style font that perform neat transformations when they help create a win. Then come four premium symbols—a bearded lady, a green clown, a snake-charming lady, and finally a strongman. Payouts are a bit unconventional because all low pays share the same value, as do all high pays (0.5x – 2.5x).

Those modest symbol values are partly explained by how the wild operates. Any time a wild contributes to a winning way, it turns into a multiplier of x2, x3, x4, or x5. Multiple multipliers can apply to the same win, and when they do, they multiply together rather than add, up to a cap of 625x. With that covered, let’s see what else is hiding behind the curtain.

The Haunted Circus: Features

The circus itself may be entertaining, but what takes place beyond its boundaries is the real highlight. Hit 3 or more bonus scatter symbols and you’ll be taken outside to a twisted, tree-filled setting where the bonus wheel awaits.

The bonus wheel has 3 tiers, with rewards increasing in value as you move up. Each tier can award free spins, a cash win multiplier, or an arrow. Landing an arrow advances you to the next tier. If you land 3 arrows consecutively, then congrats, you’ve just claimed the €2.5 million jackpot prize. The odds of triggering the bonus game at all are 1 in 93.

If the wheel stops on a multiplier, you receive a fixed win and play returns to the base game. Land free spins, however, and you head back to the reels in free spin mode. This mode introduces additional wild multipliers and an extra scatter symbol. Hit 3 scatter symbols to gain 5 more free spins, and this can be retriggered up to 10 times. The odds of landing free spins on the bonus wheel are roughly 1 in 247.

The Haunted Circus: Verdict

It’s quite the journey from scratch cards to offering some of the biggest fixed payouts in the industry. The €2.5 million fixed jackpot may not be the single largest out there, but it’s certainly big enough to make you rethink showing up to work the next day if you landed it. That alone will be more than enough reason for dedicated jackpot hunters to lift the tent flap and give The Haunted Circus a hopeful spin.

If your only goal is the jackpot, you may not care much about what else the game offers. That’s probably for the best, because the rest of the experience isn’t especially gripping. The base game rolls along with its two payout levels, and the multiplying wilds are a nice touch, but it isn’t particularly thrilling or innovative. In fact, The Haunted Circus feels like the most conventional and least quirky title we’ve seen from Hacksaw Gaming so far.

Still, there’s a strong upside: wins of up to 10,000 times the stake are possible, which is impressive for a relatively small developer. The Haunted Circus is very much an all-or-nothing ride—you either hit it big or the session stays fairly subdued. Even so, the potential is excellent and the build quality is solid, so for players focused purely on chasing dream money, it stands as a perfectly viable choice among major jackpot slots.