Miami Mayhem

Anyone with an interest in travelling across the pond, to the US of A, is certain to have Miami high up on their itinerary.

Famous for its lapping shores, golden sands and baking heat, the city has long held up its reputation as being a coastal paradise, where troubles just melt away along the endless scenic promenades, as music pumps from the clubs and bars with revelers dancing the night away.

For all of its glitz, glam and celebrity status, however, just like many major cities around the world, Miami has a dark secret; an underground life of unrest in which cartels, gangs and crime lords go about their business within the shadows, bringing unrest to the lawful streets above.

Miami Mayhem Base Game Play

And who better to emphasise such un-order than the team over at Hacksaw Gaming who, in their latest online slot release, hone in closely on the vigilante crews who rule the roost in “Miami Mania“; a 5 reel 4 row game boasting missions, Wild reels, and a whole stack of manic, multiplying action!

It goes without saying that the Hacksaw designers are nothing less than fluent when it comes to visual charm, with graphical prowess unleashed within a wide range of titles from the ungodly “SixSixSix” to the vibrant “Rainbow Princess“, and Miami Mayhem comes along neatly fitting the bill, taking on an almost Grand Theft Auto theme with a neon, pastel colour pallet and cartoon adaptations.

If that isn’t enough to make a fair comparison, then you need only glance at the game’s title font and 5 “Wanted” style stars above the reels and the inspiration is all there to see.

The game grid takes its place, overlaying a twilight scene within the city streets, with shopfront signs glowing in the hazy, purple air as a tank top-wearing delinquent poses intimidatingly to the left of the reels, baseball bat over his shoulder and a mask covering much of his face.

He’s not the only chap here to assert his authority either, with up to 5 crew members making the team and each playing their part to enhance gameplay by way of expanding Wilds and multipliers, should enough missions be completed.

With 3 bonus games to set your sights on, including that elusive Hidden Epic round, overall volatility comes in high, alongside a healthy 96.35% RTP and max win potential set at 15,000x bet.

With the streets clearly braced for an invasion, let’s head straight into the action as we check out all of the core features and rules in more detail…

Miami Mayhem Offers Players 14 Fixed Paylines

Miami Mayhem Base Game and Features

Win spins are achieved by combining 3 or more matching symbols, from left to right across adjacent reels, over any of the game’s 14 fixed paylines.

10 regular paying symbols make up the count, consisting of low-paying Royals, worth up to 1x bet for 5 matching symbols, and high-paying brass knuckles, drink, jet-pack, and 2 character symbols, paying between 3x to 10x bet for a line of 5 matching.

Wild symbols are also included in all modes of play, substituting for any regular paying symbols and worth up to 10x bet for 5 matching symbols across.

Land Crew Symbols for Wild Reel Expansions

Expanding Crew Reels

Miami Mayhem features 5 Crew members, each assigned to a specific reel.

Reel 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are each assigned to Ghosting Gordo, Roxie Rizz, Vinny the Vice, Lola la Reina and Diego el Fuego, respectively.

When a Crew symbol lands on the reels, it shall expand to cover the entire reel, should the symbol form part of a winning combination in expanded form.

Expanded Crew symbols act as Wild symbols on all covered reel positions, and any expanded symbols may adopt a win multiplier between 2x to 100x.

Should more than 1 Wild multiplier form part of the same winning combination, all values are first added together before applying to the win.

Only one Crew symbol can land on a reel at any time.

Land the Wanted Symbol to Trigger the Mission Sequence for Respins and Multiplier Awards

Missions

Landing a Wanted symbol within the game grid triggers the Mission sequence feature, activating the Wanted level bar above the reels.

3 respins are awarded, as well as an assigned Mission target.

At the beginning of each Mission sequence, a random high-paying symbol is selected as the target, requiring a winning combination involving that symbol to complete.

Completing a Mission awards an increased Wanted level, by at least one step, resets the spin counter back to 3 and triggers a new target symbol.

Once Wanted level 5 is reached, no further increases can occur, however the Mission sequence continues until a Mission is failed.

Each Mission sequence begins at Level 0, with each increase in level also increasing the minimum multiplier value on expanded Crew symbols.

Level 0 guarantees that expanded Crew symbols become Wild, with Level 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 guaranteeing a minimum multiplier value of 2x, 5x, 10x, 15x and 25x, respectively.

Once a Mission is failed, the sequence comes to an end and the Wanted level resets back to 0, with all wins from the Respins feature being paid out.

Land 3 or More Scatters to Trigger the Free Spins Bonus Rounds

Miami Mayhem Free Spins

3 Free Spins bonus rounds are included within game play, The Hit, We Split and Get Lit!, each triggered by landing 3, 4 or 5 scatters during the same game round.

During each of the bonus features, 10 spins are awarded, and landing 2 or 3 scatters within the same spin, during The Hit and We Split, awards an additional 2 or 4 spins, respectively.

The Hit

Playing to the same rules and mechanics as base game mode, additionally The Hit offers an increased chance of landing Crew symbols on the reels.

What’s more is that the Wanted levels become progressive throughout the entire round, with 1 Mission triggering during the first spin.

Each completed Mission triggers a new Mission and increases the Wanted level by 1 step.

Mission respins are not active during the bonus game.

We Split

Keeping to the same rules and mechanics as The Hit, We Split features a Mayhem Bar, displayed outside of the game grid throughout the round, and contains 1 compartment for each of the 5 reels.

Should a win occur with an expanded Crew symbol, the Mayhem Bar shall collect and store the expanded Crew reel within the corresponding compartment, until the end of the round.

After the final Free Spin, the Mayhem Bar activates, triggering a Crew Spin whereby all stored Crew symbols reactivate, expanding on their respective reels.

The multiplier values adopted by the Crew symbols shall be dependent upon the current Wanted level at the end of the bonus round.

Get Lit!

The Hidden Epic bonus, Get Lit! plays to the same rules and mechanics as We Split, but guarantees that at least one Crew symbol will land on every spin.

Additionally, the Wanted Level begins the feature at level 5, increasing the chances of expanded Crew Reels adopting a higher multiplier value.

Scatter symbols are not active during the Get Lit! Free Spins game and Missions are not triggered throughout.

During Free Spins, the Wanted Level Meter Becomes Progressive with an Increased Chance of Landing Crew Symbols

Bonus Buy and FeatureSpins

A healthy menu of 5 purchasable options is available within Miami Mayhem, that players may opt to utilise in order to enhance play further…

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins – at the cost of 3x bet, each spin is 5 times more likely to trigger a bonus game – (96.26% RTP)
• Beach Please FeatureSpins – at the cost of 50x bet, a spin guarantees that at least 2 expanding Crew symbols land – (96.31% RTP)
• Mayhem Mode FeatureSpins – at the cost of 50x bet, a spin guarantees that a Wanted symbol lands, triggering a Mission – (96.31% RTP)
• The Hit – at the cost of 100x bet – (96.3% RTP)
• We Split – at the cost of 300x bet – (96.27% RTP)

Trigger “We Split” to Activate the Mayhem Bar, Awarding a Crew Spin at the End of the Round

First Impression

Basing the theming of any online slot game around one of the world’s most successful video game series would be a bold move for anyone, with serious levels of expectations instantly flooding from all who step into the action but, of course, Hacksaw Gaming have a true knack of getting the mixture of inclusions and visuals just right to ensure that Miami Mayhem more than fits the bill!

From the word go, players are transported into a world of volatile crime within the streets of paradise, becoming immersed in a realm of familiarity to all who have experienced those classic “GTA” thrills.

Using a host of well-oiled features and mechanics, from expanding Wild reels to multipliers, as well as including an innovative Mission-style model, the Hacksaw team has been able to breathe fresh life into similar-styled games gone by, whilst marking Miami Mayhem with a huge stamp of individuality.

Base game play introduces the Crew symbols and Mission sequences, as Wilds expand and targets are completed by forming winning combinations with the selected symbols.

The concept adds a truly dynamic touch to standard mode of play, arguably more so than we have seen from the studio in a while, and is certain to go down a popular inclusion.

Triggering the Free Spins bonus rounds finds play progressed further, even at the 3 scatter level with increased chances of landing Crew symbols and persistent Wanted Levels throughout.

The ante really starts to get upped during We Split, whereby a Mayhem Bar activates, collecting all expanded Crew reels during the round and offering up a Crew Spin to finish up proceedings.

The Crew Spin can be a very punchy affair, and progressing through as many Wanted Levels as possible, whilst landing Crew symbols throughout, is the key to huge returns with up to 5 Wild stack multipliers possible as a result!

Once again, we see the return of Hacksaw’s trademarked “Hidden Epic” bonus round, certainly proving popular within the online slots community, especially to those who have been fortunate to land those elusive 5 scatters, and with a Level 5 Wanted meter from the get go and guaranteed Crew symbols on every spin, the chances of getting close to that 15,000x bet max win potential surely have to be achievable.

An action-packed game from the get go, Miami Mayhem proves to be a true underground delight, boasting a familiar, yet somehow innovative, outlay to gaming, with a zestful amount of progressive opportunity.

With sound theming throughout and a volatile approach, not only shall Miami remain a list-topping destination for travelers around the globe, but a certain go-to for those looking for their next online slot adventure, too.

The screenshots taken of games reviewed on this site are taken from Demo Play, as reviews are often written before games are released for real play.