Cursed Crypt: Slot Overview

If you're going to go tooling around in a crypt, maybe do a bit of raiding, or what have you, it might pay to do so in a crypt which is not cursed. But, some people can't help themselves, huh, because here we are, gripping a torch alongside software provider Hacksaw Gaming as we descend into the online slot Cursed Crypt, an Egyptian-themed adventure that spreads random symbols along reels while looking spooky as it does so.

If Cursed Crypt has a family member it is related to in the Hacksaw Gaming lineup, it has to be the dread fest that was Hand of Anubis. Both have a dark, dark feel to them, shunning the stereotypical Ancient Egypt vibe often served up in slots to craft one which looks like the robotic species Necrons from the Warhammer 40K universe landed on planet Earth. A gloomy, ominous spirit dominates, split through with glowing green hues, to create a deliciously dark gaming world.

Clicking those up and down buttons next to the spin button is how players can pick a stake of 10 c to $/€100 per spin, while further along to the left is where the bonus buy can be found. When gambling in the normal manner, Cursed Crypt's default RTP is 96.22%, while its volatility is medium-high, rated by its maker as 4 out of 5. To make winning combinations, matching symbols must land from the leftmost side of the grid on at least 3 consecutive reels, and 1,024 ways to win blast the 5-reel, 4-row matrix.

If you haven't been scared away yet, here are the pay symbols. The lower values are a set of 5 hieroglyph-style symbols, whereas the higher pays are 5 character/animal symbols. All low pays award 1 times the bet for a 5 OAK result, boosting up to 3-15x the bet for a 5 OAK high pay win. Wilds are present on all reels. They substitute for all regular pays and sling out 20 times the bet for landing a 5 wild winning line.

Cursed Crypt: Slot Features

There is a ring of familiarity to Cursed Crypt's features as certain symbols spread along reels, bestowing goodness when they go your way. However, instead of springing multipliers or anything like that, the spread brings random symbols instead, both in the base game and in the two bonus rounds. A suite of bonus buys are also available for players who prefer skipping to their favourite parts.

Cursed Reels

When the Curse symbol lands, it spreads the Curse upwards to the top of the grid, creating Cursed Positions. Cursed Positions are replaced with a random symbol.

Wrath of Sobek

In the base game, landing 3 FS symbols triggers this feature with 10 free spins. In the Wrath of Sobek round, there is an increased chance of landing Curse symbols. Hitting 2 FS symbols awards +2 free spins while hitting 3 FS symbols awards +4 free spins.

Tomb of Tutankhamun

Indulge your Howard Carter fantasies by landing 4 FS symbols in the base game to trigger 10 free spins in the Tomb of Tutankhamun bonus. In this bonus round, the Curse symbols will only fill Cursed Positions with high-pay symbols or wild symbols. Hitting 2 FS symbols awards +2 free spins while hitting 3 FS symbols awards +4 free spins.

Bonus Buys

Cursed Crypt furnishes players with these bonus buys:

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins - 3x the bet, each spin is 5 times more likely to trigger a bonus game. RTP 96.35%, very highly volatile.
• Curse of Three FeatureSpins - 40x the bet, each spin guarantees at least 3 Curse symbols land. RTP 96.34%, highly volatile.
• Curse of Five FeatureSpins - 150x the bet, each spin guarantees at least 5 Curse symbols land. RTP 96.34%, very highly volatile.
• Wrath of Sobek - 100x the bet, highly volatile. RTP 96.3%.
• Tomb of Tutankhamun - 200x the bet, very highly volatile. RTP 96.34%.

Cursed Crypt: Slot Verdict

A twisty, turny path was trodden down before reaching a conclusion on Cursed Crypt. Spoiler alert: the final impression was favourable. In the beginning, reading about special symbols that spread upwards to the top of the reels, dumping identical symbols, just sounded too close to other Hacksaw Gaming slots that perform a similar role, like, oh, dunno, how about Beast Below? Admittedly, from memory, previous slots tended to do so with wild multipliers, so it is tough to accuse Cursed Crypt of doing the exact same thing. However, the spreading upwards effect was close enough to elicit a jaded wee sigh of 'here we go again' before plunging into the action.

Good we did, though, because Cursed Crypt's action turned out to be not bad at all. Rather good, actually, for several reasons. The first reason is the high production values and the heavier, spookier, more menacing interpretation of Ancient Egypt than the vast majority of slots making up this genre have. We know Hacksaw Gaming can do light-as-a-feather slots like Om Nom, but it can certainly pull off haunting thrillers like this one. Secondly, the spreading symbols effect might not sound as exciting as spreading wild multipliers, but the potential power play was the way Hacksaw Gaming has jammed a ways to win system into Cursed Crypt instead of going for the usual paylines setup. Like Beam Boys, significant damage can ensue when Curse symbols really do their thing. Demoing Curse of Five FeatureSpins was one fun way of seeing what Curse symbols could do.

The features are such that 10,000x the bet winning potential is achievable in all of Cursed Crypt's game modes. There is not much else to say other than Hacksaw Gaming has done it again, pooling its design skills to make another moody, tightly wound slot which stands proudly on the games that preceded it.