Densho Slot Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Densho Review

Apparently, “Densho” means “to leave a legacy,” something Hacksaw definitely is doing with a groundbreaking game like this. When we say groundbreaking, we are referring mostly to the stunningly beautiful artwork the team has come up with for Densho Slot, as there truly is nothing else like this out there. The exquisite Japanese-style aquarelle pieces seamlessly seep in and out of the “paper” as the backdrop shifts regularly, and it has an almost hypnotic effect until you get used to it.

The mesmerizing effect is so strong, in fact, that being distracted from the gameplay is a real problem until the novelty wears off. Underneath it all, you’ll find a typical Hacksaw game, however, and it revolves around expanding multiplier wilds of 3 different levels. You can eliminate the lower levels in both bonus round tiers, and the super free spins round starts you off at level 2 for all reels. The 10,000x max win is solid as usual, and Densho is as close to transcendental Zen Meditation as you can get with an online slot.

Hacksaw Gaming - Slot Developer

Hacksaw Gaming had their big mainstream break when they started to explore their dark side, and their production is somewhat split between light and dark releases. Wanted Dead Or A Wild became an instant cult classic, and this creative developer has released 68 video slots thus far.

They hold a Malta Gaming Authority license, and they’ve had great success with many games since they started in September 2018.

Slot Theme And Storyline

Densho Slot is nothing short of a Zen masterpiece when it comes to the audiovisuals. We already knew that Hacksaw’s graphic crew is a versatile bunch, but this time they’ve come up with artwork so breathtaking that it distracts from the actual gaming experience. This is meant as a compliment by the way, and Densho is best enjoyed with a cup of imported Japanese ‘loose leaf’ green tea, harvested by Geishas at the foot of Mount Fuji during cherry blossom season.

Densho RTP, Volatility, And Max Win

The top-tier Densho RTP of 96.33 % is a bit above average. However, operators can adjust the RTP down to 94.31, 92.33, or 88.34 %, depending on the market. The volatility is at the higher end of medium, clocking in at 4 out of 5 on Hacksaw’s own volatility scale.

The Densho slot max win is 10,000x your stake, and the max win hit rate is a decent 1 in 12m spins.

Densho Slot - Reels Screen

Densho Rules And Gameplay

You can place bets between £0.1 and £100 per spin, which means that both penny punters and highrollers are well-covered. You win by landing 3 to 5 matching symbols across up to 10 paylines, and wins must start from the leftmost reel towards the right. The action plays out on 5 reels with 4 rows per reel, and the Wild symbol substitutes for any pay symbol. It also pays for 5-of-a-kind wins, but not for less than that.

Symbols And Paytable

Symbols	Bet Multiplier Values
Samurai Warrior	3, 4, or 5 = 3x, 10x, or 20x
Geisha Lady	3, 4, or 5 = 2x, 6x, or 15x
Owl	3, 4, or 5 = 1.5x, 5x, or 12x
Crane Bird	3, 4, or 5 = 1x, 3x, or 10x
Sunset Bridge	3, 4, or 5 = 1x, 3x, or 10x
4 low-value Japanese symbols	3, 4, or 5 = 0.1x, 0.5x, or 2x
Mountains Wild	Substitutes for pay symbols (5-oak pays 20x)
Koi Fish Scatter	3+ triggers FS Round
Densho Bird Wild (3 levels)	Multiplier Wild Reel feature

Densho Bonuses And Special Features

The Densho Slot's main features include wild multiplier reels up to x100, and wild multiplier level upgrades in the bonus rounds. The super bonus round starts you off at a higher multiplier level.

Wild Multiplier Reels

Densho Wild symbols expand to fill entire reels when they land, but this only happens if the expanded wild will create a win. The expanded wilds also come with a random multiplier value, according to their Densho level. The multiplier boosts any win the wild or wilds partake in, and the multipliers are additive if more than one wild is part of the same win. Below is an overview of the 3 Densho Wild Multiplier levels:

• Common Densho (bird with 1 dot below) - expanded wild multiplier between x2 and x10.
• Rare Densho (bird with 2 dots below) - expanded wild multiplier of x5, x10, x15, x20, x25, or x50.
• Legendary Densho (bird with 3 dots below) - expanded wild multiplier of x10, x15, x20, x25, x50, or x100.

You can only land 1 Densho Symbol per reel simultaneously, and a grid full of Densho Expanded Wilds could give you a multiplier of up to x500.

Densho Free Spins

Landing 3 Koi Fish Scatters in view triggers the Densho Slot Bonus Round, giving you 10 free spins.

A 3-dot progression meter becomes visible above each reel, and it tracks what level of Expanding Multiplier Wilds that can appear on each reel. Upgrade symbols eliminate the lower-tier Densho symbols in this 3-tier system, and landing 2 or 3 scatters awards +2 or +4 extra free spins, respectively.

Densho Super Free Spins

The Super version of the bonus round triggers when you land 4 triggering scatters in the base game, instead of just 3. This gives you 10 super free spins, and the only difference from the regular bonus round is that each progression meter starts with 2 dots active. This means that only the two top-tier Densho symbols will appear. Upgrading a meter with 3 active dots gives you only the Legendary Densho symbol wild multiplier values.

Densho Bonus Buy (not UK)

Eligible players can take advantage of the Bonus Buy menu in Hacksaws’s Densho Slot. It comes with 4 options as follows:

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins (high volatility and top-tier 96.35 % RTP) - pay 3x the stake to be 5x more likely to trigger a Free Spins Round.
• Densho FeatureSpins (very high volatility and top-tier 96.34 % RTP) - pay 50x the stake to be guaranteed 2+ Densho symbols per spin.
• Free Spins (very high volatility and top-tier RTP of 96.37 %) - pay 100x the stake to get the regular bonus round.
• Super Free Spins (very high volatility and top-tier RTP of 96.33 %) - pay 250x the stake to get the super bonus round.

The 200 Spins Densho Online Slot Experience

You get to enjoy some of the superb artwork in the base game, before we purchase the super bonus round at 0:36 into the 2:16-minute highlights video.

The feature plays out for the remainder of the video, and you can see for yourself how we fared by hitting the play button below.

Review Summary And Verdict

We didn’t know whether to play this game or hang it on the wall, to be honest, which is a dilemma you don’t encounter too often in the world of online slots. The artwork in Densho is so exquisite that we kept losing ourselves in the shifting aquarelle backdrops to such a degree that we completely forgot about the spinning reels. Factor in the classical Japanese soundtrack, and you’ve got yourself a mesmerizing aesthetic experience that’s like nothing we’ve ever played. Shifting backdrops is a concept that could be utilized more often in general. Just saying.

Only MonkeyPop from AvatarUX comes close, but then again, not really. Once you’ve regained your breath, however, you will find that Densho slot is a rather typical Hacksaw release feature-wise. It’s all about expanding multiplier wilds in the base game, and upgrading the multiplier levels in the bonus rounds.

The 10,000x potential is classic Hacksaw as well, and it comes with a decent 1 in 12m hit rate. Densho is a tad less brutal than many other Hacksaw games, however, and it’s definitely a meditative experience that will calm your mind after a busy day.

Pros And Cons Of Densho Online Slot

Pros

• Exquisite Japanese-style watercolor artwork
• Expanding multiplier wilds up to x100
• FS w/ multiplier wild level upgrades
• Super FS start each reel at multiplier level 2
• Win up to 10,000x (hit rate of 1 in 12m)

Cons

• Beware of adjustable RTP ranges
• The shifting artwork can be distracting

How To Play Densho At An Online Casino

We can conclude that Densho is a must try slot for the artwork experience alone, and you might wanna get over the initial “visual shock” by playing the free demo before things get real. You don’t want to be too distracted when playing Densho for real money after all, and if you feel ready for that you can follow these simple steps:

• Click this link to get to our confirmed Densho casino list.
• Sign up with your chosen casino and deposit money to claim your bonus.
• Find the casino slot lobby and search for “Densho”.

Similar Slots To Try

If you love Densho game, you should also check:

MonkeyPop - comes with a somewhat similar watercolor art presentation, but aesthetically this AvatarUX release is not quite in the same league as the game at hand. PopWins expand the grid, and you get a scatter collect multiplier upgrade system in the free spins round. The max win is 10,744x your stake.

Ronin StackWays - is a less “serious” samurai slot from Hacksaw, and it comes with animal warriors on the 5x4 grid. Revealing StackWay symbols can stack up to 10 symbols in a position, so up to 100,000 ways to win are possible. You get more of the same in both bonus round tiers, and the max win is 5,000x your stake.

Ronin’s Honour - is another Samurai slot that delivers an aesthetic experience outside of the ordinary, and this Play’n Go release revolves around a female warrior and her nemesis, the evil Hannya. You get full-reel wilds here as well, and you get a climactic final free spin if Hannya is defeated in the bonus round.

Play The Game On Your Mobile

You can easily play the Densho slot on your mobile device, as it is compatible with all portable devices. The casinos we recommend offer mobile play through your preferred browser, so you can enjoy playing on the go using your Android or iOS device. This means that you don't need to install any mobile app, although this is sometimes possible if you wish.

Strategy And Tips For Winning

Part of your overall Densho Slot strategy should be to ensure that you play the highest RTP version of the game. You can ask customer service at your chosen casino if you are unsure. Other than that, beware that this is a volatile game, and play the free demo version first to find a bet level that can keep you afloat between bonus rounds.

Densho Demo Version And Free Play

We recommend that you play the free Densho Slot demo found at the top of this review page, before going for real money play. You want to get a feel for how often the Densho free spins round triggers, for example, and what bet level will be sustainable for your specific budget and bankroll.

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