Buried By Night Demo & Slot Review (Hacksaw Gaming)

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Slot review – Buried By Night

The sun has disappeared beyond the Wild West, but there’s still one final score to settle. A lone gunslinger stands in the dusty desert, ready for a showdown that might just be his last. Buried By Night continues Hacksaw Gaming’s familiar Western adventures, this time with a noticeably darker atmosphere. The comic-style artwork, blood-red skies, and guitar-driven soundtrack create a fantastic setting, while the dramatic gunfights bring plenty of life to the reels. It’s another beautifully presented release from the studio.

The gameplay takes Hacksaw’s familiar DuelReels mechanic and gives it a horizontal twist. VS symbols can expand into entire rows of Wilds, with their multipliers determined through deadly duels between gunslingers. There are also three different bonus features, including progressive DuelSpins, shifting reels, and a particularly unusual bonus that guarantees 100 wins. The maximum payout reaches 15,000x the bet, so there’s certainly plenty of potential. Overall, Buried By Night looks like another excellent addition to Hacksaw’s growing collection of Western-themed slots.

Slot overview – Buried By Night

Buried By Night features 5 reels and 4 rows with 14 fixed paylines. Wins are formed by landing at least three matching symbols on consecutive reels from left to right. Alongside the standard playing card suits, the reels feature revolvers, cowboy hats, sheriff badges, wagon wheels, and buffalo skulls. Regular Wilds substitute for paying symbols, although the main attraction is the VS symbol, which can transform into an entire row of multiplier Wilds.

The highest available RTP is 96.32%, with three lower configurations also available. Volatility is high, while the hit frequency sits at approximately 29.2%, meaning a winning result occurs a little more often than once every three spins on average. Bets range from €0.10 to €50, depending on the casino, and the maximum payout reaches 15,000x the stake. Most of the game’s bigger moments come from DuelRows and their multipliers, particularly during the bonus rounds where these features become more common.

Slot features – Buried By Night

Buried By Night revolves around the DuelRows mechanic, which transforms VS symbols into horizontally expanding Wilds. There are also three different bonus rounds, each adding its own twist to the familiar gunfight formula.

DuelRows

VS symbols can only land on reels 2, 3, and 4. Whenever one expands into a winning combination, it creates a DuelRow made entirely of Wilds.

The number of positions covered depends on where the VS lands:

Reel 2: Expands across reels 1–3.
Reel 3: Expands across all five reels.
Reel 4: Expands across reels 3–5.

Once a DuelRow forms, two gunslingers face off in a dramatic shootout. Both characters carry different multipliers, and the surviving duelist’s multiplier is applied to the entire Wild row. Possible multipliers include 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 50x, and 100x.

The multiplier increases every winning combination involving that DuelRow. If multiple DuelRows contribute to the same win, their multipliers are added together rather than multiplied.

Trigger Warning

Landing three FS Scatters activates the Trigger Warning bonus, awarding 10 free spins. During the feature, VS symbols become more likely to appear, creating additional opportunities for DuelRows and their multipliers.

Extra free spins can also be awarded:

2 FS Scatters: 2 additional free spins
3 FS Scatters: 4 additional free spins

The regular gameplay mechanics remain unchanged, so bigger payouts still depend on landing valuable combinations of DuelRows and multipliers.

Shoot to Kill – DuelSpin Bar

Four FS Scatters trigger the Shoot to Kill bonus, which starts with 8 free spins. This feature introduces the DuelSpin Bar, a progressive meter that fills whenever additional FS Scatters land. Each Scatter advances the meter by one step, with every three steps unlocking the next reward tier.

There are four tiers in total:

Tier 1: 1 Guaranteed VS + 3 Nudges + 2 Extra spins
Tier 2: 2 Guaranteed VS + 4 Nudges + 2 Extra spins
Tier 3: 3 Guaranteed VS + 5 Nudges + 2 Extra spins
Tier 4: 4 Guaranteed VS + 6 Nudges + 2 Extra spins

Each unlocked tier awards a special DuelSpin with the corresponding number of guaranteed VS symbols and Nudges.

A Nudge moves every reel downward by one position, evaluating and awarding any winning combinations before the next movement takes place. DuelSpins activate immediately after being unlocked and don’t reduce the remaining free spins count.

Six Feet Under

The rarest bonus is triggered by landing three Hot 100 Scatters during regular gameplay. Six Feet Under begins with just one free spin, but this is where things get interesting.

Instead of ending after a single spin, the feature repeatedly activates Nudges that move the reels downward and create new winning opportunities. A Hot 100 Meter tracks the number of wins, with the sequence continuing until 100 wins have been awarded. This doesn’t mean 100 free spins or a guaranteed 100x payout. Instead, the bonus keeps processing winning combinations until the meter reaches its target.

It’s a particularly interesting concept, turning what initially looks like a single free spin into a potentially lengthy sequence of payouts.

Feature Buy

Buried By Night offers two special bet modes and two direct bonus purchases:

BonusHunt FeatureSpins costs 2x bet. Makes a bonus three times more likely to trigger.
Fast Hands FeatureSpins costs 60x bet. Guarantees at least one VS symbol on every spin. FS and Hot 100 Scatters cannot appear in this mode.
Trigger Warning costs 80x bet. Instantly triggers the 10 free spins bonus.
Shoot to Kill costs 200x bet. Instantly activates the 8 free spins feature with the DuelSpin Bar.

The Six Feet Under bonus cannot be purchased directly and must be triggered naturally by landing three Hot 100 Scatters.

Our verdict – Buried By Night

Hacksaw Gaming has delivered plenty of great Western-themed slots over the years, but Buried By Night might be one of its best yet. The dark atmosphere, cinematic gunfights, and beautifully detailed artwork make a fantastic first impression. More importantly, the DuelRows mechanic works incredibly well. Watching Wilds expand across entire rows before a dramatic showdown decides their multipliers can turn even an ordinary spin into something genuinely exciting. There’s enough going on in the base game to keep things interesting, too.

The bonuses are where things really take off, though. Shoot to Kill’s progressive DuelSpin Bar adds a satisfying sense of progression, while Six Feet Under’s 100-win mechanic is a particularly creative addition. The biggest downsides are the high volatility and the possibility of waiting quite a while for the rarer features. We’ve also seen plenty of Western themes from Hacksaw before, although this one still manages to feel fresh enough. Overall, Buried By Night is an excellent release with memorable mechanics, great presentation, and plenty of reasons to come back for another showdown.

Our rating 9/10