Buried by Night

Buried by Night is an online slot developed by Hacksaw Gaming. The game will suit players drawn to Western-inspired settings. Behind that theme sits a set of distinctive features, each built to give players more ways to win and open up the potential for more rewarding, entertaining sessions.

Gameplay Features and Bonuses

Buried by Night plays on a 5×4 grid with 14 paylines. The RTP sits at 96.32%, volatility is classified as high, and the maximum win potential reaches 15,000x the total bet.

DuelRows: VS symbols are confined to reels 2, 3 and 4. Once 1 lands, it stretches horizontally along its row and converts into a DuelRow if the expansion forms part of a winning combination. An expanded DuelRow counts as a Wild row and substitutes for every symbol in the paytable. How far the expansion reaches depends on where the VS symbol landed:

• Reel 2: covers reels 1 to 3
• Reel 3: covers reels 1 to 5
• Reel 4: covers reels 3 to 5

DuelRows cannot expand over one another.

The Duel: Expansion sets off a duel between two duelists, each assigned a multiplier on that DuelRow. The surviving duelist's multiplier is applied across the whole row and to every win connected to it. Where more than 1 DuelRow contributes to the same winning combination, their multipliers are added together before being applied.

The available multiplier values are 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 50x, and 100x.

Trigger Warning: Landing 3 FS Scatters together during base play awards 10 Free Spins. The round runs on base game mechanics with one adjustment: VS symbols land more often. Additional FS symbols landing together extend the round, with 2 awarding +2 Free Spins and 3 awarding +4.

Shoot to Kill: Landing 4 FS Scatters landing together awards 8 Free Spins. Base game mechanics stay in place, and a progressive DuelSpin Bar appears outside the grid. Every FS symbol that lands fills the bar by one step, and 3 filled steps move it up a Tier. Each Tier awards a DuelSpin with a different guaranteed package:

• Tier 1: At least 1 VS symbol, 3 Nudges and 2 Free Spins
• Tier 2: At least 2 VS symbols, 4 Nudges and 2 Free Spins
• Tier 3: At least 3 VS symbols, 5 Nudges and 2 Free Spins
• Tier 4: At least 4 VS symbols, 6 Nudges and 2 Free Spins

A Nudge moves every reel down by 1 row simultaneously, with any wins paid out after each Nudge before the next one takes place. DuelSpins are awarded immediately after the Free Spin that unlocked them and do not count against the Free Spin total. Where more than 1 is awarded on the same spin, they run in sequence before the next Free Spin begins.

Six Feet Under: Landing 3 Hot 100 Scatters together awards a single Free Spin. During that 1 spin, Nudges keep triggering continuously until 100 wins have been awarded, counted on the Hot 100 Meter outside the grid. Once the meter reaches 100, no further Nudges trigger. FS symbols cannot land in this bonus.

Bonus Buy: Four options are available, all at very high volatility:

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins: Makes each spin 3x more likely to trigger a bonus game for 2x the bet.
• Fast Hands FeatureSpins: Guarantees at least 1 VS symbol on every spin for 60x the bet.
• Trigger Warning: Direct feature access for 80x the bet.
• Shoot to Kill: Direct feature access for 200x the bet.

Design and Soundtrack

A canyon at sunset forms the backdrop, with the sky running through dark red, orange and yellow and cacti scattered across the ground. In addition, a cowboy character stands beside the grid and adds movement to the scene. On the reels, clubs, diamonds, spades and hearts appear carved into wood, joined by wooden wheels, bull skulls, cowboy hats, pistols and sheriff badges. A soundtrack runs underneath and complements the setting.

Players after something comparable in look and gameplay can turn to Death by Noon and Wanted Salvation, two other Hacksaw Gaming releases.

The Bottom Line

DuelRows define Buried by Night, expanding across up to 5 reels as Wild rows and running a duel between 2 multipliers, with the survivor applied to every win on that row. Several DuelRows in one combination add their multipliers together, reaching as high as 100x each. Three bonus rounds sit behind separate scatter triggers, including a DuelSpin Bar that awards Nudges and VS symbols by Tier, and a single-spin round that nudges until 100 wins land.