Smokey is back at it again, this time raiding not only our hearts but unsuspecting villages across the North European coasts too, as part of the latest Hacksaw Gaming slot, Le Viking.
Released on 16 January, this slot has made an early bid for one of the best slots of 2025 already. It’s packed with both new and returning features, tweaked its volatility and adjusted its maximum payout, but more on that later. This Le Viking review will take you through the gameplay features, pay table and how to get those coveted slot free spins.
Le Viking slot overview
Le Viking is just what you’d expect from the third instalment of the Le series. It’s charismatic, colorful without being too over-the-top and jam-packed with features to boot. Whether you’re a fan of Le Bandit and Le Pharaoh, or whether you’ve been waiting for a Le game that’s more suited to your style, Le Viking is a fantastic jumping-in point.
The symbols are just what Smokey the Raccoon needs to raid those villages, and they tie in the themes of the game really nicely. The highest-paying symbol is Thor’s Hammer, but you also need to be on the lookout for a Sword, Ace, Helmet and Bow. These are all distinct enough in their design that you won’t get them confused with one another. Although, it seems that the game devs at Hacksaw Gaming know something that we don’t, because they’ve fitted Smokey out with only a wooden sword - Would he get up to too much mischief if he was handed a steel one?
However, it’s in the gameplay features that Le Viking really shines and there are more bonus games here than even the largest longship could feasibly carry across the oceans. There are Raid Spins, Multipliers, Free Spins… But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’ll explain how to get free spins in Le Viking and all of the other bonus games in the Le Viking gameplay feature section later in this guide.
Le Viking slot pay table
If your stake is $1, then the following will pay out:
| Symbols matched | 6x | 5x | 4x | 3x |
| Thor's Hammer | $6 | $4 | $3 | $2 |
| Sword | $4 | $3 | $2 | $1 |
| Axe | $4 | $3 | $2 | $1 |
| Helmet | $3 | $2 | $1 | $0.60 |
| Bow | $3 | $2 | $1 | $0.60 |
| Ace | $1.40 | $1 | $0.40 | $0.20 |
| King | $1.40 | $0.80 | $0.40 | $0.20 |
| Queen | $1.20 | $0.80 | $0.40 | $0.20 |
| Jack | $1.20 | $0.60 | $0.40 | $0.20 |
| 10 | $1 | $0.60 | $0.40 | $0.20 |
Who made the Le Viking slot game?
Le Viking was made by none other than Hacksaw Gaming, a fun and modern slot provider behind some of the biggest slot games in the US and abroad. These include others in the series, such as Le Pharaoh and Le Bandit, but also Donut Division, Duel at Dawn, Wings of Horus and Cloud Princess. If Le Viking caught your curiosity but this list has your attention, then we have a Duel at Dawn review guide available here, which will take you through the gameplay features and how to get the slot free spins at this title.
Hacksaw Gaming was founded in 2018 and has since grown from a rookie studio into one of the biggest in the industry. The studio hasn’t stopped with slot games either, but also offer instant games such as scratch cards.
Hacksaw Gaming debuted in US online casinos in 2023 with Rush Street Interactive and its brand, BetRivers. Since then, Hacksaw Gaming is available in New Jersey, West Virginia and other states. If you’re looking where to play Hacksaw Gaming slots in the US, try BetRivers, Caesars, Borgata, BetMGM or others.
Pros and Cons of Le Viking
+ The game offers 15,625 different ways to win
+ Plenty of features, such as Raid Spins, Berserk Free Spins and Journey to Valhalla
+ A nice medium volatility will appeal to more players
- Only 10,000x max win when compared to 15,000x in Le Pharaoh (but this is offset by a low volatility which should provide a higher win frequency)
- It’s becoming difficult to ignore the Le series of games if they’re not to your liking
Le Viking slot table
RTP | 94.31% (RTP ranges) |
Volatility | Medium |
Reels | 6 |
Rows | 5 |
Paylines | 15,625 |
Studio | Hacksaw Gaming |
Theme | Viking |
Free Spins | Yes |
Bonus games | Yes |
Min bet | $0.10 |
Max bet | $100 |
Max win | 10,000x |
Le Viking slot features
Raid Spins Respins: Along with the paying symbols, there’s also four tiers of Coins which can land on the reels. If 6 of these land at once, they’ll you’ll enter the Raid Spins mini-game. During this, you have 3 refilling lives and the only symbols will be dead symbols, Coins, Diamonds and Clover symbols. All of the Coins, Diamond and Clovers are sticky and each time you land a new one, your lives will be refilled back to 3.
Once your lives are up, each sticky symbol on the board will reveal a multiplier that’ll be applied to your initial bet. These will then be added up to reveal your final win!
Berserk Free Spins: If you land 3 Free Spin Scatter symbols, they’ll you’ll trigger Berserk mode. You’ll get sticky multipliers through this game mode, which then acts in the same way as the Raid Spins feature. If you land heart symbols during this mode, you can increase your lives to a maximum of 5.
Valkyrie Free Spins: This will activate if you land 4 Free Spin Scatters. This is the same experience as Berserk Free Spins, but you start with 4 Sticky Multipliers at the start.
Ragnarok Free Spins: This will activate if you land 5 Free Spin Scatters. This is the same experience as Berserk Free Spins, but you start with 5 Sticky Multipliers at the start.
Journey to Valhalla Free Spins: This will activate if you land 6 Free Spin Scatters. This is the same experience as Berserk Free Spins, but you start with 6 Sticky Multipliers at the start. There are also no Bronze or Silver Coins in this mini-game, meaning that you only get the highest-paying symbols as you Journey to Valhalla!
Does the Le Viking slot game offer free spins?
Hacksaw Gaming knows what slot fans want, and it’s free spins in online slot games. Not only does every mini-game revolve around free spins, but the refilling lives feature means that each time certain symbols land on the board, those spins will keep going!
Of course, more slot free spins mean more opportunities for high-paying symbols and winning paylines! There are a total of five bonus games active in Le Viking, and each of them offer free spins.
The only downside to this is a lack of diversity. Not every mini-game has to be centred around free spins as much as they are in Le Viking. We understand that Hacksaw Gaming wanted to keep things simple with this release, but they had such an interesting concept with the Vikings that they could’ve explored a few other avenues than just the same free spin template with increasing amounts of multipliers on the reels.
Le Viking slot conclusion
Le Viking is a great addition to the Le series of popular online slots from Hacksaw Gaming, but there was some untapped potential here. At a glance, the game looks like it’s packed with gameplay features and easy ways to get free spins, but after you’ve played through all of the bonus games, they feel a little same-y.
Just a small bit of variety with the bonus games would’ve gone a long way, whether it was different symbols, playing on the Viking theme a bit harder or introducing a different angle than just ‘free spins’.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with free spins - they’re the most popular online slot feature for a reason! But if Hacksaw Gaming is going to keep developing the Le series, they’re going to have to start introducing different gameplay features or they’re going to feel more like cultural reskins than anything else.
