Le Viking Review: Smokey Returns With Axes, Attitude, and Norse Chaos
Review setup
| Mobile Device | iPhone 14 Pro + Safari (v17) |
| Desktop Browser | MacBook Pro + Chrome (v131.0.6778.140) |
| Play Time on Mobile | 80 Minutes |
| Play Time on Desktop | 60 Minutes |
| Amount Bet | $80 |
| Final Result | Won $32 |
Le Viking storms in with the full force of Norse mythology, and given Hacksaw Gaming’s track record, I figured there was plenty beneath the surface to explore.
What I found is a slot where the hand-drawn visuals have been perfectly executed, accompanied by a clean layout and a few fun animations from Smokey the raccoon himself. He’s finally back on solid ground after who knows how long at sea.
However, I think it’s how the multipliers, Clovers, and Magic Cauldrons build and play off each other that truly takes this from just a regular slot to something dynamic. Plus, there are four different Free Spins modes (Berserk, Valkyrie, Ragnarök, and Journey to Valhalla), grid multipliers, and a re-spin round, too. Should you land the right combo, you could be looking at a 10,000x win.
But of course, that’s just scratching the surface of my thoughts on Le Viking. Read more in my full review below.
First impressions with Le Viking
Le Viking threw me right into an animated Viking world that leans more fun than fierce, at least during the base game, aka the calm before the storm. Hacksaw Gaming went with a cartoonish and lighthearted style, from the inviting village backdrop to Smokey the raccoon rocking a horned helmet and looking ready for battle. However, despite everything that’s going on, the reels maintained a spacious layout, whether I was playing on desktop or mobile.
The features, though, are where things take a turn. Instead of the standard sticky wilds or basic multipliers, the game throws in Clovers, Magic Cauldrons, and Grid Multipliers that stack. And when free spins land, the whole scene shifts. You’re suddenly on a Viking ship in the middle of a raging sea. Waves crash, lightning flashes, and the sky goes entirely dark. The intensity goes through the roof.
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Visuals and presentation: 4.4/5
Le Viking’s layout is precisely what I’d expect from a Hacksaw Gaming slot. The menus are very simple to navigate, with the reels positioned front and center. From the burger icon, you get access to the paytable, turbo mode, and sound settings. On the other side you’ll find the bet menu and the spin button.
Every inch of the screen is packed with visuals, but nothing feels crammed since everything has been laid out so well. The quality is sharp all around, from the symbols covering the reels—standard card ranks from 10 to A in a Viking-style font, plus icons like a bow, Viking helmet, axe, sword, and war hammer—to the backdrop that looks like a hand-drawn Viking village by the sea.
Pulling the whole Norse theme together is the longship with a dragon-headed prow docked by the shore, thatched-roof huts, and mountains stretching across the horizon. There’s even a little campfire set up.
Right next to the reels, you’ve got Smokey the raccoon rocking a horned helmet, a wild orange beard, and a wooden shield. This is his third time showing up in Hacksaw’s ‘Le’ series. Before setting sail for the Viking age, he tore through Le Bandit and Le Pharaoh.
The colors in this online slot are deep and well-matched, leaning more toward darker, muted shades instead of anything too bright. Therefore, you’ve got rich blues for the sky and water, earthy browns and warm beiges for the village and the ship, with a mix of faded greens and gray mountains in the distance.
The role of sound: 3.9/5
The background music of Le Viking has a Nordic-inspired feel, and while it sets the mood, the rhythm stays a little too steady for my taste. What helps break that up is the thud of the reels landing, along with the clinking coins and Smokey’s grunts and reactions. I love that every time you’re one FS scatter away from the bonus round and miss, he’s got something to say about it.
The tempo really picks up during free spins, which I’m all for. It makes everything feel way more intense compared to the base game and adds that extra bit of energy you’d be craving.
The most fun aspect of the soundtrack is the raccoon speaking French. If you have played any of Hacksaw’s “Le” series before, you are already familiar with Smokey. In this slot, he has new Viking paraphernalia but the same attitude. One minute, he’s swinging an axe. The next, he’s throwing out “zut alors” like he just scorched a baguette.
Gameplay journey: 4.5/5
Hacksaw Gaming sets the Le Viking slot game on a 6×5 grid with 15,625 paylines. To win, you’ll need at least three matching symbols on consecutive reels, starting from the left, while betting anywhere from $0.10 to $100. I mostly kept it at $0.60, which struck a good balance between staying in the game and not making it feel like I was just spinning for pocket change. The max win’s sitting at 10,000x your stake, and you’ve got a shot at hitting it in any game mode, Raid Spins included.
I let autoplay do the work most of the time. You can set it for 10 to 1,000 rounds, but stopping always remains an option. Otherwise, it keeps spinning until your balance starts showing warning signs. If you’re on a keyboard, tapping Space gets the reels going, and holding it down flips the switch to Turbo Spin.
The lower-paying wins come from the usual card ranks, paying anywhere from 0.10x to 0.70x for six in a row. And while that’s not exactly the kind of loot a Viking would brag about, the treasure is in the high-paying symbols pulled straight from Norse mythology, starting at 0.30x for the lower-tier matches and climbing up to 3x your bet if you manage to line up six hammers.
With Raid Spins, multiple free spins rounds, and the grand Journey to Valhalla, there’s a lot happening here, especially compared to previous games featuring Smokey. It’s got more to sink into and isn’t the quickest to trigger, but that just makes the extra layers even more rewarding.
Bonus features through my eyes: 4.7/5
Le Viking has got six bonus features. Here’s how they can tip the odds in your favor.
| Feature | Description | Impact on Gameplay |
|---|---|---|
| Raid Spins Respin Mode | Triggered by landing 6 Coins in the base game or buying the bonus. It starts with 3 lives and only includes skull symbols (no effect/winning) and symbols that correlate to prizes: coins, diamonds, clovers, all of which become sticky for the entire round. Each spin consumes 1 life, but landing any special symbol (e.g. a non-skull) resets lives back to full. If you spin 3 times in a row without landing one, the feature ends. | At the end, all Coins and Diamonds reveal random cash values based on your bet: Bronze Coins = 0.2x to 4x Silver Coins = 5x to 20x Gold Coins = 25x to 100x Diamonds = 150x to 500x Once all values are revealed, Clover symbols activate, with Green Clovers multiplying adjacent Coins and Diamonds by up to 20x, while Gold Clovers multiply the entire grid, also by as much as 20x. |
| Berserk Free Spins | Triggered by landing 3 FS (Free Spin) scatter symbols in the base game or buying the bonus. It starts with 3 refilling lives and includes only Coins, Diamonds, Clovers, Magic Cauldrons, Hearts, and dead symbols. The positions where the triggering scatters landed become sticky x2 Grid Multipliers for the entire bonus round. Also, Coins, Diamonds, and Clovers remain locked on the grid unless collected by a Magic Cauldron. When the latter lands, it activates all Grid Multipliers and Clover symbols and applies their multipliers to any Coins, Diamonds, or previous Magic Cauldrons within their range. | Clover symbols work just like they do in Raid Spins, applying multipliers to adjacent Coins, Diamonds, and Magic Cauldrons. Grid Multipliers boost any Coin or Diamond in their corresponding position. Every spin consumes 1 life, but landing anything except a dead spin resets lives back to max. Heart symbols increase the max lives by 1, up to a total of 5. At the end of the feature, all Coins and Diamonds reveal their cash values, and Clover and Grid Multipliers activate to multiply payouts before everything is added together for the final win. |
| Valkyrie Free Spins | Activated by landing 4 FS scatter symbols in the base game. It starts with 3 refilling lives. | This bonus round plays similarly to Berserk Free Spins. However, you get 4 Grid Multipliers starting with a coefficient of 3x. |
| Ragnarök Free Spins | Triggered by landing 5 FS scatter symbols in the base game or buying the bonus. This bonus round starts with 3 refilling lives. | It follows the same mechanics as Berserk and Valkyrie Free Spins. However, instead of x2 or x3 Grid Multipliers, you start with 5 x5 Grid Multipliers, one placed randomly for each triggering scatter. |
| Journey to Valhalla Free Spins | Activated by landing 6 FS scatter symbols in the base game. | This is the most powerful bonus round. It follows the same mechanics as Berserk, Valkyrie, and Ragnarök Free Spins, but starts with 6 x10 Grid Multipliers, one placed for each triggering scatter. Additionally, Bronze and Silver Coins do not appear, meaning only high-value Gold Coins and Diamonds can land. |
| Bonus Buy | You can purchase bonus rounds or increased odds directly from the main game using the ‘Buy Bonus’ button. | Each Bonus Buy option has a different cost and RTP: Bonushunt FeatureSpins™ = 3x (96.35%) - Each spin is 5x more likely to trigger a bonus Raider FeatureSpins™ = 30x (96.27%) - You go straight into Raid Spins with 3 refilling lives and sticky Coins, but no FS symbols. Berserk Free Spins = 100x (96.29%) - You start with 3 lives and 3 x2 Grid Multiplier. Ragnarök Free Spins = 200x (96.29%) - Getting 3 lives and 5 Grid Multipliers at x5 mean much bigger potential payouts, but it’s a high-risk bet. |
Balancing risk and reward: 4/5
Le Viking’s RTP sits at 96.32%, which is a bit above the average for online real money slots. And considering that figure comes from running 10 billion test spins, it’s about as accurate as it gets.
As for volatility, the base game is at medium, meaning you might not be getting wins with every spin, but at the same time, you won’t experience an endless drought of nothing. In fact, I would often hit a few small wins back-to-back but just as easily went through a dozen dead spins before landing anything decent.
However, the bonus buy options are a different story. The Raider FeatureSpins™ keeps that same medium-risk gameplay, but everything else is at high volatility. So, expect a wild ride, especially if you buy into the Bonushunt FeatureSpins™. Either you’ll claim a game-changing win or wonder why you just burned through your balance in record time.
The good and bad of Le Viking
- Journey to Valhalla Free Spins keeps only Gold and Diamonds.
- Autoplay includes win/loss limits and a stop-on-special-feature-win option.
- The Viking theme is well executed, with a hand-drawn art style.
- The stakes range is very flexible and accessible for both casual and high-stakes players.
- Raid Spins mode keeps all landed Coins, Diamonds, and Clovers sticky, which allows for higher collected values.
- The RTP rate of 96.32% is above average.
- Magic Cauldrons can only collect special symbols once.
- Base game wins are mostly low, with card ranks paying between 0.10x and 0.70x for six-of-a-kind, making progress slow if you don't hit a feature.
- The game features no persistent or progressive mechanics.
Final thoughts on Le Viking
With a Hacksaw Gaming slot, I naturally expect tight mechanics, visuals that pull you in, and features built to actually give you a real shot at something big. Le Viking swings an axe right through all of it.
There’s always something lined up between Raid Spins, Berserk Free Spins, and the heavy hitters like Ragnarök and Journey to Valhalla Free Spins. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, Grid Multipliers start stacking up, Clovers kick in to supercharge payouts, and suddenly, you’re sitting on a win you didn’t see coming.
I loved the overall presentation, too, with hand-drawn Viking-themed graphics and well-designed symbols. However, while I appreciated the sound design in terms of effects and reactions from Smokey, it does start to loop after a while and becomes especially noticeable over longer sessions.
Would I come back to it? No question. Sure, the base game can sometimes feel a little slow, but that’s the trade-off with medium volatility slots. And with a max win potential of 10,000x your bet, the chance for a high-value payout is always in play, even if it doesn’t come around often.
Final Score: 4.3/5
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