Return to player
96.26%
Min bet size
0.10
Game type
Video Slots
Variance
High
Reels
5
Progressive Jackpot
No
Popularity
Max bet size
50
Game provider
Hacksaw Gaming
Bonus Features
Yes
Paylines
14
Theme
Greek Mythology
Army of Ares online slot game
With Army of Ares Hacksaw Gaming has once again brought us an intense, gritty, feature-packed, chaotic experience. The game transported us into the brutal and destructive heart of ancient warfare in a theme aptly revolving around the mythical Greek god of war. The design is rendered in a powerful action comic book style and perfectly captures the sublime atmosphere of an ancient battle.
Army of Ares Theme, Gameplay, and Action-Comic Design Explained
Army of Ares has 4 rows and 5 reels and offers players 14 paylines. You can get wins when you match 3 to 5 symbols starting from the leftmost reel on an active payline.
The game has low- and high-paying symbols. Low-paying symbols include steel playing card emblems, which can give you a 1x win if you land 5-of-a-kind.
The high-paying symbols are thematic icons and include a shield, a battleaxe, a sword, a horse, and Ares himself. These symbols award between 4x and 10x if you land 5-of-a-kind on the grid. Wild symbols substitute for regular symbols and pay 10x the bet for a 5-of-a-kind hit.
*The symbol payout chart shown below is calculated based on a $1.00 bet.
| Symbol | 5 Matches | 4 Matches | 3 Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 10x | 5x | 2.5x |
 | 10x | - | - |
 | 8x | 4x | 2x |
 | 6x | 3x | 1.5x |
 | 5x | 2.5x | 1.2x |
 | 4x | 2x | 1x |
 | 1x | 0.5x | 0.2x |
 | 1x | 0.5x | 0.2x |
 | 1x | 0.5x | 0.2x |
 | 1x | 0.5x | 0.2x |
 | 1x | 0.5x | 0.2x |
We found the visuals of the game, dominated by red and grey hues, signifying the omnipresent fire and smoke ravaging the combat zone, to be thematically rich and captivating. To the right of the grid, we can see Ares himself, a towering, muscular man with a piercing red gaze, ready to lead his battalion of fighters, who stand ready in iconic Greek armor on the left.
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Key Features of Army of Ares: Wild Wrath Reels & Multipliers
The core intensity in the base game hinges on Hacksaw Gaming's recognizable expanding and multiplying mechanics.
Wrath Reels Feature
The slot’s Wrath Reels feature is the primary way to break up long stretches of regular spins with an occasional flood of Wilds.
- Trigger: Landing the Wrath Scatter (a red icon showing a dagger with wings).
- Action: The scatter expands to become a full Wild Wrath Reel, substituting for other symbols.
- Multipliers: Once expanded, the Wild Wrath Reel can carry a multiplier ranging from 2x up to a colossal 300x.
- Addition: If more than one Wild Wrath Reel contributes to a single payline win, their multipliers are added together before being applied.
- Single Wilds: After expansion, the Wrath Reel may also generate 0–5 single Wild symbols in random positions on the grid.
Progressive Bonus Games: Fear and Flame, Wrath and Ruin, and Ares Ascends
The path to the 15,000x max win lies in accessing one of the three progressive bonus rounds.
Fear and Flame Bonus (10 Free Spins)
This is triggered by landing 3 FS Scatters. This round maintains the base game mechanics, but the single Wild symbols generated by the Wrath Reel land with a significant multiplier ranging from 2x up to 100x. Multiplier values are added if multiple Wild Multipliers and Wrath Reels are part of the same win.
Wrath and Ruin Bonus (3 Refilling Lives)
Triggered by landing 4 FS Scatters. This feature abandons regular symbols for a "hold-and-respin" style mechanic, reminiscent of Chaos Crew.
Reel Multipliers: Each reel begins with an x1 multiplier that increases throughout the round.
Lives: The round starts with 3 lives, which refill back to 3 whenever a Disc Multiplier or Battle Horse lands.
Disc Multipliers: Green Discs add their value (1x-100x) to the reel they land on, while Epic Green Discs add the value to all reels. Red Discs multiply their respective reel (x2-x10), and Epic Red Discs multiply all reels.
Battle Horse: This unique symbol is collected and activated at the end of the round, multiplying its corresponding reel's total multiplier by values up to x50.
Ares Ascends Hidden Epic Bonus
The ultimate prize is triggered by landing 5 FS Scatters. This round utilizes all the powerful mechanics of the Wrath and Ruin bonus, but guarantees a full grid of Disc symbols and one Battle Horse on the very first spin, significantly boosting the potential reward right from the start.
Maximize Your Conquest: Feature Buy Strategy for Army of Ares
When we tested the free-play version of the Army of Ares slot, we found that strategic use of specific Feature Buy options gave us a higher chance of getting proportional or big wins.
Bonushunt Featurespins (3x): While testing the game we observed that this lower-end option for Featurespins gave us modest wins proportional to our bet size early in the game. The key is to use it early and not for too long. Being a low-cost feature buy, it is more accessible to high-risk as well as risk-averse players.
Wrath and Ruin Bonus (200x): For serious players pursuing the maximum rewards, buying the most costly Bonus option is very high-risk. But it also increases your probability of very big wins compared to the base game. For instance, in our test rounds with the demo-version, we were once able to win up to 1900x our base bet. Its high cost and volatility make his feature an attractive choice for thrill-seeking high rollers.
Best Army of Ares Alternatives: Top Slots to Try
For players who enjoy Hacksaw Gaming's signature expanding, multiplying, and cash-collecting toolset, but want a different theme:
- Spear of Athena: Another Hacksaw Gaming title set in war-ravaged Ancient Greece, offering a similar 15,000x max win and featuring the Goddess Respin and Fortune Reveals mechanics.
- Chaos Crew 3: If you prefer the Wrath and Ruin style (additive/multiplying symbols on reels), but without the mythology theme, this slot would be a great choice. The game offers a win potential of up to 30,000x.
- Gates of Olympus 1000: This is a high-volatility slot, also with a Greek mythology theme, this time from Pragmatic Play. It offers an up to 15,000x max win potential and multiplying features.
Final Verdict: Is the Army of Ares Worth Joining the Fight?
Army of Ares is a fierce and fiery addition to Hacksaw Gaming’s portfolio. While we must blunt expectations for revolutionary mechanics, as the composition is largely built from familiar bits and pieces of Hacksaw's expanding and multiplying toolkit, such as those seen in Chaos Crew and Duel at Dawn, it delivers its payload in a spectacularly intense manner.
The top-notch action comic artwork and the powerful soundtrack pull us into the conflict. The robust features, anchored by the high-potential Wrath Reels (up to 300x) and the addictive Wrath and Ruin bonus, ensure solid gameplay. We conclude that Army of Ares is an excellent choice for players who appreciate Hacksaw’s high-potential engine presented in a spectacular, mythologically intense setting.
James is a casino games expert on the Playcasino.com editorial team. With many years of professional experience at a leading casino game development company and a passion for playing casino games, James has become a true expert in slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and other games.
James uses this expertise to provide reliable, insider advice through his reviews and guides, breaking down the game rules and offering tips to help you win more often. Rely on James's extensive experience for expert advice on your casino play.
