Hand of Anubis Review
Hacksaw Gaming released Hand of Anubis in April 2022, and it remains one of the more mechanically distinct Egypt-themed slots on the market. The 6x5 cluster-pays grid runs on a cascading engine, but what separates this one from the crowd is the dual Soul Orb Wild system — two separate orb types that build multipliers in fundamentally different ways before either of two distinct bonus rounds fires. That layered structure gives the base game genuine tension, not just spin-and-wait pacing.
The verified RTP sits at 94.32% in its operator-adjusted form, though the full-fat version reaches 96.24% — a gap wide enough to matter over volume. Volatility is rated maximum by Hacksaw themselves, and the 10,000x ceiling reflects that. With a hit frequency of 36%, roughly one in three spins produces something, but the real weight is concentrated in the bonus rounds. Bets run from $0.10 to $100, and a Bonus Buy option is available outside the UK. This is a slot that rewards patience and punishes short sessions.
RTP, Volatility, and What the Numbers Actually Mean
The headline RTP for Hand of Anubis is 94.32%, which is the figure most players will encounter at the majority of online casinos. That number sits noticeably below the studio's own full-RTP version of 96.24% — a spread of nearly two full percentage points. Hacksaw also offers operator configurations at 92.28% and 88.41%, so checking the paytable before committing real money is not optional here.
For context, Hacksaw's own Wanted Dead or a Wild runs at 96.38% in its standard configuration, making Hand of Anubis one of the lower-RTP titles in the studio's catalogue despite sharing the same 10,000x max win cap. The 10,000x ceiling is common across Hacksaw releases — Chaos Crew and Warrior Ways both share it — but the path to that ceiling here runs through the Underworld bonus's compounding column multipliers, which theoretically can each reach 9,999x before the overall cap applies.
Volatility is rated 5 out of 5 on Hacksaw's internal scale. With a 36% hit frequency, the base game lands a result on just over one in three spins, but most of those are minor cluster wins. The math model is built around infrequent, large bonus-round payouts rather than steady base-game returns. Players running short sessions at the 94.32% RTP configuration are operating at a meaningful structural disadvantage.
How Hand of Anubis Plays: Grid, Clusters, and Cascades
Hand of Anubis runs on a 6-reel, 5-row grid using a cluster-pays mechanic. A win requires five or more matching symbols connected horizontally or vertically anywhere on the grid. The five premium symbols pay between 20x and 60x stake for clusters of 11 or more — meaningful numbers that can stack quickly once cascades start chaining.
The Avalanche mechanic removes winning symbols after each cluster win, allowing remaining and new symbols to drop into the vacated positions. Each cascade in a sequence creates the opportunity for additional wins and, critically, additional Soul Orb multiplier increments. A strong cascading sequence in the base game can generate substantial returns without triggering either bonus round, as demonstrated by a documented base-game hit of 4,923.8x from a single spin sequence in June 2023.
The bet range of $0.10 to $100 per spin covers most player types. The cluster-pays format means there are no fixed paylines to track — any qualifying grouping of symbols anywhere on the grid counts. This keeps the visual read of the grid relatively clean, though understanding the Soul Orb interactions adds a layer of complexity that new players should spend time with in demo mode before betting real money.
Soul Orb Wilds: The Mechanic That Defines the Base Game
The dual Soul Orb system is the core differentiator in Hand of Anubis. Two orb types — Red and Blue — function as Wilds that substitute into winning clusters, but each builds its multiplier through a distinct mechanism. The Red Orb increments its multiplier by +1 for every symbol included in each winning cluster it contributes to. The Blue Orb increments by +1 per winning cluster it participates in, regardless of cluster size.
When both orbs are active in the same winning cluster simultaneously, their individual multiplier values multiply each other rather than add. A Red Orb sitting at 4x and a Blue Orb at 3x in the same cluster produces a 12x multiplier on that win — not 7x. This multiplicative interaction is what makes base-game cascades capable of generating outsized results without a bonus trigger.
The practical implication is that landing both orb types in the same spin is the event to watch for in the base game. A single cascading sequence that keeps both orbs active across multiple drops can escalate from a modest win to something significant in a few steps. This is not a theoretical edge case — it is the intended core loop of the base game, and it gives Hand of Anubis more moment-to-moment engagement than a standard cascade slot.
Underworld Bonus and Judgment: Two Different Bonus Architectures
Hand of Anubis offers two distinct bonus rounds, each triggered by landing scatter symbols within the same cascading sequence. Three scatters in one sequence award the Underworld Bonus — 10 free spins with a column-multiplier system below the grid. Five multiplier positions start at zero and accumulate based on the number of symbols in each winning cluster. Anubis Skull symbols can multiply a column's value by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 10x. Critically, these column multipliers remain inactive until a green Soul Orb lands and activates the corresponding column. Each activation also awards three additional free spins. Active multipliers sum together and apply to all wins, with each individual multiplier capped at 9,999x.
The Judgment bonus requires four scatters in a single cascading sequence and operates as a hold-and-win format. Starting with three respins, only blank or special tiles drop during the feature. Each column carries a bet multiplier displayed above it, and four special symbol types increment these values. The Judgment round carries a bonus-buy price of 200x stake versus 129x for the Underworld — a higher entry cost that reflects a better average return, though the Underworld is the more likely route to the 10,000x ceiling given its uncapped multiplier compounding potential.
Neither bonus is easy to reach organically. The scatter requirement within a single cascading sequence, rather than across multiple spins, makes both features feel earned when they do arrive. The Bonus Buy option (unavailable in the UK and some other jurisdictions) costs 129x for Underworld at 96.29% RTP or 200x for Judgment at 96.18% RTP — both RTP figures notably higher than the standard 94.32% configuration, which is worth factoring into the decision.
Spindex Live Data: 53K Tracked Bets and a Near-Perfect Max Win
Across Spindex's five crypto-casino tracking sources, Hand of Anubis logged 53,000 bets over the past 30 days — a solid volume figure that places it in the active tier of Hacksaw titles on our network. The slot is currently trending normal, meaning no unusual volatility spike or suppressed hit rate relative to its baseline.
The standout data point is the top recent hit: 10,074x. That figure is essentially at the theoretical 10,000x maximum, confirming the ceiling is reachable under real-money conditions and not just a marketing number. For reference, a $10 bet at that multiplier returns $100,740 — the kind of result that drives search volume and keeps a two-year-old release in active rotation.
At 53K bets in 30 days, Hand of Anubis is not the highest-volume Hacksaw title on our network, but it maintains a consistent audience. The near-max hit at 10,074x is the kind of outlier event that typically produces a short-term volume bump as players chase the signal. Given the current normal trend, that spike has not yet materialized — or has already passed.
Bonus Buy: Costs, RTPs, and Whether It's Worth It
The Bonus Buy feature in Hand of Anubis is available to players outside the UK and other restricted jurisdictions. Two purchases are on offer: the Underworld Bonus Round at 129x stake and the Judgment feature at 200x stake. The RTP figures attached to each purchase — 96.29% for Underworld and 96.18% for Judgment — are both materially higher than the standard game's 94.32% configuration, which makes the Bonus Buy a mathematically better entry point for players in jurisdictions where it is permitted.
The Underworld buy at 129x is the cheaper option and delivers the higher RTP of the two. It also represents the more volatile path — column multipliers can compound dramatically if the green Soul Orb activates multiple columns across the 10 free spins. The Judgment buy at 200x costs more and returns a slightly lower RTP, but the hold-and-win structure tends to produce more consistent mid-range returns rather than the extreme variance of the Underworld.
For players specifically targeting the 10,000x ceiling, the Underworld buy is the logical route. For players who want the bonus experience with less swing, Judgment at 200x is the more predictable option — though 'predictable' is relative on a maximum-volatility title. Neither option is available in the UK, where bonus buy mechanics are prohibited under UKGC regulations.
Who Should Play Hand of Anubis
Hand of Anubis is built for players who are comfortable with extended dry spells in exchange for large, infrequent payouts. The maximum volatility rating, 94.32% base RTP, and bonus-trigger structure that requires scatters within a single cascading sequence all point to a slot that demands a larger bankroll buffer than a medium-variance title.
Players who enjoy mechanical depth will find the dual Soul Orb system and the two structurally different bonus rounds genuinely interesting. This is not a slot where you can play passively — understanding which orb is active, how multipliers are accumulating, and which bonus is closer to triggering affects how you interpret each spin.
Casual players running small budgets or short sessions are likely to find the 94.32% RTP configuration and high variance a difficult combination. The 36% hit frequency means the base game is not completely barren, but the majority of meaningful returns are concentrated in the bonus rounds. Players who want more frequent bonus access without the organic trigger variance should weigh the Bonus Buy option seriously if it is available in their jurisdiction.
Final Verdict
Hand of Anubis is one of Hacksaw Gaming's more mechanically sophisticated releases. The dual Soul Orb Wild system creates genuine base-game tension, and the decision to build two structurally distinct bonus rounds — rather than variations on the same free-spins template — gives the slot replay value that many cluster-pays titles lack.
The 94.32% RTP at most casinos is the primary concern. It is a real cost, and players should verify which RTP version their casino runs before depositing. The 10,000x max win is confirmed reachable — Spindex tracked a 10,074x hit in the past 30 days — but the path there is genuinely volatile. The Underworld bonus's compounding column multipliers are the most likely mechanism for a ceiling-level result, and the Bonus Buy at 129x (where available) offers a higher RTP entry point than the standard game.
The Egyptian theme is executed in a darker register than most genre entries, which is a minor but real differentiator. The mechanics carry the weight here, not the setting. For high-variance players with adequate bankroll depth, Hand of Anubis delivers a well-constructed, data-backed case for a spot in the regular rotation.
- +Dual Soul Orb Wild system with multiplicative interaction creates meaningful base-game variance
- +Two structurally distinct bonus rounds (Underworld free spins and Judgment hold-and-win)
- +10,000x max win confirmed reachable — 10,074x recorded on Spindex in the last 30 days
- +Bonus Buy RTP (96.29% Underworld / 96.18% Judgment) significantly higher than standard 94.32%
- +Wide bet range: $0.10 to $100 per spin
- +Each Underworld column multiplier can reach 9,999x individually
- -Standard RTP of 94.32% is below the Hacksaw studio average and well below the full 96.24% version
- -Maximum volatility rating makes short sessions high-risk
- -Bonus triggers require scatters within a single cascading sequence — harder to hit than multi-spin scatter counts
- -Bonus Buy unavailable in the UK and several other jurisdictions
- -Underworld multipliers are inactive without green Soul Orb activation — bonus can underdeliver without it
Best for
Hand of Anubis is a high-ceiling, maximum-volatility cluster slot with a genuinely novel dual-orb multiplier system and two structurally different bonus rounds. The operator-adjusted RTP of 94.32% is a real cost to consider, but the 10,000x max win and compounding multiplier mechanics in the Underworld bonus make this a serious contender for high-variance bankrolls. Not a casual session slot — plan accordingly.