Pray for Three

Pray for Three Bonus Features Summary

Slot Aesthetics and Theme: More Than Just Black and White

Hacksaw Gaming has carved a niche with visually distinct slots, and Pray for Three pushes this boundary further. The deliberate choice of a monochrome palette combined with a “rubber hose” animation style creates an atmosphere that is simultaneously nostalgic, eerie, and surprisingly fresh within the saturated slot market.

Visual Styling: Echoes of Fleischer and Cuphead

The immediate comparison for many players will be to games like Cuphead or classic animations from Fleischer Studios (think Betty Boop or early Popeye). The characters, Scary Mary and Morbid Magda, flanking the reels embody this style perfectly – large expressive eyes, exaggerated movements, and a slightly unsettling innocence that belies the gothic/horror undertones. Symbols like the grinning skull topped with a snake, the chalice, and the tombstone are rendered with this same stark, high-contrast linework. Background elements, though minimal, maintain this aesthetic, creating a cohesive, if slightly disturbing, cartoon universe. During my sessions, the animations, especially during wins and feature triggers, were smooth and contributed significantly to the game’s unique personality, preventing the B&W style from feeling static.

Narrative Threads: Scary Mary vs. Morbid Magda

The game hints at a deeper story: “Scary Mary and Morbid Magda didn’t last long in heaven… Cast down for their sins, these two fallen sisters have embraced the Inferno.” This brief backstory, found in the game’s info, adds a layer of intrigue. The visual dichotomy between the two angel characters – one retaining a semblance of angelic appearance (albeit creepy), the other looking more traditionally demonic/tormented – suggests a conflict or duality. While the narrative isn’t explicitly developed through gameplay beyond the character presence and theme, it provides a strong thematic anchor that elevates Pray for Three beyond a mere collection of mechanics. It gives context to the “Unholy Wins” and the overall “pray for salvation” motif ironically twisted by the game’s premise.

Core Gameplay Mechanics Unveiled

Beneath the striking visuals lies a robust set of mechanics driving the Pray for Three experience. Hacksaw Gaming employs familiar elements but combines them in ways that generate considerable dynamism.

The 5×5 Grid and 3125 Ways to Win

The game operates on a 5-reel, 5-row grid configuration. Instead of traditional paylines, it utilizes the “Ways to Win” system. This means any combination of matching symbols appearing on adjacent reels from left to right, starting with the leftmost reel, constitutes a win. With a 5×5 layout, this mathematically results in 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 = 3,125 possible ways to win on every spin, offering ample opportunities for combinations to form.

Cascading Reels: Chain Reactions of Sin

A core element enhancing the gameplay flow is the Cascading Wins feature. Whenever a winning combination occurs, the participating symbols explode or are removed from the grid. Existing symbols above them drop down to fill the empty spaces, and new symbols fall from the top to complete the grid. If these new symbol arrangements create further winning combinations, the process repeats. This chain reaction continues within the same spin until no new winning combinations are formed. During testing, cascades were reasonably frequent and could sometimes lead to satisfying sequences of smaller wins, occasionally building momentum towards feature triggers.

Symbols and Their Unholy Payouts

The paytable reflects the game’s theme, divided into lower, mid-tier, higher-paying symbols, and crucial special symbols. Payouts shown here are based on the game’s info file relative to a €1 bet per spin for matching 5 symbols:

• Lower-Paying Symbols: Whip, Hourglass, Gravestone – All pay 0.60x for 5 of a kind.
• Mid-Tier Symbols: Chalice (0.80x), Witch Hat (1.20x), Snake on Skull (1.60x).
• High-Paying Character Symbols: Angel Girl “Scary Mary”? (2.00x), Demon Girl “Morbid Magda”? (8.00x). The distinction in payout between the two character symbols is significant, highlighting the value of the “darker” sister.
• Special Symbols Deep Dive:
  • Wild (Cross): Substitutes for all paying symbols listed above. Appears on all reels. Pays 10.00x for 5 of a kind itself, making it the highest value symbol in that regard.
  • FS Scatter (Logo): Appears only on reels 1, 3, and 5. Used solely to trigger the various Free Spins bonus rounds. Does not offer a direct payout.
  • Prayer Hand / Divine Prayer Hand: These are crucial trigger symbols for the Wheel of Sin feature and do not offer direct payouts. Their value lies entirely in activating the multiplier wheel.

The Wheel of Sin: Spinning for Multipliers

Positioned ominously beside the main grid, the Wheel of Sin is arguably the centerpiece of Pray for Three’s feature set, offering the potential for significantly boosted wins. Its activation and mechanics require careful understanding.

Activating the Wheel: Prayer Hand vs. Divine Prayer Hand

The Wheel springs to life only when a Prayer Hand symbol lands during a winning cascade.

• Standard Prayer Hand: Depicted as white, praying hands holding rosary beads. When it lands, it reveals a number (1, 2, or 3). This number dictates how many of the Wheel’s three sections will spin and reveal a multiplier. Only one Prayer Hand symbol can appear on the grid at the same time. Activated Prayer Hand symbols are removed along with other winning symbols during the cascade.
• Divine Prayer Hand: A rarer, golden version of the symbol. Landing this immediately activates all three sections of the Wheel of Sin, guaranteeing a multiplier from each section.

Landing either Prayer Hand symbol adds a layer of anticipation to every cascade, as it’s the gateway to potentially massive multipliers.

Understanding the Multiplier Sections (Adding & Multiplying)

The Wheel is divided into three distinct sections, each with its own pool of potential multiplier values. The game’s info specifies these possibilities:

• First Section (Adding Multipliers): Can reveal values like +2x, +3x, +4x, +5x, +10x, +25x, +50x, +100x, +200x, +333x. These are additive values.
• Second Section (Adding Multipliers): Can reveal values like +2x, +3x, +4x, +5x, +10x, +25x, +50x, +100x, +200x, +333x OR Multiplying Multipliers x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, x20, x33. This section offers a mix.
• Third Section (Multiplying Multipliers): Can reveal values like x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, x20, x33. These are multiplicative values.

How Multipliers Compound for Bigger Wins

When multiple multipliers are active on the Wheel of Sin (either through a high number revealed by a standard Prayer Hand or via a Divine Prayer Hand), they are combined sequentially from left to right.

1. All Adding Multipliers (+) are summed up first.
2. The total sum is then multiplied by any active Multiplying Multipliers (x), applied one by one from left to right (section 2’s multiplier, then section 3’s multiplier, if active).
3. The final resulting multiplier value is then applied to the Total Win Bar amount accumulated during the entire spin sequence (including all cascades leading up to and following the Prayer Hand landing).

This compounding effect is where the true “Unholy Win” potential lies. During testing, even modest base wins could be dramatically inflated if multiple high-value multipliers, especially multiplying ones, were activated simultaneously by the Wheel.

Ascending Through Bonus Rounds: Free Spins Modes

Pray for Three offers not one, but three distinct Free Spins modes, triggered by landing FS scatter symbols on reels 1, 3, and 5. The number of scatters determines the quality and features of the bonus round.

Wicked Ways Bonus (Triggered by 3 FS)

Landing 3 FS symbols awards 10 free spins in the Wicked Ways Bonus. This round largely retains the base game mechanics, including cascades and the potential activation of the Wheel of Sin via Prayer Hand symbols. However, the key enhancement is an increased chance of landing both Prayer Hand symbols (standard and Divine) and Wild symbols compared to the base game. This subtle boost significantly increases the frequency of feature interactions and the potential for multiplier-enhanced wins during the free spins. Landing additional FS symbols during the bonus awards extra spins: 2 FS symbols award +2 spins, while 3 FS symbols award +4 free spins.

Living on a Prayer Bonus (Triggered by 4 FS)

Triggered by landing 4 FS symbols simultaneously, this bonus also awards 10 free spins. The crucial difference here is that all Prayer Hand symbols that land are guaranteed to be Divine Prayer Hands. This means every time the Wheel of Sin is activated within this bonus, all three sections will spin, maximizing the multiplier potential on every trigger. According to game info, Prayer Hands don’t appear organically in this mode’s base spins – this likely implies they only appear via some trigger mechanic, possibly tied to the wheel itself or cascades, ensuring their divine nature when they do show up. This significantly elevates the round’s potential compared to Wicked Ways, justifying the rarer 4-scatter trigger. Retrigger conditions are the same: +2 spins for 2 FS, +4 spins for 3 FS.

Flames of Fortune Bonus (Triggered by 5 FS – The Epic Bonus)

The pinnacle of Pray for Three’s bonus features is the Flames of Fortune Bonus, activated by the rare feat of landing 5 FS symbols at once. Awarding 10 free spins, this Epic Bonus comes with a powerful guarantee: each spin ensures that at least one Divine Prayer Hand symbol will land. This constant activation of the full Wheel of Sin on every single spin makes this round incredibly potent and the most likely place to witness the game’s maximum win potential. Retrigger rules remain consistent (+2 spins for 2 FS, +4 spins for 3 FS). This is the chase feature, offering sustained high-intensity action.

Strategic Shortcuts: Analyzing the Bonus Buy Options

For players seeking immediate access to the features, Pray for Three offers several Bonus Buy options, each with different costs and characteristics:

• Bonushunt FeatureSpins™: Costs 3x the current bet per spin. Each spin is 5 times more likely to trigger a bonus game (any of the three free spins modes). The RTP for this mode is stated as 96.3%. This option increases the frequency of bonus triggers but doesn’t guarantee entry or a specific bonus type.
• Hail Mary FeatureSpins™: Costs 50x the current bet per spin. Each spin guarantees a winning combination plus either a Prayer Hand or Divine Prayer Hand symbol. The RTP here is 96.27%. This offers frequent Wheel of Sin activations but doesn’t guarantee Free Spins entry. FS symbols cannot land in this mode.
• Wicked Ways Purchase: Costs 100x the current bet. Directly triggers the Wicked Ways Bonus (10 free spins, enhanced chances). The RTP when buying this feature is 96.4%.
• Living on a Prayer Purchase: Costs 225x the current bet. Directly triggers the Living on a Prayer Bonus (10 free spins, guaranteed Divine Hands on activation). The RTP for this purchase is 96.35%.

During my evaluation, the Bonus Buy options felt appropriate for their cost relative to their potential. The Living on a Prayer buy, while expensive, consistently delivered more impactful Wheel of Sin triggers due to the guaranteed Divine Hands, aligning with its higher price and potential. The choice between them depends heavily on player risk tolerance and bankroll.

Mathematical Profile: Volatility, RTP, and Win Potential

Understanding the underlying math is crucial for navigating Pray for Three effectively.

Navigating High Volatility (4/5)

Hacksaw rates this slot 4 out of 5 for volatility, placing it firmly in the high variance category. My testing confirmed this. Expect periods where wins are scarce or small, punctuated by potentially massive payouts when features align, especially involving the Wheel of Sin multipliers and bonus rounds. This requires patience and appropriate bankroll management. It’s not a slot for quick, consistent small wins but rather for chasing those “Unholy” large payouts.

RTP Considerations (Multiple Levels)

The theoretical Return to Player (RTP) for Pray for Three is primarily stated as 96.33%. However, operators can offer versions with lower RTPs (94.25%, 92.27%, 88.35%), so checking the specific game version is vital. Additionally, the Bonus Buy features have their own specified RTPs, slightly varying from the base game but generally hovering around the 96.3% mark, which is commendably transparent from Hacksaw.

Chasing the 13,333x Maximum Win

The maximum achievable win is capped at 13,333 times the player’s bet. This substantial potential is most likely reached during the Flames of Fortune bonus or potentially through an exceptionally lucky sequence involving Divine Prayer Hands and high multipliers from the Wheel of Sin in other modes. Reaching this amount immediately ends the current game round, and any remaining free spins or features are forfeited. While alluring, achieving the max win requires significant luck due to the high volatility.

Personal Testing Gauntlet: Pray for Three

To craft this analysis for iSpinix.com, I, Vlad Hvalov, engaged in extensive testing sessions with the Pray for Three demo version, generously provided pre-launch access by Hacksaw Gaming. My process involved multiple hours of gameplay across various bet levels (€0.20 up to €20 simulated via Bonus Buys) utilizing standard, turbo, and the revealingly fast Super Turbo spin modes. Each Bonus Buy option was triggered multiple times to gauge not just the stated mechanics but the feel and practical volatility of each feature pathway. I meticulously documented the behavior of the Wheel of Sin, noting the frequency and impact of standard versus Divine Prayer Hands, capturing screenshots of significant wins and feature sequences. The game’s internal information and paytable were cross-referenced constantly. My aim wasn’t just to play, but to dissect the game’s rhythm, understand its pressure points, and identify where the true excitement lies, ultimately to provide iSpinix readers with actionable insights beyond basic rules. This hands-on experience, analyzed with assistance from Google’s Gemini for structuring the complex data gathered during play, forms the foundation of this review, helping you decide if this monochrome gamble aligns with your preferences.

Pray for Three is a demanding yet rewarding slot; its high volatility requires respect, but the unique mechanics and explosive potential, especially via the Wheel of Sin and layered bonus rounds, make it a compelling proposition for players seeking high-intensity thrills and a truly distinct visual experience. It certainly earns a recommendation for exploration in demo mode.