Razor Ways

Razor Ways: Slot Overview

The Razor series has been huge for developer Push Gaming, beginning with 2019's monster of the deep Razor Shark before coming back in the even more monstrous form of Razor Returns in 2023. The studio has returned to the water once again and given the series a significant overhaul. The third instalment is Razor Ways, and as well as switching from paylines to ways, the game boldly drops the Nudge and Reveal feature, which was one of the cornerstones of the previous slots' success. There is no need for fans to get all uppity, though, as Razor Ways absolutely bulges with features, revamped gameplay, and a seafloor containing a ton of stuff to discover.

Razor Ways links to the slots that came before it by retaining familiar shark faces on the symbols, as it plumbs the ocean depths with the help of a rickety metal contraption framing the reel matrix. Razor Ways has a cartoon cosiness (as much as shark-filled waters are able to be cosy) while feeling like an upgraded, more modern version. The artwork has a cleanly defined appearance, and the music provides a murky underwater, almost James Bond effect, causing Razor Ways to be as enticing as any that preceded it after a first look.

As the name says, Razor Ways is indeed a ways-paying game, in contrast to the bet line systems used in the previous two instalments. At the start of the base game, 729 ways are active on the 3 unlocked rows, but this can be increased up to 46,656 when all 6 rows are unlocked. As for the setup, 6 reels make up the gaming area. Razor Ways eases the volatility back a notch to be medium-high volatile, and its highest RTP when betting a straight 10 c to $/€100 per spin is 96.36%.

Blue, green, purple, and orange plants of the sea are Razor Ways' 4 low pay symbols, worth 0.5x the bet for a 6 OAK hit. From there, we get into a compass, flippers, a diving helmet, and 4 sharks as the higher-paying symbols. Hitting ways of 6 OAK of these symbols pays 1 to 5 times the bet. Wilds substitute for all regular paying symbols. They're the shark with the golden teeth symbol.

Razor Ways: Slot Features

Razor Ways has a lot of features, gadgets, and gizmos to cover, so why not start with the cascading wins mechanic? When matching symbols create a win, they disappear off the grid after paying out. The remaining symbols cascade downwards, and new symbols drop in to fill the gaps. Cascades keep triggering as long as new wins appear.

Expanding Rows

By default, the 3 bottom rows of the reels start unlocked, while the top 3 rows are locked. When a cascade or Instant Prize win occurs, the grid expands by +1 row. All three rows can be unlocked, but at the start of each new game round, the top three rows lock again.

Mystery Symbols

Mystery symbols land anywhere in the base game or free spins. When they hit Mystery symbols reveal: Pay symbols, Wild symbols, Expanding Wild symbols, Converter into Wild symbols, or Golden Shark symbols.

Expanding Wild

Expanding Wilds can land or be revealed by Mystery symbols. All positions covered by Expanding Wild symbols become wild symbols. In the base game, Expanding Wild symbols expand to cover the unlocked rows. When the reel the Expanding Wild is on contains a scatter or Golden Shark, these symbols cascade down after combinations are created. When the Expanding Wild lands in free spins, it unlocks rows and expands to cover the whole reel. Expanding wilds can have a multiplier of x2-x5, and if it does not take part in a win, it returns to its initial state.

Converter into Wild Symbol

Converter into Wild symbols can land or be revealed by Mystery symbols. When on the reels, it spins through paying symbols on the unlocked rows. When one is picked, all instances of the picked symbol are converted into wilds, as is the Convertor into Wild symbol. When Mystery symbols land, up to 2 may reveal Convertor into Wild symbols; the rest reveal the same pay symbol.

Razor Reveal Feature

When Mystery symbols land on at least 3 consecutive reels in the base or bonus game, they turn into Golden Shark symbols, triggering the Razor Reveal feature. Mystery symbols may randomly do this even when not on consecutive reels. Each Golden Shark position spins to reveal:

• Instant Prize symbol - bet multipliers of 1x to 5,000x the bet.
• Multiplier symbol - multiples Instant Prize and Collector symbols on the reels by x2 to x10, then gets removed. The empty positions spin through the prizes.
• Collector symbol - collects the values of all Instant Prize and Collector symbols. All Instant Prize symbols are removed when collected. The empty positions spin through the prizes. Collectors stay on the reels for the duration of Razor Reveals.
• Converter symbol - spins through regular pay symbols on unlocked reels. When one lands, all instances of the symbols convert to Golden Shark symbols, including the Convertor symbol. The Razor Reveal feature will continue.
• Scatter symbol (in the base game).
• Row Unlocker symbol (only in the bonus buy) - unlocks a row, then is removed. The empty position spins through the prizes.

Free Spins

Landing 3 or more scatter symbols in the base game or during the Razor Reveal feature triggers free spins.

• 3 scatters - triggers 6 free spins on an initial 3x6 grid with an initial x1 multiplier.
• 4 scatters - triggers 8 free spins on an initial 4x6 grid with an initial x3 multiplier.
• 5 scatters - triggers 10 free spins on an initial 5x6 grid with an initial x5 multiplier.
• 6 scatters - triggers 10 free spins on an initial 6x6 grid with an initial x10 multiplier.

During free spins, Glowing Mystery symbols may land. They operate in the same way as Mystery symbols, except each Glowing Mystery symbol that lands fills the Total Multiplier Level meter. It takes 5 symbols to get to the next level. Progressing levels increases the total multiplier (x1-x3-x5-x10) and opens up the gaming grid (3x6-4x6-5x6-6x6). Players get +4 free spins for reaching level 2, +3 free spins for reaching level 3, and +2 free spins for reaching level 4.

Bonus Buy

At the bonus buy menu, these buys are available:

• A guaranteed Converter into Wild symbol for 67x the bet.
• A Razor Reveal feature with 6 positions guaranteed filled with Golden Shark symbols for 50x the bet.
• A Grand Razor Reveal with 18 guaranteed positions filled with Golden Shark symbols and the possibility of unlocking an additional row with a Row Unlocker symbol for 150x the bet.
• 1x multiplier with 6 free spins for 73x the bet.
• 3x multiplier with 8 free spins for 81.5x the bet.
• 5x multiplier with 10 free spins for 164x the bet.
• 10x multiplier with 10 free spins for 466x the bet.
• Random multiplier with corresponding free spins for 150x the bet.

Push Bet

Last but not least are Push Bet options. Activating the Scatter Push Bet increases the chance of landing scatters for an increased stake of 1.4x. The Mystery Push Bet increases the bet to 3x, guaranteeing 2 Mystery symbols on unlocked rows on each spin. The Mystery and Scatter Push Bet increases the bet to 4x, guaranteeing 2 Mystery symbols on unlocked rows and increasing the chance of getting scatters.

Razor Ways: Slot Verdict

In the Jaws films, sequels always had to have a bigger shark. In the Razor range, Push Gaming goes to show this doesn't have to be the case. Fair enough, Razor Returns overshadowed the original slot with extra bulk, but Razor Ways pulls certain things back as if this shark has been dieting. Razor Ways remains rammed to the gills with features, however. That's one of the larger feature sections knocked out in a while, as there is a lot to cover. From in-game features, Push Bets, feature buys, Razor Ways is a well-stocked gambling machine brimming with betting options, free spin buy choices, and in-game discoveries to make.

Though the bet line system of the last two slots never felt like a hindrance, the switch to ways works well in Razor Ways. Push Gaming has combined this with an unlockable gaming grid, adding to the potential snowballing effect when the game is coasting through choppy waters. Interestingly, the lack of the Mystery symbol stack Nudge and Reveal feature was not as missed as it was initially suspected to be. The reason being Razor Ways has a load of other ways of entertaining gamblers without a feature that was so critical in the past. Also, whilst the nudging stacks might be gone, many of the past features are back anyway, such as the Razor Reveal, Instant Prize wins and so on. Just now, they're running alongside ways, an expanding grid, and a level-up bonus round triggering a set number of free spins.

With a win cap of 25,000x the bet, Razor Ways is not a sequel which pushes potential through the roof. This, coupled with the reduced volatility and the absence of the nudging multiplier, might have some of the more radical Razor masochists tut-tutting. But that's okay; Razor Ways has more than enough going on to thrill hardcore Razor enthusiasts as well as players who are newer to the series.