Marlin Masters is a new reel spinner from Hacksaw Gaming, one that first appeared at online casinos on January 27th, 2025, but only at exclusive sites. It got global distribution on February 6th of the same year, and it instantly made a splash—pun intended—in multiple top markets. It debuted in the top ten standings in Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Ireland, Japan, Argentina, Thailand, and a few other territories.
We saw no press release for this game, which we found a tad strange, as this appears to be a high-profile title from Hacksaw, one we assume this top provider hoped would do well. It is the company’s third slot for 2025, which Hacksaw followed up with FRKN Bananas and House of Hell. The latter seems like a cool title and one that we hope to review soon. But here, we shall tell you all about Marlin Masters, a fishing-themed romp that is Hacksaw’s attempt to get in on a genre dominated by Reel Kingdom’s Big Bass series and Blueprint’s Fishin’ Frenzy one. So, let us tell you how this game stacks up with additions to those franchises.
Theme & Design
As we already explained in the intro, this is a title that makes no bones about trying to release the stranglehold that Big Bass and Fishin’ Frenzy games have on the fishing slot sub-genre. Like Big Bass, Marlin Masters also has a bearded fisherman wearing a baseball hat for its hero.
The presentation here is okay, but nothing overly exciting. You get a musical theme that does not seem super suited for a fishing game, as it has somewhat of a western rock vibe to it. The action in Marlin Masters plays out on Marlin’s boat, where two rods stick out from each side of the vessel, and the reels spin between them in a wooden frame. The graphics are painterly illustrations that are doubtful to impress anyone, and the overall mood of this game is easygoing, something that the light audio effects complement quite nicely. Aside from symbol win animations, you do not get much dynamism here, but we would call the presentation of this Hacksaw slot acceptable, although it is nothing special, that is for sure.
Regarding its button configuration, it is the usual one that Hacksaw has stuck with for years now, which features the spin functions and bet selector on the right and the settings and bonus buy options on the left on a panel resting below the game grid.
Specs & Gameplay
The gameplay in Marlin Masters happens on a 5×4 grid with fourteen paylines. This title comes in four RTP versions. These are a 96.24% RTP variant, the most common one, followed up by 94.39%, 92.35%, and 88.35% variants. The hit frequency in this reel-spinning gaming product stands at 29.7, which is not bad, and its variance math model is medium-high. The lowest wager you can make in a Marlin Masters gaming round is $0.10, and the highest bet available is $100 per spin on this title with a max exposure setting of x7,500.
As in most online slots, you need to line up three to five identical symbols on a winning line in a spin to win a reward in Marlin Masters, a title where prize combos must hit on adjacent reels from left to right. The low-pay tokens in this game are 10 to A royals, paying x2 for five-of-a-kind combos, and their high-pay counterparts are four different types of fish, two of which yield prizes of x5 for five-of-a-kind combinations, and the other two deliver wins of x7.5 for five matching symbols from this group hitting on the reels on the same spin. The anchor W is the wild here, and it provides x10 wins when it shows up five times on a spin. It has no other prizes. You must see it five times in view to get a win from this token, aside from it substituting the mentioned paid ones to create winning combos.
Bonus Features
We are sure that those experienced in fishing slots will recognize some of the features in this one, as they have gotten inspired by famous additions to this reel-spinning sub-genre. In this game, Marlin symbols display values ranging from x1 to x1,000, and if three or more form a winning payline, their values get awarded. Additionally, when a Fisherman symbol appears, it collects the values of all the Marlins on the grid, and Fishermen can also have multipliers between x1 and x20, which boosts the collected Marlin values.
Marlin Masters’ Reel It mode activates via three FS scatters landed in this slot’s base game, and this is a mode that comes with a Progress Bar, where you advance by a step each time a Fisherman hits. That will occur regardless of whether he collects something. Every four Fishermen unlock a new level. The first gives you ten free spins, with all future Fishermen displaying x2 or higher multiplier values. The second supplies ten more spins and minimum multipliers of x4. In the third upgrade, you get another ten complimentary gaming rounds, with all Fisherman symbols carrying a minimum x10 multiplier.
Then we have the Off the Hook round, which comes into play after four landed scatters to give fifteen free spins. This is a feature similar to Reel It In, but here, all Fishermen start with at least an x2 multiplier, and the level upgrades are better, delivering fifteen spins each and minimum multipliers of x14 in the third upgrade.
For a price of x50, you can get at least two Marlins and one Fisherman on each spin. For a cost of x65, you gain direct entry into the Reel It In feature, and for x200 your bet, the Off the Hook round becomes instantly available.
GOSU Verdict
In all honesty, we doubt that Marlin Masters will be able to compete with Big Bass games. Not that it is inferior to them, but that franchise is so well established that it will take more than what this game has to offer for Marlin to give Big Bass entries a run for their money. It has done well in the first week following its wide release, but we do not believe it will be able to capitalize on its gained momentum. That said, this is a good little game with cool bonus features, decent specs, and an enticing max win. It is an okay choice for those into fishing games wishing to experience something different yet familiar.
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