Razor Extreme review
Push Gaming
Push Gaming's Razor range is synonymous with volatility, so it is with some trepidation that we dip our toe in a new stretch of water the developer has titled Razor Extreme. The series has been menacing players who dare venture into its territory since Razor Shark (2019) thrilled them via its nudging seaweed and revealing shark symbols, before returning in the monstrous Razor Returns, and switching the pay system in Razor Ways (as well as adding a jackpot edition). Razor Extreme returns many of the features that have appeared in past releases, while adding a RAZOR instant max win component, alongside mechanical modifications fuelled by what Push Gaming calls 'extreme volatility' in an attempt to nudge boundaries.
The action begins at the water's surface, where a metallic gaming grid is propped up by a rickety metallic structure brimming with sharp, pointy bits. There are a couple of odd fish floating in the background, but nothing overly menacing threatens to eat players at this stage, apart from some mean-looking shark symbols on the reels. Upon triggering free spins, the grid scoots to a lower depth, where radioactive canisters have been left to infect the area, clouding up the place in a toxic green haze. An electronic tune that sounds like a danceable sonar ping adds to an ominous atmosphere that's all very Razor Shark-y.
Razor Extreme is played on a 5x5 grid with 50 paylines, which lands a lot of blank, valueless symbols on its grid amongst the active symbols, so get used to staring at a lot of duds on the screen. Giving credence to the 'Extreme' in the title, Push Gaming has classified the math model as very highly volatile, while generating an RTP of 96.27% on the highest return option. Stakes of $/€0.10 to $/€100 may be selected, alongside Push Bets and feature buys.
One of the main things to know about regular pay symbols is that they do not land naturally on the grid, but must be revealed. When they do show up, they consist of old boots, compasses, oxygen tanks, diving masks, and four shark character symbols. The four sharks pay 2x to 5x the bet for a 5 OAK winning line, dropping down to 1x the bet for the lower-paying symbols. The wild shark substitutes for all regular paying symbols and is worth 10x when landing 5 wilds in a winning line.
Razor Extreme's features are the Nudge & Reveal, Razor Reveal, free spins, super free spins, Push Bet and purchase options.
Mystery Stacks are present on the reels in stacks of 5 mystery symbols and trigger the Nudge & Reveal feature when they land. When triggered, mystery symbols reveal pay symbols, wild sharks, or Golden Shark symbols. When the spin button is pressed again, the mystery symbols nudge down 1 position. The Nudge & Reveal repeats until there are no more mystery symbols in view.
When a Golden Shark appears, the Razor Reveal feature activates. Each Golden Shark position spins to reveal one of these special symbols listed below, activating in this order: Letters, Instant Prize, scatter, Multiplier, Collector, and Nudge Up.
Landing 3 scatters on the reels in the base game or Razor Reveal feature awards the free spins feature. Reels 2 and 4 are filled with mystery symbols and the multiplier starts at x2. On each spin, mystery symbols nudge down, increasing the multiplier by 2, which is persistent. New mystery symbols may land. Free spins continue until no more mystery symbols are present. If 2 scatters and a super scatter appear instead, they trigger the super free spins feature. Super free spins use the same mechanics as free spins, but the multiplier starts at x10. In both bonus rounds, collected RAZOR letters carry over to the round and persist until the feature ends.
Activating the Boost Push Bet increases the stake by 20% to increase the chance of triggering free spins. The Extreme Boost adds 50% to increase the chance of getting free spins and super free spins. Players may also buy free spins for 100x, a full screen of Golden Sharks for 200x, a full screen of mystery symbols for 100x, random mystery symbols for 25x, or super free spins for 250x the stake.
Razor Extreme lived up to its name, although whether that is a compliment depends on individual gamblers' appetite for punishment and their pain threshold. The first two free spins rounds in the review produced exactly nothing, which caused a moment or two of pause. The next round spelt out RAZO, putting it tantalisingly close to achieving the max win, and from there, anything might happen. Line wins are often completely non-existent since regular pay symbols do not land naturally but can only be revealed from mystery symbols, contributing to what feels like a very all-or-nothing experience. Certain gamblers may love the challenge, and there were times when something special occurred - if the right pieces fell in the right places at the right time.
Not so much in the base game, but the way free spins increase the persistent multiplier by 2 on every nudge builds suspense. When new mystery symbols land to keep the feature going, the multiplier may quite soon reach interesting values. Then all that is needed is for an actual win to appear, be that a line win or Instant Prize coins, and a substantial hit may result. Or, nothing might land, and the multiplier ends up dissipating into the murky void, unused, as if it never even existed in the first place. In other words, Razor Extreme is a volatile game, at times cruel, at times achingly uneventful, but with the potential for savagery ever present, lurking beneath the surface, coiling up to strike. Or not.
On the less extreme side is Razor Extreme's max win of 10,000x the bet. A respectable total in some ways, but it's a figure which doesn't feel like it matches the challenge that Razor Extreme lays down, and when compared to the 100,000x of Razor Returns, it's a disappointing shrimp. In the game's defence, when using Push Bets, the max win probability isn't bad (data was not provided when regular betting). Overall, Razor Extreme has the ability to be exciting, though this is helped by the fact that the bulk of its gameplay is built on proven features. Players who enjoy a new challenge may find enough here to keep them engaged, but the potential for unforgiving brutality coupled with a reduced max win may push players back to the higher potential Razor slots.
Razor Extreme is a volatile slot with flashes of savagery, but its unforgiving gameplay and comparatively modest max win make it a tough sell beside its bigger Razor siblings.
The action begins at the water's surface, where a metallic gaming grid is propped up by a rickety metallic structure brimming with sharp, pointy bits. There are a couple of odd fish floating in the background, but nothing overly menacing threatens to eat players at this stage, apart from some mean-looking shark symbols on the reels. Upon triggering free spins, the grid scoots to a lower depth, where radioactive canisters have been left to infect the area, clouding up the place in a toxic green haze. An electronic tune that sounds like a danceable sonar ping adds to an ominous atmosphere that's all very Razor Shark-y.
Razor Extreme is played on a 5x5 grid with 50 paylines, which lands a lot of blank, valueless symbols on its grid amongst the active symbols, so get used to staring at a lot of duds on the screen. Giving credence to the 'Extreme' in the title, Push Gaming has classified the math model as very highly volatile, while generating an RTP of 96.27% on the highest return option. Stakes of $/€0.10 to $/€100 may be selected, alongside Push Bets and feature buys.
One of the main things to know about regular pay symbols is that they do not land naturally on the grid, but must be revealed. When they do show up, they consist of old boots, compasses, oxygen tanks, diving masks, and four shark character symbols. The four sharks pay 2x to 5x the bet for a 5 OAK winning line, dropping down to 1x the bet for the lower-paying symbols. The wild shark substitutes for all regular paying symbols and is worth 10x when landing 5 wilds in a winning line.
Razor Extreme's features are the Nudge & Reveal, Razor Reveal, free spins, super free spins, Push Bet and purchase options.
Mystery Stacks are present on the reels in stacks of 5 mystery symbols and trigger the Nudge & Reveal feature when they land. When triggered, mystery symbols reveal pay symbols, wild sharks, or Golden Shark symbols. When the spin button is pressed again, the mystery symbols nudge down 1 position. The Nudge & Reveal repeats until there are no more mystery symbols in view.
When a Golden Shark appears, the Razor Reveal feature activates. Each Golden Shark position spins to reveal one of these special symbols listed below, activating in this order: Letters, Instant Prize, scatter, Multiplier, Collector, and Nudge Up.
Landing 3 scatters on the reels in the base game or Razor Reveal feature awards the free spins feature. Reels 2 and 4 are filled with mystery symbols and the multiplier starts at x2. On each spin, mystery symbols nudge down, increasing the multiplier by 2, which is persistent. New mystery symbols may land. Free spins continue until no more mystery symbols are present. If 2 scatters and a super scatter appear instead, they trigger the super free spins feature. Super free spins use the same mechanics as free spins, but the multiplier starts at x10. In both bonus rounds, collected RAZOR letters carry over to the round and persist until the feature ends.
Activating the Boost Push Bet increases the stake by 20% to increase the chance of triggering free spins. The Extreme Boost adds 50% to increase the chance of getting free spins and super free spins. Players may also buy free spins for 100x, a full screen of Golden Sharks for 200x, a full screen of mystery symbols for 100x, random mystery symbols for 25x, or super free spins for 250x the stake.
Razor Extreme lived up to its name, although whether that is a compliment depends on individual gamblers' appetite for punishment and their pain threshold. The first two free spins rounds in the review produced exactly nothing, which caused a moment or two of pause. The next round spelt out RAZO, putting it tantalisingly close to achieving the max win, and from there, anything might happen. Line wins are often completely non-existent since regular pay symbols do not land naturally but can only be revealed from mystery symbols, contributing to what feels like a very all-or-nothing experience. Certain gamblers may love the challenge, and there were times when something special occurred - if the right pieces fell in the right places at the right time.
Not so much in the base game, but the way free spins increase the persistent multiplier by 2 on every nudge builds suspense. When new mystery symbols land to keep the feature going, the multiplier may quite soon reach interesting values. Then all that is needed is for an actual win to appear, be that a line win or Instant Prize coins, and a substantial hit may result. Or, nothing might land, and the multiplier ends up dissipating into the murky void, unused, as if it never even existed in the first place. In other words, Razor Extreme is a volatile game, at times cruel, at times achingly uneventful, but with the potential for savagery ever present, lurking beneath the surface, coiling up to strike. Or not.
On the less extreme side is Razor Extreme's max win of 10,000x the bet. A respectable total in some ways, but it's a figure which doesn't feel like it matches the challenge that Razor Extreme lays down, and when compared to the 100,000x of Razor Returns, it's a disappointing shrimp. In the game's defence, when using Push Bets, the max win probability isn't bad (data was not provided when regular betting). Overall, Razor Extreme has the ability to be exciting, though this is helped by the fact that the bulk of its gameplay is built on proven features. Players who enjoy a new challenge may find enough here to keep them engaged, but the potential for unforgiving brutality coupled with a reduced max win may push players back to the higher potential Razor slots.
Razor Extreme is a volatile slot with flashes of savagery, but its unforgiving gameplay and comparatively modest max win make it a tough sell beside its bigger Razor siblings.
