Scarab Ascension

Scarab Ascension is an ancient Egyptian slot built by NowNow Gaming and offered on the Hacksaw platform, with a release in September 2026. The reels sit in front of a desert pyramid at sunrise, and the game is built around a simple idea: golden scarabs pay a fixed jackpot ladder, and the bonus round lets you climb that ladder one level at a time. It is a 5-reel slot that starts with 3 rows and 9 paylines, with an RTP of 96.30%, medium volatility and a top prize of 10,000x the bet.

The Look Of The Reels

Before the first spin, an intro screen presents the three pillars of the game on papyrus scrolls: Scarab Gold Jackpots, the Scarab Rise Bonus and the 10,000x maximum win. On the reels, the low-paying symbols are cut gems in blue, green, purple and pink, which pay 1x the bet for five of a kind. The high-paying symbols are Egyptian figures on coloured tiles, including a golden pharaoh mask, and they pay between 4x and 15x for five. The Wild substitutes for all paytable symbols and helps to complete lines. The jackpot ladder is always on display on the left side of the screen, so you can see what each scarab count is worth.

Scarab Gold And The Fixed Jackpots

The red and gold Scarab Gold symbols can land on any reel, in the base game and in the bonus. They do not pay on lines and they do not substitute for other symbols. Instead, all the Gold symbols on the screen are counted together at the end of the spin, and the matching jackpot is paid after the line wins:

• 5 scarabs pay 5x, 6 pay 10x, 7 pay 25x;
• 8 scarabs pay 50x, 9 pay 100x, 10 pay 250x;
• 11 scarabs pay 1,000x, and 12 scarabs pay the full 10,000x.

The counter starts again on the next spin, so this is a feature that depends on a single, lucky screen.

Climbing The Scarab Rise Bonus

Three FS Scatters trigger the Scarab Rise Bonus. The Scatter appears only on reels 1, 3 and 5, with at most one on each reel. The round begins with the message that you have won 3 free spins and that the ascent begins, and the task is to collect a target number of Scarab Gold symbols within those 3 spins. Reach the target and you move up a level, the spin counter returns to 3, and the grid becomes taller. Miss it and the round ends.

There are eight levels, and each one has its own target, grid size and jackpot:

• level 1: collect 5 on a 5x3 grid with 9 lines, jackpot 5x;
• level 2: collect 10 on 5x4 with 14 lines, jackpot 10x;
• level 3: collect 15 on 5x5 with 19 lines, jackpot 25x;
• level 4: collect 20 on 5x6 with 24 lines, jackpot 50x;
• level 5: collect 25 on 5x7 with 29 lines, jackpot 100x;
• level 6: collect 30 on 5x8 with 34 lines, jackpot 250x;
• level 7: collect 40 on 5x9 with 39 lines, jackpot 1,000x;
• level 8: collect 50 on 5x10 with 44 lines, jackpot 10,000x.

Only the jackpot of the highest level you reach is paid, and levels do not add up. A bright golden frame lights up around the grid every time a level is cleared, and a gold counter below the ladder shows how many scarabs are still missing, which makes the progress easy to follow. The bonus screens also show “current jackpot” at the bottom, so you always know what you would take home.

How The Two Systems Work Together

A single spin can pay in two different ways. The paylines are checked from left to right, and a winning line is traced across the reels with a glowing path, so a combination of gems and Egyptian figures pays in the usual way. Then, once the lines are settled, the scarabs on the grid are counted and the jackpot from the ladder is added on top. In the bonus the same logic applies, but the scarab count has the extra job of deciding whether you move up a level, so a spin with many scarabs and no line win can still be a very good spin.

Three Ways To Buy

The Buy Bonus button on the left of the control bar opens a menu with three options. At a 2.00 bet the prices are:

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins for 6.00 (3x): every spin is seven times more likely to trigger the bonus;
• Scarab Gold FeatureSpins for 100.00 (50x): every spin is guaranteed to award at least one jackpot value, and the FS Scatter cannot land;
• Scarab Rise Bonus for 200.00 (100x): the bonus starts straight away.

The FeatureSpins stay active until you switch them off, and a confirmation window shows the price before it is taken from the balance. The bet itself can be changed between 0.10 and 100.

Choosing A Buy Option

The three prices are built for three different tastes. The cheap BonusHunt option keeps the normal game running and only raises the chance of the Scatters, so it suits players who want to stay close to the base game while chasing the bonus. The Scarab Gold FeatureSpins option makes every spin worth a jackpot of at least 5x, but it removes the chance of triggering the Rise Bonus during that time, so it is a different kind of session. The direct purchase puts you on level 1 at once and leaves the rest to the dice, since reaching each level still depends on collecting enough scarabs within three spins.

Numbers And Fit

The RTP of 96.30% belongs to the main version, and the direct bonus buy has a very similar 96.27%. Casinos can run other RTP settings, so it is worth checking the rules inside the game. The volatility is medium in the base game, while the buy options are marked as high. The maximum of 10,000x is available in every game mode.

Scarab Ascension is a good match for players who like a clear goal in a bonus round. The ladder is simple to read, the first levels are reached fairly often, and each new level makes the next step harder, so the tension rises naturally. If you prefer constant line wins and long cascades, the focus on scarab counts may feel narrow, but for ladder and jackpot fans it is a fresh idea.

You can try this game on 7gold Online Casino. There’s a unique casino bonus offer of 400% up to £1500 for a limited time.