The Crime File

The Crime File is a 5-reel slot developed by NowNow Gaming, set for release on June 24, 2026. The game is built around a noir detective theme starring Detective Rex, a sharp-nosed canine investigator on the hunt for the city's most notorious criminals.

The standout mechanic is The Hunt — a Wild expansion system that triggers when a Wild lands and a winning combination is present. Wilds expand upward to cover the full reel, each revealing a multiplier. Multiple Wild multipliers combine, and full reels of high-value symbols add further multipliers through The Capture mechanic. These stacking multipliers feed into a Total Multiplier Bar applied at the end of each spin.

The Interrogation Bonus free spins round brings added intensity, with all Wilds expanding to full-reel height from the start. Combined with a 10,000x maximum win achievable in both the base game and bonus, The Crime File is positioned as a feature-rich medium-volatility title with genuine high-multiplier potential.

The Crime File takes place in a shadowy noir city populated entirely by anthropomorphic dogs. The visual style blends cartoon character design with a gritty, dark atmosphere — deep purples, moody blues, and amber lighting set the tone throughout.

Symbol artwork is detailed, with characters dressed as detectives, gangsters, and law enforcement, each rendered in NowNow Gaming's distinctive illustrative style. Low-value symbols take the form of paw print card suits in different colours, while high-value characters include a suited officer, a pink-toned mob figure, a sleek grey detective, and a golden bulldog. Wild symbols are depicted as a snarling dog head, and Scatter symbols appear as a classic red police car. Animations are sharp — Wild expansions in particular carry visual weight, and the overall presentation maintains the investigative tension of the theme throughout play.

The Crime File plays on a 5-reel, 4-row grid with 14 fixed paylines. Wins are formed by landing matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, beginning on the leftmost reel.

• Set your bet using the controls at the bottom of the screen. Stakes range from €0.10 to €100 per spin.
• Spin the reels manually or enable auto-spin for a set number of rounds.
• Access the paytable and game info through the menu button to review symbol values, feature rules, and payline patterns.
• Use the Bonus Buy button to access feature purchases directly if you prefer to skip the base game.

Winning combinations are evaluated after each spin, with multipliers collected and applied at the end of the round via the Total Multiplier Bar.

Total Multiplier Bar

Every multiplier collected during a spin — whether from Wild expansions or high-value stacked symbols — is added to the Total Multiplier Bar. Once the spin resolves, the accumulated total is applied to the overall win for that round. This means multiple simultaneous multiplier sources combine into a single, potentially significant payout.

The Hunt

When a Wild symbol lands and at least one winning combination is active (or the expansion would create one), the Wild expands upward to the top of the reel. Only one Wild can land per reel at a time. The expanded Wild substitutes for all paytable symbols and reveals a multiplier based on its final height:

• 1–2 symbols high: 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x
• 3 symbols high: 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, or 10x
• 4 symbols high (full reel): 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 50x, 75x, or 100x

If multiple Wilds expand in the same spin, their multiplier values are added together.

The Capture

High-value symbols land as 1x1 symbols but can appear in stacks. When four identical high-value symbols land consecutively on a reel and a winning combination is present, they merge into a single 1x4 stacked symbol. Any full 1x4 high-value stack on a reel awards a random multiplier of 2x to 10x, regardless of whether it is part of a winning combination. If multiple stacks appear, their multipliers are also added together and fed into the Total Multiplier Bar alongside any Wild multipliers.

Interrogation Bonus (Free Spins)

Landing 3, 4, or 5 FS Scatter symbols in the base game triggers 10, 15, or 20 free spins respectively. Only one Scatter can land per reel, and Scatter symbols do not appear during the bonus, so the round cannot be retriggered. During the Interrogation Bonus, all base game mechanics remain active. The key difference is that all Wild symbols automatically expand to cover the full reel height of four symbols, making the higher multiplier range (up to 100x per Wild) available on every spin where a Wild lands.

Bonus Buy Options: BonusHunt FeatureSpins™ — Each spin is 3x more likely to trigger a bonus game. Cost: 2x bet. RTP: 96.29%. | The Hunt FeatureSpins™ — One or more Wild symbols are guaranteed to land on each spin. Cost: 50x bet. RTP: 96.26%. | Interrogation Bonus — Directly enters the free spins round with 10, 15, or 20 spins. Cost: 100x bet. RTP: 96.31%.

Wins are formed by landing 3 or more matching symbols on adjacent reels across the 14 paylines. High-value character symbols pay significantly more than low-value paw print symbols. The Wild substitutes for all paytable symbols and pays 100x for five of a kind.

Special Symbols: Wild — Expands upward when The Hunt triggers. Substitutes for all paytable symbols. Cannot substitute for the FS Scatter. | FS Scatter (Police Car) — Appears on all reels during the base game only. Landing 3, 4, or 5 triggers the Interrogation Bonus.

The Crime File uses 14 fixed paylines. Wins are paid for matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, starting from reel 1.

The core win mechanic revolves around multiplier accumulation rather than reel modifiers or cascades. Wild symbols expand and reveal multipliers ranging from 2x to 100x depending on how many rows they cover. High-value symbols that stack into a full 1x4 column add further multipliers of 2x to 10x. All multipliers from a single spin are combined and applied once to the total win at the end of the round.

The maximum win of 10,000x is achievable in both the base game and the Interrogation Bonus, making the base game relevant throughout a session.

The Crime File does not currently have alternate versions or sequels. Players drawn to its noir animal theme and expanding Wild mechanics may find similar gameplay in Hacksaw Gaming titles such as Miami Mayhem, which also features a crime theme with a 5-reel structure and multiplier mechanics, or Wanted Dead or a Wild, another Hacksaw title known for high-impact Wild features.

The Crime File delivers a well-structured medium-volatility slot with a clear identity. The multiplier system — built around expanding Wilds and stacking high-value symbols feeding into a combined bar — is coherent and can produce meaningful multiplier totals within a single spin. The Interrogation Bonus benefits from automatic full-reel Wild expansion, raising the ceiling noticeably compared to the base game.

The inability to retrigger the free spins round is a limitation. For players who prefer frequent bonus access, the BonusHunt FeatureSpins™ option offers a lower-cost entry point. The 10,000x max win and 96.33% RTP make The Crime File a competitive option for fans of NowNow Gaming's style.