ELK Studios

At the start of 2022 ELK Studios have more than 50 slot games in their back catalogue spanning a broad range of styles, maths models, themes and prizes. What is noticeable about these games is that they have all been carefully put together with a real attention to detail that you don’t always find in slots from some of the more prolific providers. ELK make a big deal of the concept stage of game development. The result is a series of slots that rarely tread the same generic territory of other game providers.

ELK STUDIOS MINI SLOTS REVIEWS

It is fair to say that thematically, graphically and in gameplay ELK slots always offer you something very different to the competition. Here are mini reviews of three of our favourites to show you what we mean.

VOODOO GOLD

We have to start with one of the Gold series of slots because these games featuring the explorer Kane are amongst our favourites. In this instance we are transported to the swamplands of Louisiana where a shamanic presence is rendered on a gloriously murky 6 reel and 4 row reel set built amongst shimmering green waters.

Typically, the game offers some interesting twists on classic slots features. So, we have 4,096 win ways, but reel expansion can take that up to 262,144. Big Symbols of up to 4×4 are also useful as they help produce wins as well as clearing spaces in which Voodoo Wilds can settle. These wilds are also sticky in a Free Spins round in which up to 15 spins can be awarded.

Voodoo Gold is a great introduction to the legend of Kane and a worth staring point to explore the legend of ELK Studios too!

WILD TORO

Channeling the thrills of a Spanish bullfight, Wild Toro is the first in a series of three ‘Toro’ games from ELK that concluded with their November 2021 release, Toro 7s. It is also the game that won them the 2017 EGR Game of the Year award, a prestigious industry award. That is why we have included it as one of our favourite ELK slots.

Wild Toro is notable for its fabulous graphics with beautifully rendered illustrations of the bull and the fighter, both of whom seem to jump out of the reels towards you. The action takes place on a 5×4 grid with 178 active lines in play.

But it’s the three features that are most important here – a Toro Walking Wild With Re-Spins, a Toro Goes Wild Bonus Game where the bull attacks Matadors, leaving a trail of Wilds in its wake, and a Matador Re-Spin Challenge with Sticky Symbols and Re-Spins.

If you’re ever felt yourself getting bored of the standard flat slots play that most games offer, then this insane little game should be your next port of call. The on-reel animations alone are enough, and with a medium variance and 2,250x top payout, it also has a broad appeal. Awesome stuff!

KAIJU

We have also chosen to highlight Kaiju as it is another slot that showcases the unique and varied talents of the ELK team. Kaiju is a monster that crawls out of the Pacific sometime in the future to cause deadly carnage. It has a Japanese horror feel to it and thanks to ELKs creative talents, lends itself well to this 7,776 win ways slot.

This is one of their more volatile games and it also features expanding reels. The objective is to unlock the Kaiju Battle Free Spins round where vertical lasers unlock hot spots on the reels to reveal wilds and force the reels to expand upwards.

Sticky Wilds and up to 12 Free Spins can push your win potential up to 1,305x. Its widlly creative and loads of fun.

If you are slots aficionados like ourselves, then you will probably be interested to know more about the typical variance of ELK Studio Games. They do in fact come with a range of volatility, from low to high. In general they are not as volatile as games produced by some of their rivals like No Limit City and Relax Gaming, but they still have their moments.

Those seeking out the best high risk action should take their pick from the Gold Series, and in particular Kathmandu Gold and Black River Gold. Whilst those who prefer more easy-going slots can try their luck on medium variance games like Miss Wildfire and Electric Sam.

And what about the. Return to Player? Well just like the variance, RTP in ELK Studio games is variable but rarely dips much below the industry average of 96%. As a rule, generally they come in at around the 96.1% mark, though sometimes as high as 96.4% which you can find in games like Wild Toro, Ho Ho Tower and Poltava.

It’s not unusual nowadays for slot studios to develop some of their own bespoke features that can be found on more than one of their games. An extreme example would be Big Time Gaming’s Megaways™ mechanic which was so good they decided to license it out! Others are No Limit City’s xNudge and ReelPlay’s Infinite Reels. ELK have their own features too, which may not be as high profile, but are still worth a mention. 

NITRO REELS ™

 Developed exclusively for their dystopian Nitropolis slot game, the Nitro Reels mechanic is a variation on reel expansion that takes the basic paylines from a standard 4,096 to a whopping 85,155,840 thanks to expanded symbols that take up two reels and can be up to 12 positions in total. They are also sticky for the duration of free spins.

AVALANCHE REELS IN CYGNUS SLOT

In a weird variation on the traditional Avalanche Reels feature made famous in games like Gonzo’s Quest, Cygnus slot uses a symbol drop with a difference. All cell positions are slightly out of synch so when a new symbol drops in, thanks to a special Gravity mechanic it doesn’t drop straight down but rather bounces off jarring edges, falling left then right before eventually settling.

X-IITER (OUTSIDE THE UK ONLY)

For those outside the UK (this is really a bonus buy feature) there is also the X-iter feature that appears in many of ELK’s newer slots. This is an option to dive straight into pre-defined game mode with an enhanced paytable, often with more high paying icons on the reels, feature bonus rounds and extra multipliers.

As you can see from our profile of ELK Studios this game studio offer something a little bit different to the competition. Their small but high-quality selection of slot games provide exceptional entertainment through a variety of fun and compelling products. We recommend that you dip in and find out for yourself. Take a look through our game reviews to find out more before choosing one that suits your tastes.