Gritty Kitty of Nitropolis
By ELK Studios
In 2024 ELK Studios have set out to release no less than FIVE new games in the Nitropolis series. The story goes that the 4 clans of the city have been forced out by Sergeant Nitro Wolf, returning to their home territories to prepare for a last showdown. Each clan has their own game, before the final reckoning in Nitropolis 5, due for release later in the year.
This ambitious project starts with Gritty Kitty of Nitropolis featuring the first clan leader, and ELK haven’t altered the Nitropolis template too much for this one. It is a very volatile, 6 reel game with up to 8 rows per reel. As well as Avalanche Wins there are multiple features including classic Nitro Reels, symbol upgrades, wilds and instant win coins. There is also a Hold and Win round called Assassin Spins and a Free Drops round with sticky Nitro Reels. Expect mayhem all the way!
The game comes out on 6th February 2024. Spins start at 20p.
| Game Name | Gritty Kitty of Nitropolis |
|---|---|
| Developer | ELK Studios |
| Theme(s) | Animals, Fantasy |
| Release Date | 6th February 2024 |
| Rows | Up To 8 |
| Reels | 6 |
| Paylines | Up To 262,144 |
| RTP Rate | 94% |
| Max Win | 25,000x |
| Min Bet | £0.20 |
| Format | 6-Reel, Win Ways |
Play Gritty Kitty of Nitropolis For Real At These Slot Sites
Review Scorecard
What Our Reviewer Says …
Another superb game in the Nitropolis group that aims to blow your mind every time. Chaotic and relentless from start to epic finish! Don't miss this one!
What We Like
- Exciting gameplay with lots of action on every spin
- Nitro Reels display up to 12 rows across 2 symbol spaces
- Seven extra features to trigger on the Feature Reel
- Each Avalanche Win triggers a reel expansion
- Massive 25,000x maximum win
What We Didn't Like
- Fixed 94% RTP setting
- Similar to all other Nitropolis games
Theme and Design
Still Dark and Dystopian But With The Best Soundtrack Yet!
Gritty Kitty of Nitropolis is set in Tokyotown, the home turf of Gritty Kitty, leader of one of the Nitropolis clans. He has gone back to his roots to seek out the Golden Shuriken, a symbol that will help collect wins in the game. The setting is a gloomy Japanese backstreet where a green fog has settled. The backdrop might have moved from the centre of Nitropolis but the atmosphere remains as dark, claustrophobic and dystopian as ever. The soundtrack is a noisy, ferocious EDM tune that fans of this series will love as it fits perfectly with the relentlessly busy action on the reels. My feeling is you will either you will love it or hate it … there is not much middle ground but it certainly grabs your attention like few other slot games do.
RTP and Variance
Gritty Kitty of Nitropolis runs at one standard RTP common to many ELK Studio slots – 94%. Yes, that is below average, but it is at least fixed. Nowadays we are used to finding our favourite slots running at anything from 96% down to 88% depending on the operator, so at least you can be sure what you are getting here, even if that is a little below the optimum rates in the industry.
Of course, there is no question about the volatility. Like all Nitropolis games, Gritty Kitty is a fast and loose, high risk for high reward gambling experience, chaotic and stacked with features that can kick off at any moment to bring up a stunning win sequence. Or … leave you for dead. In short, the variance is high and requires you to choose your stake level with care.
Maximum Win
The top payout available in Gritty Kitty of Nitropolis is 25,000x. Whilst not a bad haul, and double what you can win in Nitropolis 1 and 2, it is still well short of the 50,000x max wins available in Nitropolis 3 or 4. We wait to see what can be won in the future iterations of this series.
Symbols and Paytable
Nitropolis games always start out on a 6 reel and 4 row set but expand further to create more win ways. In this case each reel can grow up to 8 rows high. Payouts are on a win ways basis which means that you need to land 3 or more identical symbols on adjacent reels, regardless of their row, from left to right, starting on the left most reel.
When each reel has 4 rows that gives you the classic 4,096 win ways format (4x4x4x4x4x4).
But when each reels shows all 8 rows then the win ways increase to 262,144 (8x8x8x8x8x8).
The pay table doesn’t show spectacular values, but there are many win ways and many ways to enhance those wins, so don’t be put off. The low value symbols are the cards, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace. These are valued at just 0.3x for 6 Aces. The premiums are the random tuna can, teapot, Maneki Neko mask and the hero Gritty Kitty. The Kitty pays the best of all at just 3x for 6 on a line. The low values are also offset by the fact that pay symbols come in 1x1, 2x2 and 3x3 size as well.
Finally, there is also a Wild that substitutes for all pay symbols to complete win ways.
Features and Gameplay
The Nitropolis series is chaotic. It requires the player to just lock in and enjoy the ride because there can be A LOT going on. The features that can trigger at any time are as follows:
Avalanche Wins and Expanding Reels
Gritty Kitty of Nitro is an Avalanche Wins game. That means after each win the winning symbols are removed and new ones drop in to replace them. This may create more wins and more avalanches. This process repeats until no more win ways are formed.
Crucially, with each win, the reels that displayed winning symbols grow by 1 row, up to a maximum of 8 rows each.
Nitro Reels
A constant throughout all the Nitropolis games is Nitro Reels. These are special symbols that cover 2 rows on a reel and display up to 12 normal pay symbols to create more win ways. In this game there are also Big Nitro Reels that cover 6 rows and show up to 6 2x2 sized pay symbols.
Feature Reel With SEVEN Special Features
Above the main reel set you will see a Feature Reel, displaying special Feature Symbols in an electronic format. When an avalanche is triggered on the reels below, symbols from the Feature Reel drop down and activate. They each have their own modifier as follows:
Nitro Upgrade - these will upgrade the symbols on a Nitro Reel and all symbols on adjacent reels.
Nitro Match – all symbols on a reel with a Nitro Reel, and its adjacent reels, will be replaced with the same randomly selected pay symbol.
Nitro Wild – all symbols on the Nitro Reel and adjacent reels will be replaced with Wilds.
TNT – removes all pay symbols on its reel and adjacent reels, when no more wins occur, to set up another avalanche.
Max Rows – ALL the reels automatically expand to full height – 8 rows – to bring up the magic 262,144 win ways.
Wild – just acts like a standard wild.
Big Coin – an instant win coin that triggers the payout value displayed
Assassin Spins
The Assassin Spins feature can also be triggered from the Feature Reel. You’ll need the Assassin symbol to land on the Feature Reel in full. That gets you 3 spins where only coins, Nitro Reels, TNTs, blockers or the Golden Collector symbol are available.
When coins and Nitro Reels land they re-set the spin count to 3. When a collector symbol lands it collects the value of all coins displayed. The game continues until you run out of spins.
Free Drops
Look out for the Satellite Symbol which is the free drops trigger. You get 8, 10, 12 or 14 free drops for 3, 4, 5 or 6 Satellites. The game is the same EXCEPT Nitro Reels are now sticky for the round. You can also re-trigger the free drops by landing 3, 4, 5 or 6 Satellites again.
Final Verdict
Nitropolis fans are preparing for an exciting year with five new games to look forward to and if Gritty Kitty is anything to go by, they won’t be disappointed. This slot displays all the characteristics of the previous games in the series, with a few extras thrown in for good measure.
The audio-visual appeal has not dimmed, with that claustrophobic night time atmosphere throughout, peppered with neon lights and flickering signs. As for the gameplay, it is once again a fast-paced experience, though not simple to follow. In fact, the term ‘relentless’ barely does it justice as it feels like there is always something happening on the reels. Whilst that is exciting, the flipside of course is that sometimes it is hard to know where to look. You want to be tracking the Feature Reels, whilst at the same time, keeping your eye out for the next avalanche or Nitro Reel win. But for me that is all part of the fun and once you have been playing for a while it gets easier. So just strap in and enjoy the ride. Or … if you can’t handle the pace … go elsewhere!
Perhaps the only disappointment is that Gritty Kitty doesn’t match the 50,000x max win of 3 and 4 in the series. But still, 25,000x aint bad and with all those features to trigger, there will be some epic wins in no time on this game.
Testing Notes
I played 300 spins on Gritty Kitty of Nitropolis to test the game. This is what happened.
- Stake Size: £1
- Start balance: £1,000
- End balance: £843.15
- Hit Rate: 18.6% (56 winning spins in 300)
- Biggest Win: 23x
- Free Spins Round: 1
This was a less intense experience than other Nitropolis games. There is still a lot going on, but just a little less busy than the first four in the series. The hit rate came in at 18.6% over 300 spins which is a little low, but not terrible. However, I didn’t land anything greater than the 23x payout from the free spins round. The free spins bonus feature turned up just once showing how tricky it is to trigger.
Despite the disappointing win percentage and payouts Gritty Kitty was still a fun slot to play, if you enjoy the kind of manic energy it radiates. There is always something happening, though it doesn't always lead to a payout. The Feature Reel added an element of excitement too, though I should add it was dominated by Wilds and the more powerful features were infrequent. I never saw an Assassins Spins and the TNT and Max Rows features appeared only once.
Who Made Gritty Kitty of Nitropolis?
- Name: ELK Studios
- UK License: 40844
- Total Games: 60 +
- Known For: Amazing artwork, wide choice of themes and styles
- Popular Slots: Avalon Gold, Dropz, Nitropolis, Wild Toro
