Pirots

Theme and Design

Pirots takes a tried and tested theme and gives it an avian makeover. The graphics are crisp and clean, just like you’d expect from ELK Studios. The jungle background feels as though you could actually push your way past the monstera leaves and into the ocean beyond. The symbols on the reels are colourful too, with unique parrot/pirate symbols each with its own personality. It’s nice to see the pirate theme given a small makeover.

RTP and Variance

With a 94% RTP this slot errs on the disappointing side. Sometimes being as much as 2% away from that ideal 96% RTP is forgivable, but usually when there’s an enormous progressive jackpot on offer, which simply isn’t the case here. The medium high volatility will suit plenty of players, but perhaps not those who are more risk averse or on a small budget.

If you’re after a pirate theme with a friendlier volatility then Cursed Seas by Hacksaw Gaming offers a 96.22% RTP and a bigger max win to boot.

Maximum Win

The top payout of 10,000x your bet is pretty good, especially considering the volatility isn’t too high. However, with that RTP we’d be expecting something a little higher for a max win. Dead Man’s Trail provides a slightly spookier pirate theme with a much more appealing 50,000x max win.

Symbols and Paytable

Played on a grid of 5 reels and 5 rows, expanding to a maximum of 8 reels and 8 rows, this game does not have paylines. Instead it has a sort of hybrid cluster pays mechanic, that ELK Studios call the CollectR mechanic. On each spin, the bird symbols move around the grid collecting feature symbols and gems in the same colour as them. The symbols must be adjacent in any direction. 

In another twist, the values of the symbols change depending on which win level you’re at. There are always four coloured gems as pay symbols. At win level 1, the four gems are worth from 0.05 to 0.25x the bet per gem. At the max win level they are worth 3x to 15x the bet each.

While this format might seem complicated, it’s surprisingly easy to follow after a few spins (or drops as they’re called around here). You’ve got to give ELK Studios some points for originality!

Features and Gameplay

Thanks to the unusual pay mechanic, the whole of Pirots feels a bit like one big feature, but there’s even more to it! Let’s take a look at how all of the pay mechanics work.

Feature Meter

As we know, the birds move around collecting symbols. For each symbol that’s collected, it fills up the feature meter a little. Once the feature meter is full, three pirate treasure chests are added to the grid. Each of the chests can be opened to reveal a feature, which we’ll explain below.

Feature Symbols

There are six feature symbols in this slot. Here is what they all do:

• Wild: the wild symbol can substitute for any of the gems at the same win level. 
• Transform: this symbol transforms the cluster of gems around it to the same colour, increasing your chance of making a win.
• Upgrade: this symbol upgrades the win level of the gem that corresponds to the bird that collects it. If it is already at max win level then a different gem is upgraded. Multicoloured symbols upgrade all gems by one win level. Upgrades stop once gems reach level 5. 
• Coins: these pay whatever the prize value is that’s displayed on them, up to 1,000x the bet, like an instant win. 
• Bombs: once there are no more wins on the grid, the bomb explodes. This removes all symbols nearby, except feature symbols and expands the grid to 8x8. Then, a redrop happens, and any wins are collected. Any birds that are removed, reappear after the redrop/spin.

Free Drops

If you collect three bonus symbols this triggers the bonus round. You begin with 5 free drops/spins. Whatever grid size, symbol collection and gem win level you start with will remain throughout the round. If you collect an additional three bonus symbols during the round then you’re awarded 5 more free drops.