Scandinavian developer Elk is known for producing slots with vibrant colours, fun themes and thrilling gameplay. Here are our top 10 Elk Studios slots.
Hit it Hard
Hit it Hard is the sixth installment of Elk’s Classics Series, where the studio reboots retro slots for the modern age. The slot is made up of a 3×3 grid, with symbols including fruit, bars, lucky 7’s and dice, while a purple neon backdrop and a funky soundtrack complete the classic 90’s fruit machine feel. The red bars are the highest value symbol, winning you 50x your stake, and with wild respins popping up frequently, the base game is highly entertaining in its own right. The bonus round comprises a board game taking place above the reels and comes with 23 mini-games, including a Pachinko-style Lucky Ballz game which awards up to 500x. The max overall payout of Hit it Hard is 2500x, which isn’t huge, but the slot is fun all the same.
Cygnus
Elk’s biggest foray into the Egyptian theme, Cygnus has so much more to offer than the usual scarabs and hieroglyphs. For starters, it uses a marble gravity mechanic, which allows the symbols to fall diagonally after a win, similar to NetEnt’s avalanche feature. Then there are the expanding rows. Cygnus starts off with 4096 ways to win, but as those rows grow higher and higher, this quickly allows for no less than 262144 ways to win. The pillar on the right comes into play in the bonus round, as the multipliers inscribed on it lead to wins of up to 5000x.
Ice Wolf
Ice Wolf is a Norse-themed slot set in the frozen wastes of Scandinavia and has an epic feel which makes you want to run with the wolves. The game starts off with 5 reels and 3 rows, but as soon as you spin some winning combinations and trigger the respins, the ice-covered boxes above are smashed open to reveal another 3 rows – and up to 78,088 ways to win. Reel modifiers mean multipliers and extra spins are always on the cards, and the randomly triggered wolf pack wilds certainly make the base game an exciting one. The 2500x maximum payout might not appeal to casino veterans, but for the rest of us, Ice Wolf is a thrilling ride through the Arctic tundra.
Voodoo Gold
Voodoo Gold invites you on a journey into the mysterious and dark swamps of Louisiana, and certainly has the creepy feel you might expect. A guitar riffs in the background, while the symbols include chicken feet, dice with pentagrams, top hats, and various other voodoo paraphernalia. Once again, Elk gives us an expanding grid as we build up winning runs. Meanwhile, wilds, sticky wilds, 4×4 symbols and free spins combine to give Voodoo Gold an RTP of 96.1%. The bonus round (when it comes around) is interesting – wilds are collected and turn sticky, increasing your chances of winning big.
Win Win
Another slot in Elk’s Classics Series, Win Win is similarly stripped down to the basics, with another 3×3 grid and retro symbols. But this is still an atmospheric slot, with an EDM soundtrack and a Matrix-style backdrop which makes playing Win Win a joy. Gameplay-wise, Win Win manages to have just enough features to keep the base game interesting. The Locked Reels respin get triggered when matching symbols appear on reels 1 and 3. These reels then lock, as the middle reel continues through 3 respins. The bonus round comes not with a set number of free spins, but instead with a random multiplier of between 2x and 10x. This multiplier is reduced by one with each losing spin. It’s certainly an interesting approach. Win Win comes with a 5000x max payout and an RTP of 96.1%, managing to appeal to both recreational and veteran slot fans on the lookout for some retro-style slot fun.
Respin Circus
This circus-themed slot has all the thrills and excitement you would feel in a real-life trip to the circus. All the action takes place in a big top, with premium symbols made up of accordion-wielding monkey clowns, acrobatic cats and mouse weightlifters. In the base game, paylines made up of these higher value symbols trigger respins. The free spins round comes with up to 24 spins (one per scatter), and these can increase throughout the round. All in all, we are looking at an RTP of 96.3%, with most of this tilted towards those free spins, but the base game is so colourful and entertaining, that Respin Circus can be played again and again.
Tahiti Gold
Elk Studios take us to the islands of Polynesia for Tahiti Gold. We start off with a 4-row, 6-reel grid and 4096 ways, but the grid is bookended by two impressive looking totems. When a win is hit, the avalanche feature brings down another row of symbols. This can continue until the full set of 8 rows is in play, allowing for a massive 262,144 ways to win. Nice, and the free spins (called free drops here) is also pretty special. Day turns into night on Tahiti island, as up to 25 free drops are awarded, and the Wild Forge symbol increases the chances of forming a winning payline.
Taco Brothers
This colourful cartoon-style Elk slot has a Mexican theme, and the symbols include bottles of tequila, cactuses and guitars. The three Taco-loving brothers form the premium symbols, with Paso worth 400 coins for three-of-a-kind. The free spins bonus is triggered by landing 3 scatters (the safe symbol) and running wilds help build up the wins as all brothers try to escape across the reels. The evil Captain Diaz will try to imprison the brothers, and if he is successful, the bonus round ends. At the end of the free spins round, all your wins are given a boost by the exploding safe multiplier. Taco Brothers is a fun and innovative slot which we can play all day. Especially with a plate of tacos on hand.
Sam on the Beach
Sam on the Beach slot follows the adventures of the troll Sam and his family as they enjoy a beach vacation, at his Uncle Ted’s beach hut in the Caribbean. The slot bears all the hallmarks of a beach holiday, as we have symbols made up of seahorses, starfish and crabs and the family members themselves, while we hear the sea come in and come out in the background. It’s certainly a mood-enhancing slot for a cold British winter evening, and it has entertaining gameplay too, with 243 ways to win, sticky multipliers and more. The free spins trigger frequently, and the sticky wilds in this bonus round mean decent wins.
Hidden
Another Egyptian-themed slot from Elk, Hidden is a more light-hearted affair than the Cygnus title, as we follow a couple of explorers to the Great Pyramid to uncover long-forgotten secrets. The 5×3 grid is made up of massive falling blocks, and 178 paylines. There are a couple of features in Hidden – three sticky wild respins in the base game, and a Treasure Room free spins round which comes with a chance to win 2150x your stake. Overall, the game comes with a 96.3% RTP, and for recreational slot fans of the Egyptian genre, Hidden is a sure choice.
Elk slots are some of the most innovative casino games today. We like the way this studio produces titles which start off with a simple base game but quickly build into complex slots with more and more ways to win. Which are your favourite Elk slots?