ELK Studios Review (2023) – Zulu Gold, Fate of Fortune and More!

ELK Studios opened its doors for business back in 2013. Bursting with ambition, the Stockholm based company was ready to show the casino world what they could do in terms of creating entertaining games.

Since that first day, ELK has believed in and focused on three areas in terms of game development that would make them stand out from the competition.

Concept is key – There is a constant flow of new ideas and even though all of them can’t be turned into a game, a vivid imagination is crucial. With a strong concept you can develop great games and this is where ELK excels.

Art – Great design makes a huge difference and ELK keeps raising the bar. Flawless animation and the right choice of soundtrack add a lot to the overall player experience which in the end means an even better product.

A strong math model – This is where a game is really defined. The use of statistical modeling, cloud-based computing and big data to develop, refine and verify the games is absolutely necessary. ELK has proven it can handle all of it and it shows.

ELK Studios slot game features

Below are some of the standout features of ELK Studios games:

• Slot game selection features 54 slots.
• All ELK games will work perfectly fine on any of your mobile devices.
• Software supports over 20 different languages and currencies.
• The RTP (Return to player) percentages are on the lower side with 5 games offering 95.00%. However the rest of the games have a 96.00% or higher RTP.

New ELK Studios Slots

Here are the latest slots coming out of the creative studios at ELK.

Cygnus 3

Cygnus 3 (July 2023)

The third version in the popular Cygnus series from ELK will most likely follow the footsteps of the others and be a popular game. It’s a great looking game that captures your attention right from the opening scene.

RTP: 94.00%
Paylines: Symbol Pays/Pays anywhere
Multiplier: 10,000x
Volatility: Medium/High

More wins means more rows

Avalanche and Multiplier Wilds

Any symbol involved in a win, will explode and leave room for new symbols thanks to the Avalanche feature. When the round symbols trickle down and fill the gaps it looks very smooth and natural. The more consecutive wins you get, the more rows you will see.

You can also expect to come across plenty of multipliers that can give your winnings a nice boost.

The 3 Cygnus Jackpots

Spin the Cygnus Wheel for Jackpots

When a Cygnus Wheel symbol makes its way to the left column, it will trigger a spin on the Cygnus Wheel. This is the core feature of the game and it’s the home of the 3 Cygnus Jackpots. 

The Jackpots are called Cygnus, Star and Sky, which brings a little extra mystique to the game. They are fixed, which in a way is good as you’ll know what to expect when your day comes.

Overall

I enjoyed Cygnus 3 and the rolling symbols and great design have a lot to do with it. The game play is very smooth and even though I never got a chance to spin the Cygnus Wheel, I’m looking forward to doing it another day. 

Toro Shogun

Toro Shogun (June 2023)

El Toro has been the most popular character coming out of ELK and he doesn’t disappoint. The charming bull that sees red whenever the matador comes around has captured the hearts of many players over the years and this time he’s made it all the way to Japan. Why? To once again become the hero of course. 

There is a fun intro video in the beginning worth watching, that will tell you the full story behind his new exciting adventure. 

RTP: 94.00%
Paylines: Connecting Symbols Pay
Multiplier: 25,000x
Volatility: Medium/High

Toro goes crazy once again

Toro Goes Wild

Yes, the Toro games have always been a bit childish but with a sense of humor that makes them fun to play regardless of age. The Toro Goes Wild feature is one of those features that can make you chuckle.

When Toro is on the reels and his mortal enemy the Matador appears, he of course goes wild. As he charges towards the Matador, he’s kind enough to leave a trail of Wilds behind him for you to take advantage of.

Toro Free Spins

Toro Shogun Bonus Game

The bonus game will show you what it can do if you land 3 bonus symbols. Your win multiplier will increase every time you land another and it’s always good to know that you can retrigger your Free Spins.

Unfortunately I didn’t find the bonus game to be very exciting.

Toro Shogun pays both ways

Overall

I’ve always had a soft spot for Toro and he’s been with ELK since the very beginning. You’ll have to take him for what he is. What I mean by that is that the games can be slow and perhaps even boring at times but Toro has a magical gift of putting smiles on peoples faces whenever he shows up. 

He’s a showman and I will support him throughout all his adventures.

Dead Man’s Gold

Dead Man’s Gold (May 2023)

The title sounds like a given Hollywood movie, doesn’t it? One of those cheesy Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Alba combos from the 90’s. It’s not easy to get the feel of a true adventure through spinning reels on a slot but let’s see what these guys can do.

My first impression is that it looks fine, which is always a good start. On top of that it’s high volatility and a fair amount of features. 

RTP: 94.00%
Paylines: Up to 262,144 ways to win
Multiplier: 25,000x
Volatility: High
Features:  Free Spins, Bonus Buy, Treasure Target, Bottomless Chest, Giant Symbols

Bullseye!

Fire the Cannons

You can have fun with target practice in this game and you probably spotted the targets on the first image. These guys will reveal hidden symbols if you fire at them and to do so, you’ll need to activate the Pirate’s Cannons. Cannon balls will drop from the reels, down to the cannons.

If the target has a golden cross on them will get you a multiplier. 

Bottomless Chests of Gold

Give Me More Gold

One of the coolest looking features is the Bottomless Chest. Since the game is using the avalanche feature, with exploding winning symbols giving you more rows, the chest of gold can open up, drop gold that fills empty spaces with high value symbols. 

Dead Man’s Gold Bonus Game

There is a bonus game although I didn’t make it there during my test run. It takes 3 bonus ship symbols to trigger it and you can get as many as 25 Free Drops. 

Take me there

Overall

I like the fact that you can buy a number of different feature spins with the X-iter on the left hand side. The options feel a bit expensive as the price varied from €1 up to €100. For someone looking to bet €0.20, going for the more expensive options feels like a stretch.

For the game in general, it’s not bad, as long as you manage to trigger features. Without them, the most excitement I had was to look at the stunning waterfall hiding behind the reels. 

Ashoka

Ashoka (April 2023)

After having scrolled through the paytable of Ashoka to get an idea of what to expect, I have to admit it got my attention. It seemed like a full throttle kind of game with action on every spin. Did it live up to my thrilling expectations? Not quite.

RTP: 94.00%
Paylines: cluster
Multiplier: 25,000x
Volatility: Medium/High
Features: Xiter Bonus Buy, Free Spins

Things are not as wild as they seem

A Variety of Wild Symbols

Considering the amount of Wilds promised, this thing should be a hoot to play. 

• Charged Wilds – Lasts up to 3 wins
• Big Wilds – Can get up to 3×3 in size
• Wild – A regular wild that can sub for any paying symbol

Unfortunately I didn’t see a lot of these Wilds and when I did, it never led to a win anyway. .

Ashoka multipliers

Grab a Multiplier

Multipliers are always welcome in my book as they can take your winnings to the next level if you’re lucky. I must have had some Multiplier repellant on me this time because just like the Wilds, I only saw a few of them and I didn’t get the wins I had hoped for.

Ashoka Bonus Game

If you can collect 3 or more skulls, you will be granted access to the bonus game, armed with 10 Free Drops. Skulls and Ashoka gives it a very serious look and the good thing is that you can retrigger the spins more than once. 

Explosive symbols

Overall

It’s no secret that Ashoka was a bit of a let down, based on my experience. It felt unnecessarily slow for some reason. The graphics set you up with a great, adventurous atmosphere but it doesn’t feel like the game play reaches the same level.

I don’t see myself coming back to Ashoka anytime soon. 

Rabbit Royale

Rabbit Royale (April 2023)

If you’re looking for some serious ELK action, Rabbit Royale might be your best option. I don’t think I’ve seen rabbits as crazy and trigger happy as these ones. But despite looking and acting completely nuts, you can’t help but to find them charming. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a 25,000x multiplier hiding out there somewhere.

I’m just happy it’s not a game and I don’t expect them to be a part of a Pet Sematary movie anytime soon. Now that would be scary! 

RTP: 94.00%
Paylines: 259 ways
Multiplier: 25,000x
Volatility: Medium/High
Features: Free Spins, Buy Bonus, Wild Carrot, Super Collect

Rabbit respins

Wilds to Carrots to Respins

If a Wild symbol is part of a win, it will transform into a carrot. If one of the rabbits is on the reels when this happens, it will eat the carrot and take the cash value with him. He’ll also give you a nice Rabbit Respin. 

How did this happen?

Super Collect

When more than one rabbit shows up and gets a carrot, they will face off and collect from each other. You can see how they each get a boost and it’s basically a great example of sharing is caring. This is known as the Super Collect feature and can increase your winnings rapidly.

I’m not sure where the weapons come in but I don’t want to make enemies with these rabbits, that’s for sure.

I need a 3rd scatter

Overall

I like these rabbits but let’s just say I wouldn’t want to face them in a dark alley. I’d gladly take them on the reels though and Rabbit Royale is a pretty exciting game. I didn’t get to experience the bonus round but I’m hoping that would make the slot even better.

There’s definitely a sequel in the cards!

1. Zulu Gold (Released September 2021)

Zulu Gold will take you on a journey into the heart of the African jungle to find the lost temple and retrieve the ancient treasure. Being a brand new release during September, this game is brand new and loaded with action.

Zulu Gold slot is the African adventure you’ve been waiting for

This 6-reel slot features a ton of Zulu influenced art, including carved animal images and colored blocks inscribed with Zulu symbols. You will also find a Zulu shield on both sides for protection to keep you safe from other attacking tribes.

The buffalo, rhino, elephant, and intrepid explorer represent the high-paying symbols. All paying symbols can also appear stacked and even enlarged with a 4×4 symbol size to increase the chances of winning combinations.

Increase Your Winnings

With each win, the Avalanche feature will replace any symbols involved in the winning combo and replace them with new ones. This can lead to another win and a continuous increase of your winnings.

After every winning combination disappears and your payout is awarded, the reels will add 1 extra row at the top. This will continue with every avalanche of symbols until no more winning combinations are formed, or until 8 rows are present on the reels.

With each row added your chances of winning increase significantly and you could be landing multiple winning combos in a single spin with up to 262,144 ways to win!

You can grow your paylines by creating wins that will add one row each time

Multiplier Free Drops

One big feature that can lead you to the big bucks is Multiplier Free Drops.

Landing 3 or more Bonus symbols will trigger the Multiplier Free Drops bonus game with some added multiplier action to bring you closer to finding the treasure. Landing 3 Bonus symbols will trigger 10 free drops, 4 will trigger 15 free drops, 5 will trigger 20 and landing 6 Bonus symbols will award a whopping 25 free drops.

ELK Studios game

You’ll be amazed at the power of this bonus game, as bonus multiplier symbols land on the reels to maximize your payouts. Getting 3 or more of these epic multipliers on the reels will activate the feature and the multipliers will be added to the total on the left shield.

At the end of the bonus game, your winnings will be multiplied by the total, resulting in a colossal win

Conclusion

There’s no doubt the Zulu Gold slot is a highly entertaining game and there’s plenty of cash to take home. On top of that, it’s an ELK game, so you know the graphics are great.

Graphics aside, an epic soundtrack will transform you into a Zulu warrior right from the start and in order to get the most out of the game. Our suggestion, turn up the music and really dive into the mind-blowing jungle action.

Game released: September 2021

RTP (Return to player): 95.0 %

Variance: Medium/High

Layout: 6×4

Paylines: From 4,096 up to 262,144

2.  Fate of Fortune (Released August 2021)

The Fate of Fortune slot is another fresh release from ELK Studios, reaching online casinos as recently as August. A mysterious sorceress who can see into the future? Yes, please.

It is the clairvoyant holding the crystal ball who demands your attention and if you’re looking for confirmation about these parts of the forest being enchanted, look no further. The game has a 5x3x1x3x5 reel setup that is different from most other slots but that doesn’t make it less effective, au contraire.

ELK Studios Fate of Fortune slot

With crystals and other sorceresses filling up the reels, tension tends to run high. Packed with expanding wilds and mystery symbols, any given spin can trigger the 4 Fortune’s Favor features.

ELK Fortune’s Favor slot game

It’s the crystal ball that decides when it’s time to party and when that happens, one of the following features will come to life: Lady Swap, Multiplier, Walking Wild or the Locked Wild.

Lady Swap: All the Lady symbols on the reels will be transformed into the activated Lady.

Multiplier: This will add a win multiplier to your win and can give your payout a boost of up to 50x.

Walking Wilds: First a wild will be added to reel 3, followed by a respin with the wild being split in 2 and added to reels 2 and 4. The respins will continue until there are no more wilds left on screen.

Locked Wilds: It begins the same way as the Walking Wild but this time it’s locked in place. One respin is yours and if you don’t get a win, your multiplier increases by +1. Your respin will keep on spinning until you finally score a winning combo.

ELK Fortune’s Favor slot game

Free Spins

You will need 3-4 bonus symbols in order to trigger the free spins. Before you get going you will be given a Mystery Stack that will be nudged down one position for each spin.

Keep in mind that for each free spin, your win multiplier will increase by +1. Keep things going and the multiplier can make a world of difference. Big money wins!

The Fate of Fortune slot has a soundtrack that will only add to the mystery. As a player, a smooth game play is very important and you will definitely get it in this game. Creating great games seems to come naturally at ELK and they’ve done it again with this one.

Game released: August 2021

RTP (Return to player): 95.00 %

Variance: Medium/High

Layout: 5x3x1x3x5

Paylines: 81

Most Popular ELK Studios Slots

1. Katmandu Gold

One can never have too many adventures and one that you don’t want to miss is Katmandu Gold. Taking place in the mystique-filled Nepalese mountains, tag along with the adventurer Kane and conquer the 6-reels to get your hands on the sought after treasure. 

Katmandu Gold slot by ELK Studios

Humans are a rare sighting at this altitude and normally snow-capped mountain ranges put the fear in the common man, but you are anything but common.

Considering the €250,000 max win is only the tip of the iceberg, you can’t let dangerous terrain and lethal weather conditions stand in your way.

Avalanche Alert

Everyone will always tell you not to set off an avalanche, but please ignore that while playing Katmandu Gold. A winning combination will trigger it and all symbols involved will explode and leave room for new ones. On top of that, another row is added that will open up the grid and give you an even better chance of getting another win.

With each extra row, the amount of paylines will increase and can reach all the way to an absolute mouthwatering 531,441 if you can go 9 rows deep!

Slot game features ELK Studios

Big Symbols

You can run into some mighty big symbols in these mountains. They can reach sizes of up to 4×4 and can have an immediate impact on your wins.

Expanding Wins

When an Expanding Win symbol is part of a win, watch out. It will move in the direction of the arrow and destroy anything in its way.

Ice Climber

Two of the ice climbing symbols will trigger the feature. This means all symbols above will be replaced. If this happens on row number 8, you will get an extra row of symbols. 

ELK Studios bonus features

Summon the Free Drops

Triggering the Multiplier Free Drops feature can feel like reaching the top of the mountain. You need 3 bonus symbols to get there but if you can land 6 of them, you will get 25 free spins instead of the much lower 10.

Who doesn’t love retriggerable free spins and with each additional bonus symbol you will trigger the Multiplier feature and get a +1 boost each time it happens.

Normally people go to these mountains in search of peace and tranquility but when an opportunity like this presents itself, you have to go for it. There’s a reason why this is one of the most popular ELK games on the market.

Game released: December 2020

RTP (Return to player): 96.20 %

Variance: High

Layout: 6 x 4

Paylines: 4,096 up to 531,441

2. Vegas Diamonds

Having at least one game with a Sin City focus should be mandatory for any game provider reaching a certain level. ELK knows the legitimacy of such a thing and unleashed Vegas Diamonds in 2018.

Paying tribute to the vintage slot machines by having only 3 reels is a nice touch and even though the focus should be on the reels, it’s hard to ignore the surroundings when you’re on the Strip.

ELK Studios Vegas Diamonds slot

We Have a Match

Anything can happen in Vegas and when you hit two identical symbols on the first 2 reels, you will trigger the Perfect Match Respin feature. This will lock the first 2 reels while you get 3 shots at landing the last and final match on the last reel.

Spin the Fortune Wheel

So what happens if you score that last matching symbol? You earn a trip to the Fortune Wheel of course. It’s a 3-level wheel and you can advance to the bigger wins when you land the Level Up symbol.

Should you hit the free spins section, 5 free spins with a 5x multiplier on all wins will be coming your way.

Vegas Diamonds slot features

If you don’t have the possibility to get on the flight to Las Vegas, the Vegas Diamonds slot is the perfect substitute. It has everything you want, including the authentic Sin City vibe, mixed with a ton of big wins. You won’t have to worry about being bored, that’s for sure!

Game released: November 2018

RTP (Return to player): 96.0 %

Variance: Very High

Layout: 3 x 3

Paylines: 5

Release Date, Variance and RTP of ELK Studios Slots

These are the RTP (Return to player) percentage on all slots ever released by ELK Studios. A 95.00% RTP can be considered quite low but only 5 of 54 games has a 95.00% RTP. All the rest will have 96.00% or higher, which is pretty good and definitely worth playing.

So here are all the slots from ELK, including its variance and RTP %. You can also see when each of the games were released. Starting from the top is Zulu Gold, which is the newest game so the order goes from newest to oldest.

• Zulu Gold – Released Sep 2021 – Variance: High – RTP: 95.00%
• Fat of Fortune – Released Aug 2021 – Variance: High – RTP: 95.00%
• Night Trax – Released July 2021 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 95.00%
• Dream Diver – Released June 2021 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 95.00%
• Tropicool – Released May 2021 – Variance: High – RTP: 95.00%
• Nitropolis 2 – Released May 2021 – Variance: High – RTP: 95.00%
• Cluster Slide – Released April 2021 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.00%
• Bompers – Released March 2021 – Variance: High – RTP: 95.80%
• Miss Wildfire – Released Feb 2021 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.10%
• Knockout Diamonds – Released Jan 2021 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.00%
• Katmandu Gold – Released Dec 2020 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.20%
• Nitropolis – Released Nov 2020 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.10%
• Visitors – Released Oct 2020 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.10%
• The Grand Galore – Released Sep 2020 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.00%
• Diablo Reels – Released Aug 2020 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.30%
• Dreamzone – Released July 2020 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.00%
• Io – Released June 2020 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.00%
• Black River Gold – Released May 2020 – Variance: Very High – RTP: 96.10%
• Blood Lust – Released April 2020 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.00%
• Crusader – Released May 2020 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.10%
• Micro Knights – Released Feb 2020 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 96.00%
• Hit It Hard – Released Jan 2020 – Variance: Very High – RTP: 96.30%
• Cygnus – Released Dec 2019 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.10%
• Ice Wolf – Released Nov 2019 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.10%
• Voodoo Gold – Released Oct 2019 – Variance: Very High – RTP: 96.10%
• Win Win – Released Aug 2019 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.10%
• Respin Circus – Released July 2019 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.30%
• Tahiti Gold – Released June 2019 – Variance: Very High – RTP: 96.10%
• Chi – Released May 2019 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.10%
• Hit It Big – Released April 2019 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.00%
• Ecuador Gold – Released Feb 2019 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.10%
• The Wiz – Released Jan 2019 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.10%
• Valkyrie – Released Dec 2018 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 96.30%
• Vegas Diamonds – Released Nov 2018 – Variance: Very High – RTP: 96.00%
• Joker Gems – Released Sep 2018 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 96.30%
• Platooners – Released June 2018 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 96.30%
• Birthday! – Released May 2018 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 96.30%
• Lake’s Five – Released April 2018 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.30%
• Kaiju – Released Feb 2018 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.30%
• Wild Seas – Released Jan 2018 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 96.30%
• Ho Ho Tower – Released Nov 2017 – Variance: Low – RTP: 96.40%
• Route 777 – Released Nov 2017 – Variance: Very High – RTP: 96.30%
• Hidden – Released Sep 2017 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 96.30%
• Ivanhoe – Released June 2017 – Variance: Very High – RTP: 96.30%
• Hong Kong Tower – Released April 2017 – Variance: High – RTP: 96.30%
• Sam on the Beach – Released Feb 2017 – Variance: Low – RTP: 96.30%
• Taco Brothers Saving Christmas – Released Nov 2016 – Variance: Low – RTP: 96.40%
• Wild Toro – Released Nov 2016 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 96.40%
• Poltava – Released June 2016 – Variance: Medium – RTP: 96.40%
• Bloopers – Released Mar 2016 – Variance: Low – RTP: 96.10%
• DJ Wild – Released Dec 2015 – Variance: Low – RTP: 96.30%
• Taco Brothers – Released Sep 2015 – Variance: Low – RTP: 96.30%
• Electric Sam – Released Dec 2014 – Variance: Very Low – RTP: 96.00%

Recommended Bitcoin casinos with ELK Studios games

Here are some of the most reputed Bitcoin-accepting casinos that feature Belatra slot games in their offerings.

User Reviews

Here is the user rating summary of ELK Studios slot games:

How do you like ELK slot games? Please share your thoughts below in the comment form!

Final thoughts

This was our article about ELK Studios slots. Feel free to send mail, write a message via the contact form or write your comments or suggestions here!

Thank you for reading!