The first slot by ELK Studios featuring a group of very cool looking birds called ‘Pirots’ came out in March of 2023. It was a swashbuckling adventure across the seven seas and became a popular game choice by players.
Due to its success, a sequel was released only around 6+ months later. This time they took us back to the days when dinosaurs walked the earth. Once again, the charming characters won the hearts of casino players which led us till a third adventure hitting the markets last week.
Angry Birds and PacMan Had a Baby
If I was to describe it, I would say imagine Angry Birds and PacMan having a baby. It sounds nuts, I know, but there’s a big chance it would look something like Pirots 3.
This time, they are armed and dangerous, rocking their hottest cowboy outfits. That’s right, we’re heading back to the Wild West where bullets are flying and dynamite sticks exploding.
Will Pirates 3 be another successful release or have the birds run out of creative ways to please players? Join me as I explore the game and find out what’s in store for us.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
When it comes to old westerns, one of the most famous soundtracks is The Good, The Bad, The Ugly from the classic Clint Eastwood movie. It’s fun to hear how ELK has used its own version for this game.
As always with ELK, you can expect high quality graphics. Although the game takes place in a Wild West town, I do like the new additions. I’m of course referring to the popcorn stand on the right and the monster amusement park in the back.
You will be playing on a 6×7 row grid which can open up slightly to a 8×7 version.
Obviously the idea of it being a proper Wild West experience kind of goes out the window with those additions. Instead, I would consider it to be more of a Universal Studios vibe.
I find it hard not to chuckle when you look at the characters that are involved in the action. They are all as quirky as they are acting tough but in the end it’s the characters that add charm to a game and this game has plenty of it. I love it!
The RTP is a bit too low for my taste but a Medium/High Variance and a 10,000x max payout is not bad. There are also a few fun features that I’m about to dive into.
Released: June 2024 | RTP: 94.00% | Variance: Medium/High |
Min Bet: €0.40 | Max Bet: €40.00 | Max Payout: 10,000x |
Pacman Style Symbol Collection
Remember when I was referring to PacMan earlier? Well, the reason for it is the Symbol Collection feature. If you look at the image above, you see that the blue gems are highlighted.
All the birds will move and collect gems of the same color, in this case the blue bird. When there are enough gems connected out there, they will move around just like Pacman used to. As far as payouts go, these gems can be upgraded if you land the horseshoes.
When the Collection Meter above is filled all the way, another feature symbol will be released.
Other Noteworthy Feature Symbols
There are as many as 8 feature symbols in play. Some of the more interesting and effective symbols worth knowing about are:
- TNT – These birds love an explosion just as much as we do and when the dynamite sticks show up, you can expect a massive blast clearing a sizable area
- Peanuts – Whenever the peanuts appear, if a bird collects them, it will help it cross empty spaces in order to reach other symbols.
- XXX Bottle – Drinking the XXX will make them drunk but also transform gems into the color of the respective bird
Bandit Jailbreak
I’m sure you’ve spotted the vulture in the cage already. This guy is a bandit and should stay locked up. If you feel like living on the edge and release it, you can. All you have to do is get your hands on the Golden Key. This will trigger the Bandit Escape or Jailbreak.
The vulture will be able to fly around the grid like the others and pick up more symbols.
Let’s Duel
Since this is the Wild West, there’s a chance that two birds next to each other can end up in a duel. This happens randomly BUT, when there are 3+ birds, there’s no more talking and will always end up in a duel.
All parties involved in a duel will have their own gun of course. Whoever loses will not only lose the duel, he will also lose his soul. You can literally see the soul leaving his body and head for the skies.
As soon as the duel is over, you will be able to see the result on the screen. This poster will actually pop up before you see the soul leave the body.
Here’s Comes the Train
You can spot train symbols on the grid that are hidden underneath regular symbols on both the left and right side. When a bird collects a symbol on top of the train on both sides, it will trigger the Train Heist feature.
You’ll see a train make its way around the grid and it will pick up 1,2 or 3 feature symbols along the way before it stops.
Pirots 3 Bonus Game
I’ve stopped taking bonus games for granted these days even though I think every game should have one. In Pirots 3, it’s triggered by the birds collecting 3 bonus symbols. This will put them on another train, heading towards the bonus game with 5 Free Drops joining you onboard.
Turn Off the Lights
Night has arrived and the colors are even brighter, which looks nice. It’s not like the Las Vegas Strip but it’s still a nice ambiance. Other than the difference in daylight, the grid is the same and there’s nothing really new as far as the game goes, which felt a bit disappointing if I’m being honest.
The X-iter Factor – A Major Let Down for Me
For players who prefer to have a bigger say in terms of how their game plays out, you can always use the X-iter feature. It’s a Bonus Buy where you can decide which feature you’d like to trigger, cough up the requested dough and head into the wilderness.
I actually ended up using it for the Jailbreak feature because I wanted to see how it worked. Unfortunately for me, I paid $10 to trigger it and when it was all said and done, I had won $0.92. That sure made me regret paying the price!
Pirots 3 – Pass or Play?
It turns out I’m a big fan of the Pirots and this version of the game. Sure, not everything was as amazing as I had hoped because of the simple fact that I wasn’t very successful playing it.
For once I don’t want that to have too much of an impact on my decision because truth be told, I still had a great time. If you’ve read any of my previous reviews, you know that’s not always the case.
There were quite a few features, although not all of them were great. It was also a bit disappointing that the bonus game didn’t have any additional features to spice things up even more. With that said, I felt there was enough excitement on every spin, even in the base game.
Great graphics and a ton of action on the reels go a long way and despite not winning much at all, I do sincerely recommend giving these guys a go. I will be coming back for more and I’m pretty sure I’ll be lining up for Pirots 4 as well, whenever it’s time for another adventure.
Pirots 3 gets the green light from me ✅
Where Can I Play Pirots 3?
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