NetEnt ruled the roost with their slots at one stage but not anymore. There was a time when every slot they released was absolutely mint. Either they became complacent, or the competition caught up.
With their next release Elk Hunter, the slots studio takes you on a hunting trip. The mechanic features the Scatter Pays system that plays off on a grid with 6 reels, and 4 rows.
The volatility ranges from medium to high tipping our slots scale at 7/10. Now, there are RTP ranges from 96.05% to 88%. The jackpot is quite small at 2,035x your stake.
That puts the top cash prize at $407,000 at the max stake of $200. For bonus rounds, there are Multiplier Wilds, Free Spins, and a Buy Option.
The betting range is wider than most slots starting at 20c up to $200.Net Entertainment did not include the win probability. One look at this slot we can tell you now it will take millions of spin before the jackpot hits.
Graphics, Sound and Symbols
The visuals are suitably 3D and the audio is pin-dropping, at least NetEnt got those bits right. To receive a payout you need 6 elks or at least 8 symbols.
From what we saw it pays out for scatter wins. That means the winning symbols remain on the reels, yet there are no Cascades. Technically, when winning matches occur you’ll snag a cash prize.
The low-value symbols are 10 to Ace which pays 1.5x the stake. The top-value symbols are the cougar, eagle, bear, and elk pay up to 5x for 12 or more symbols.
Elk Hunter Bonus Rewards
Multiplier Wild Symbols
The Multiplier Wilds have values ranging from 2x to 10x in both the base game and free spins. They also initiate a payout when they step in for adjacent symbols.
When more than one Multiplier Wild appears in a winning combination. It multiplies your total win by the combined value of the multipliers. At any given time, up to 5 Multiplier Wilds can appear.
Free Spins
You’ll trigger 7 free spins when 3 scatters populate the grid. In case another 2 or more scatters appear they’ll award you an extra 2 or 5 free spins. The main player in the free spins feature is the Multiplier Wild symbols.
When they pop onto the grid they stick to it until the free spins bonus ends. We don’t have to tell you that’s where the big wins lie.
Buy Option
If you don’t want to hang around like we did, you can buy your free spins for a fee of 60x the stake.
What We Like and Don’t Like About Elk Hunter
The graphics and the audio track nails the North American theme. Though NetEnt uses the Scatter Pays system we would have preferred the Tumble Reels feature.
Tips & Strategy
It’s not the best slot we’ve played and neither will it be the last. Therefore, spend a few free dummy credits of your time on it. It’s better to do it that way and then say dang when you lose money!
If you’re looking for more excellent slots to play online CasinoWhizz is your best slots guide. We don’t always get it right, but you’ll always get the truth from us.
How to Play Elk Hunter
The betting range for this one was low at $0.50 per spin due to time constraints. We did pick up a few things that merit your attention. Regrettably, we could not trigger the free spins feature within 50 spins.
We put that down to the slot’s rather steep volatility. Wins in the base game ranged from a few cents to $3.5, so not much. Back in the day, we used to catch wins of 500x our stake upwards, but no more.
You can play the slot with free spins, even a bonus, but that’s pushing it. Especially when those RTP ranges start kicking in.
The only thing that makes this slot worth a few spins are those sticky multiplier wilds. They seldom appeared on the grid when we played.
Yet, we can’t deny that the potential for the big wins is there when a bunch of them pop.
They stick to the reels like a tick to a dog. Then again, when we compared it to the Scatter Pays that pitch in Gates of Olympus, they don’t even feature. Another thing, we sorely miss the Cascading wins.
And, the jackpot of 2,035x the stake is chump change. That’s the trend NetEnt follows now with their newest releases. It’s like they went off the boil completely.
Elk Hunter is really a low-effort from NetEnt with a rather shallow game engine. The little over twenty minutes we spent with it, it’s nothing but a dog’s breakfast.
Otto Bergstrom is a veteran in the world of casinos and gambling with 20 years of extensive experience. Writing for Casino Whizz, he shares his deep understanding of game strategies and the latest casino trends.
