Gladiatoro Slot Review 2024

Gladiatoro from ELK Studios continues the popular series as we follow Toro and the Matador around the world. This time, we’re in Rome, and Toro looks stacked up and ready for the Colosseum.

Toro feels like a constant in our lives, but let’s not forget that we recently waved goodbye to the formidable Kane and the Gold Series, so we’ve got some anxiety about Toro’s longevity. We suppose we should live in the here and now, and here and now comes the mightiest gladiator that Rome has ever seen, and a Matador that doesn’t stand a chance.

Thus far, the Toro series has been rather diverse, spawning original games and games that put the Toro brand on popular mechanics. Will Gladiatoro put on a show in ELK’s latest instalment? Or is glory reserved for another?

Gladiatoro Base Game

Gladiatoro Base Game and Features

Gladiatoro is a 5-reel Video Slot with up to 340 ways to win. Winning combinations are formed when 3 or more of the same symbols land from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel. Gladiatoro has 4 active rows and 178 ways to win, to begin with. These can expand to 6 rows high and 340 ways to win.

The minimum bet available here is £.€0.20 per spin and the maximum bet available is £.€100 per spin, with plenty of other options in between the two. Gladiatoro has a theoretical RTP of 94.00% and a max win cap of 10,000x.

In terms of symbols, the highest-paying regular symbol here is the Rose, followed by the Helmet, Watermelon, and Grapes. Low-paying symbols fall to Roman Numerals; MCXV. Regular Wilds substitute for all other symbols except Coins, Matador, Diaz, and Toro symbols.

Toro Wilds

Toro is a special Walking Wild that moves leftwards with each Respin until he reaches the leftmost reel, at which point he will drop off the reel set entirely. On his travels, Toro will Double the value of any Coin symbols he walks over.

Diaz Symbols

Diaz is a special Collector symbol available in the base game on reel 5. When in view, Diaz will collect all values from present Coin symbols and award their total value per your current bet.

Matador Symbols

Landing 2 or more Matador symbols during any spin in the base game will trigger a Respin. During this time, all present Matador symbols will hold their position whilst all other reel positions spin.

If another Matador symbol lands during this time, an additional Respin is awarded. However, if a Toro Wild should present itself on reel 5 during this time, it will cause the Toro Goes Wild feature to trigger.

Toro Goes Wild Feature

Once the Toro Goes Wild feature is active, Toro will move Vertically and then Horizontally across the reels, knocking all Matador symbols off. This continues until all Matador symbols are defeated.

Toro begins by attacking Matador symbols on the same reel. He will then move onto Matador symbols to the left, continuing his attack as long as there are additional Matador symbols in view. Finally, he will move onto Matador symbols to the right, if any.

As Toro attacks, he will leave a path of Wilds behind as he charges towards Matador symbols. In Free Spins, Toro does not leave a trail of Wilds when charging towards Matador symbols.

Level Up Coins

During gameplay, when a Level Up Coin lands in view, it will open up another row at the top by firing an arrow in that direction. After, it transforms into a regular Coin symbol.

In addition to this, the Level Up Coin will also award a Respin in the base game. The Level Up Coin is present in both the base game and Free Spins round.

Gladiatoro Matador Respins

Gladiatoro: Gladiator Bonus

Landing 3 Bonus Coins across the reels in the base game triggers the Gladiator Bonus, awarding 3 Respins.

During the Gladiator Bonus, only Coins, Level Up, Toro, and new versions of Matador and Diaz symbols are in play. When 1 or more symbols land on any active rows, the Respins meter is reset back to 3.

Regular Coin symbols are sticky during this time which are collected and paid out at the end of the Gladiator Bonus. If symbols land in locked rows, they will remain sticky but do not reset the Respins meter. If the entire grid is filled with symbols, the max win cap of 10,000x is automatically won.

The Matador symbol behaves in a different manner during this time. The Matador symbol will upgrade the value of a number of random Coins in view and disappears on the next spin.

Persistent Matador symbols are a sticky version of regular Matadors that upgrade the values of a random number of Coin symbols after each spin until the Gladiator Bonus ends. A combination of Toro and Matador symbols does not trigger the Toro Goes Wild feature.

The Diaz symbol also behaves differently. Diaz will collect the value from all Coin symbols in view and then turns into a Coin with the collected value. The Diaz symbol has the power to trigger the Toro Goes Wild feature during this time.

Once active, Diaz will leave behind a new Coin with double his own value in a random position when he is knocked off by Toro during the Toro Goes Wild feature.

Persistent Diaz symbols are a sticky version of regular Diaz symbols that collect the values from all Coin symbols until the Gladiator Bonus ends. A combination of Toro and a Persistent Diaz symbol does not trigger the Toro Goes Wild feature. Landing a Diaz and Matador symbol in the same spin will activate all Matador symbols first and then all Diaz symbols.

Gladiatoro - Super Gladiator Bonus

Gladiatoro X-iter

Those outside the UK will have access to ELK Studios’ X-iter Feature. Here you can choose between 5 Bonus Buy options as follows.

  • Bonus Hunt – More than triples your chances of triggering the Gladiator Bonus for 3x your bet.
  • Matador Respin – One spin with 2 guaranteed Matador symbols. If the Gladiator Bonus is triggered, all Matador symbols will be transferred over as Persistent Matadors. This option costs 10x your bet.
  • Diaz – One spin with 1 guaranteed Diaz symbol. If the Gladiator Bonus is triggered, all Diaz symbols will be transferred over as Persistent Diaz symbols. This option costs 25x your bet.
  • Gladiator Bonus – 100x your bet.
  • Super Gladiator Bonus – Awards 1 Persistent symbol at the start of the round for a total cost of 500x your bet.

Gladiatoro: Our Verdict

Gladiatoro proved both entertaining and capable, yet we can’t shake the feeling that it’s not quite as good as some previous instalments.

There are some staple Toro mechanics like Toro Goes Wild, which has proven popular in each and every release, but the Hold’n’Win bonus round doesn’t quite evoke as much excitement as we’d like. We’re regularly critical of Hold’n’Win, but in it’s defence it does have seemingly evident popularity.

While Gladiator doesn’t stand out as an overly innovative instalment, it furthers the series for those with an affinity for the mighty Toro. It has decent potential with 10,000x as a maximum win, which please the statisticians among us.

Overall, Gladiatoro does its job well. It’s not a smash hit in our eyes, but it’s certainly worth a go, and it could grow on those that give it an audience.