Giraffalot Slot Review
The fate of Catalot rests in your hands! After a well-deserved victory, the Kingdom of Catalot enjoys a fragile peace, but what’s left of the castle lies in ruin, and resources are limited. To restore honour & glory, King Leonhart must seek the Holy Chalice and put its endless magic to use.
Sending his most trusted Knight, Sir Giraffalot, to do his bidding, he walks the path of forgotten lands & abandoned strongholds in search of the Holy Chalice, but will he be successful in his endeavours?
Giraffalot is the latest release from ELK Studios since the release of Crescendo. ELK Studios is a reputable software developer, responsible for the popular Nitropolis series & multiple Gold releases. Since the Battle of Nitropolis came to a climactic end, ELK Studios has toned down on the features & mechanics in more recent releases.
Crescendo still possesses the anticipation & excitement that comes with an ELK Studios release, but it wasn’t quite as detailed or fulfilling in terms of its features and mechanics. Will the magic of Redrops and Modifiers return to the reels in Giraffalot, or can we expect something new & enticing?
With a fixed RTP of 94% and a high (7/10) volatility score, Giraffalot awards payouts worth up to 10,000x your bet, in addition to Expanding Wilds, Multipliers, Super Spins, and an epic Free Spins session.
Continue reading our full Giraffalot slot review for further insights into its features, mechanics, and our honest opinion & rating…
Base Game & Features
Giraffalot is a 5-reel, 4-row video slot with 26 fixed pay lines and a range of popular slot themes, including Animal, Safari, & Medieval. Wins are granted on the reels when 3, 4, or 5 identical symbols appear on adjacent reels, starting from reel 1.
The 4 high-paying symbols represent Safari Animals (Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, & Meerkats), and the remaining low-paying symbols fall to card ranks, A, K, Q, & J. After a winning combination has been evaluated, a fixed payout between 0.15x and 10x your bet is awarded.
Wild Symbols
During gameplay, Wild symbols can appear on all reels, substituting for all paytable symbols as part of a winning combination. Having a 5-of-a-kind Wild pay line awards a fixed payout of 25x your bet.
When an Expanding Wild symbol appears on reel 2 or 4, it will expand to cover the entire reel it is currently on, awarding +1 Respin. During the Respin feature, Wilds, Scatters, & Spreading Wilds that appear will remain sticky on the reels. If an additional Expanding Wild appears, it will grant another Respin per outcome.
Spreading Wilds can only appear on reel 3 during gameplay. Once in view, they will either transform a high-paying (animal) symbol into Wilds, increase the Multiplier of transformed Wilds, or increment an Expanding Wild Multiplier. Spreading Wilds may also retrigger in the same session or during the Respin feature.
Wild Combo
If a transformed Spreading Wild persists on the same reel as an Expanding Wild after expansion, the entire reel upgrades to a Wild Reel, which takes on the combined Multiplier from all existing Wilds on that reel.
Super Spin
At the start of any base game spin or Respin feature, a Super Spin may be triggered, allowing all low-paying (card rank) symbols to be removed from the reels, leaving only special symbols & high-paying (animal) instances available for that spin.
Giraffalot Free Spins
Landing Scatter symbols on reels 1, 3, & 5 in the base game triggers the Free Spins mode, awarding 5 Free Spins. Additionally, activating the Super Free Spins mode is awarded when a single Super Scatter lands at the same time as 2 standard Scatters, triggering 5 Super Free Spins.
In the Free Spins mode, Expanding Wilds can now appear on reels 1, 2, 4, & 5, working similarly to the base game, awarding Respins when they appear in view. During the Super Free Spins mode, 1-4 Expanding Wilds are guaranteed to land in each spin.
X-iter
Players may purchase any of the following X-iter Features:
- Bonus Hunt: Awards a single spin with more than 4 times the chance of triggering a Free Spins mode for 2.5x your bet
- Mega Bonus Hunt: Guarantees one spin with more than 10 times the chance of triggering a Free Spins mode for 5x your bet per spin
- Magic Spin: Triggers a spin with 2 Expanding Wilds guaranteed for 50x your bet. If the Free Spins mode triggers, it will upgrade to Super Free Spins
- Free Spins: Instant access to the Free Spins mode for 100x your bet
- Super Free Spins: Direct entry to the Super Free Spins mode, where 1-4 Expanding Wilds are guaranteed per spin, for 500x your bet
Each of the above options includes a theoretical RTP of 94%.
Giraffalot has a maximum win potential of 10,000x your bet. If a single session exceeds this figure, the current mode ends, and the player returns to the base game with the qualifying amount.
Our Honest Verdict
As is the case with Crescendo, Giraffalot doesn’t quite achieve the status of the Nitropolis series; however, it’s a solid game that turns from the usual status quo, while retaining stunning visuals & feature-rich gameplay.
ELK Studios has combined several popular themes into Giraffalot, with an engaging storyline and an interesting title to match. In true ELK fashion, each base game spin can conjure up a mix of interesting elements, mostly Expanding & Spreading Wilds.
Expanding Wilds, while limited to reels 2 & 4, can deliver some pretty impressive wins when they appear in the same spin, due to their Win Multipliers. Failing that, a single Respin is guaranteed for a chance to land additional Expanding Wilds and further payouts.
Another important symbol to be on the lookout for is Spreading Wilds, which appear only on reel 3. Once a Spreading Wild hits, it will award further Wilds or enhance the current Multiplier of available Wild symbols, including Expanding Wilds.
In the Free Spins mode, Expanding Wilds can now appear on reels 1, 2, 4, & 5, giving players ample opportunities to achieve the 10,000x max win potential. Alternatively, in Super Free Spins, between 1 & 4 Expanding Wilds are guaranteed per spin.
If you’re lucky enough to benefit from the X-iter Features, you can head straight into both Free Spins modes for a fixed price, with the Super Free Spins costing 500x your bet. It’s quite a steep buy, and not a decision to be made lightly, but many benefits come with this option.
All in all, Giraffalot is a subtle yet worthy addition to ELK Studios’ glowing portfolio, revisiting timeless features & mechanics, with the chance for UK players to benefit from a Super Free Spins mode & certain X-iter features.
*The images found in this slot review are currently from Demo Play. On average, our reviews are written prior to the initial release date and before real play is available.
