Pacific Gold Slot Review
Elk Studios has crafted an exceptional addition to their renowned Gold series with Pacific Gold, a 6-reel slot that combines innovative mechanics with stunning visuals. We put this game through extensive testing and were thoroughly impressed by its feature depth and entertainment value. Whether you’re a seasoned player or exploring the Gold series for the first time, there’s plenty to love about Pacific Gold’s adventurous theme and sophisticated gameplay mechanics.
The slot is based on the legendary explorer Kane’s mysterious 1953 plane disappearance over the Pacific Ocean, giving the game a genuine sense of adventure and mystery. Our team discovered that Pacific Gold delivers on multiple fronts: impressive maximum win potential, creative new features, and engaging bonus mechanics that keep the action flowing.
Game Overview
- Provider: Elk Studios
- Game Type: Video Slot
- Reels: 6
- Rows: 4-8 (expandable)
- Ways to Win: 4,096 base, expanding to 262,144
- RTP: 95.0%
- Volatility: High (7/10)
- Min Bet: 0.20 GBP/EUR
- Max Bet: 100 GBP/EUR
- Maximum Win: 10,000x stake (up to 1,000,000 at maximum bet)
- Theme: Adventure, Mystery, Kane Explorer Series
Pacific Gold stands out within Elk’s portfolio as one of their most feature-rich releases. The game uses an expandable grid system that grows from a base 6×4 configuration to 6×8 during winning sequences, dramatically increasing win potential. Our testing confirmed the exceptional responsiveness of the grid mechanics and the smooth integration of cascading features that make each spin feel dynamic and engaging.
Base Game & Features
Pacific Gold’s base game mechanics are where this slot truly shines. We found the feature interactions to be exceptionally well-crafted, with each mechanic complementing the others to create an incredibly entertaining experience. The game features a remarkable collection of mechanics that work together seamlessly:
- Avalanche Feature: Winning symbols disappear and are replaced with new ones, with an additional row added with each win cycle. This can expand the grid from 4,096 ways to win up to an impressive 262,144 ways as rows increase to the maximum 8.
- Pacific Wave: Horizontal stacks of identical symbols appear (1×2, 1×3, or 1×4), with empty spaces beneath automatically filled by Wild Symbols. This creates additional winning opportunities during cascading sequences.
- Big Symbols: Colossal symbols appear as 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4 blocks, covering substantial portions of the grid and dramatically increasing win potential when they land.
- Power Stack: A 1×1 symbol that represents a stack of 4 identical symbols. Remarkably, this grows by 2 instances with each avalanche cycle while inactive, potentially becoming more rewarding as the cascades progress.
- Ghost Box: One of our favourite innovations in this slot. The Ghost Box collects all symbols in winning combinations and breaks apart larger symbols into individual 1×1 units. Notably, it persists during Free Spins when purchased via Super Bonus, creating extended opportunities for massive wins.
- Wild Symbols: Substitute for any symbol except Pacific Wave, Power Stack, Ghost Box, and Bonus Symbols, providing essential win completion throughout the base game.
Our team was genuinely impressed by how these features chain together. The base game is incredibly engaging with unique and stylish design, and the longer individual spin sequences created by cascades, oversized tiles, waves, and boxes chaining together make each spin feel exciting and unpredictable.
Bonus Features & Free Spins
The bonus round is where Pacific Gold truly demonstrates its sophisticated design. Our testing revealed multiple paths to significant wins through well-implemented free spin mechanics and purchase options.
Free Drops Bonus Round
Land 3, 4, 5, or 6 bonus scatter symbols anywhere in view to trigger the Free Drops Bonus, awarding 10, 15, 20, or 25 free spins respectively. During the bonus round, the grid’s Safety Level advances one row per win, potentially reaching all 8 rows and unlocking the maximum 262,144 ways to win. Crucially, at least one Pacific Wave is guaranteed to drop each spin, and any Ghost Boxes that appear persist until the bonus ends. The free spins can retrigger, giving players extended opportunities to hit substantial wins.
X-iter Bonus Buy
Pacific Gold offers strategic flexibility through the X-iter Bonus Buy system, available in 5 tiers: Big Drop (5x bet), Pacific Wave (10x), Ghost Box (25x), Bonus (100x), and Super Bonus (500x). This feature is perfect for high rollers who want to immediately experience different bonus modes and enjoy enormous wins through direct purchase. We found this adds genuine strategic depth for experienced players.
Important: Due to UK Gambling Commission regulatory restrictions on bonus buys, the X-iter Bonus Buy feature is not available to UK players. British players can still access the Free Drops Bonus through natural scatter triggers.
Visual Design & Atmosphere
Pacific Gold features stunning graphics with beautiful environmental design. The setting portrays a mysterious jungle landscape with rocks, a serene lake, small waterfalls, and lush greenery, creating an immersive atmosphere that rivals many modern slots. The graphics quality easily competes with contemporary releases, showcasing Elk’s commitment to visual excellence.
Our team found the overall aesthetic to be solid and mysterious, fitting the Kane adventure theme perfectly. That said, there is an acknowledged design choice here: the dark, foreboding background visuals contrast with the brightly coloured symbols on the reels. Some players find this creates an odd dynamic, though most appreciate the overall visual quality despite this aesthetic contrast. The theme is expertly crafted around Kane’s legendary disappearance, giving every spin a sense of adventure and discovery.
The game is optimized for multiple platforms, with particularly excellent portrait mode support on mobile devices. Pacific Gold is one of the few slots that’s actually better played in portrait mode due to its extended rows, making it ideal for mobile players who prefer that orientation.
Symbols & Payouts
Pacific Gold uses a diverse symbol set reflecting the adventure theme. Our verification found that Kane serves as the highest-paying symbol, followed by totem pole figures as mid-high payouts. Coloured square symbols (red, purple, green, blue) provide medium payouts, with classic card symbols (Ace, King, Queen, Jack) making up the low-value category. This traditional paytable structure ensures players understand their win potential at a glance.
Verdict
- Rating: 7.5/10
Pacific Gold is an exceptional slot that showcases Elk Studios’ expertise in feature design and game mechanics. Our team is happy to report that this is one of the most feature-rich online slots available, with multiple innovative mechanics working in perfect harmony. The Ghost Box is genuinely clever, the Pacific Wave adds engaging win opportunities, and the overall interplay of features is as good as any Gold series game we’ve tested.
What Pacific Gold Does Well: The feature quality is where this slot excels. Innovative mechanics like the Power Stack and Ghost Box are brand new innovations that are highly impressive. The free spins bonus is engaging, the maximum win of 10,000x places Pacific Gold in the upper tier of Gold series games, and the visual design is genuinely stunning. The game remains fair—Elk Studios games are not ripping players off despite RTP concerns. For high rollers, the X-iter bonus buy system provides strategic flexibility and immediate access to varied bonus experiences.
What Holds It Back: The 95% RTP is the most significant drawback and represents a genuine point of contention. This is below industry average compared to modern slots offering 96% or higher. Combined with the high volatility (7/10), players will need to handle longer spells without sizeable wins. The game’s complexity, while a strength for experienced players, makes it less suitable for beginners who may find the mechanics overwhelming.
Who Should Play: Pacific Gold is recommended for fans of Elk Studios and Gold series enthusiasts, particularly experienced players who appreciate sophisticated feature mechanics and high volatility. This slot is clearly positioned for high rollers and players seeking strategic depth. It’s not ideal for casual players or those seeking higher theoretical returns, as the 95% RTP and complexity will likely disappoint.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the RTP of Pacific Gold slot?
Pacific Gold has an RTP (Return to Player) of 95%. This is standard for Elk Studios’ Gold series games, and the RTP applies whether you play in regular mode or when the X-iter bonus mode is active. -
What is the maximum win in Pacific Gold slot?
Pacific Gold has a maximum win of 10,000x your stake. This means with a one-pound spin, the biggest win possible on the slot can total 10,000 pounds (at 1x bet) or up to 1,000,000 at the maximum bet of 100. -
How volatile is Pacific Gold slot?
Pacific Gold is rated as a medium/high volatility slot at 7/10 on Elk’s volatility scale. This means wins come less frequently but can potentially be larger when they do occur, with fluctuations expected on your bankroll in longer sessions. -
How many ways to win does Pacific Gold have?
Pacific Gold starts with 4,096 ways to win on a 6-reel, 4-row grid. However, when you hit winning combinations and trigger the Avalanche feature, the game adds extra rows (up to 8 total), which expands the ways to win to a maximum of 262,144. -
What are the bonus features in Pacific Gold slot?
Pacific Gold includes several bonus features: Avalanche (cascading wins with expanding rows), Ghost Box (collecting symbol that gathers winning symbols), Pacific Wave (horizontal symbol stacks that create wild fills), Big Symbols (colossal 2×2 to 4×4 symbols), Free Drops Bonus Round (triggered by 3-6 scatters for 10-25 free spins), and X-iter Bonus Buy (purchase bonus access with tiers from 5x to 500x bet). -
How do you trigger free spins in Pacific Gold?
Free spins in Pacific Gold are triggered by landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 bonus scatter symbols anywhere in view, which awards 10, 15, 20, or 25 free spins respectively. The free spins can retrigger, and you can also buy into the bonus feature for 100x your stake (or 500x for an enhanced version with a persistent Ghost Box). -
What is the Avalanche feature in Pacific Gold?
The Avalanche feature in Pacific Gold works by removing winning symbols from the reels after a winning combination. New symbols fall down to fill the empty spaces, and an additional row is added with each Avalanche. This can continue up to 8 total rows, expanding from 4,096 ways to win all the way up to 262,144 ways. -
Is Pacific Gold available to UK players?
Pacific Gold is available to most players, though some bonus buy features may have regional restrictions. The X-iter Bonus Buy feature (specifically the bonus purchase options) is not available to UK players due to regulatory restrictions on bonus buys in the United Kingdom.
