There’s only one thing you can think after you first load up the new Buffalo Toro video slot by Elk Studios: “Damn, that’s one big grid!”. The 6×4 playfield is huge, taking up a large chunk of the screen even on the biggest displays. This maybe isn’t one to try playing using a smartwatch! There are 4,096 pay ways spanning this much bigger than usual slot machine, whilst winnings are capped at 50,000x the current stake. It isn’t clear how realistic a goal that is, but if you did manage to hit that mark, you would forfeit any remaining free spins. All good so far, but the RTP of just 94% is a little bit low and could be enough to turn some players off.
ELK Studios trademark X-iter feature buy mechanic has been implemented once again in Buffalo Toro, allowing players to jump straight to many of the game’s best features for a predetermined cash fee. That includes both the regular and super bonus rounds, the three-spin “Rampage Reels” feature, and the Toro Goes Wild and Matador base game modifiers. The main bonus rounds award between eight and 20 free spins depending on the number of triggering scatters.
There’s lots to see in this game, so why not finish reading our review and fire up our free demo slot of Buffalo Toro, available to play below?
| Provider | Elk Studios |
| Reels | 6 |
| Rows | 4 |
| Paylines | 4,096 |
| Bonus Rounds | 1 |
| Bet Range | 0.20 - 50 |
| Volatility | High |
| Max Win | 50,000x |
| Bonus Buy | Yes |
| RTP | 94.00% |
| Our Rating | 8.3 |
Buffalo Toro Slot Casino Bonuses
Buffalo Toro Slot Free Play
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Buffalo Toro Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols
We couldn’t possibly write this review without mentioning the fact that Buffalo Toro has taken quite a lot of inspiration from the Buffalo and Buffalo Gold franchises of land-based slots from Aristocrat. That “inspiration” applies at every level here, including the species and specific look to the creatures on the reels, the sunset mystery symbol, and the symbol upgrade feature included in the bonus round. It’s a little bit cheeky, but as the best Buffalo Gold slots are still exclusive to the land-based casino market, you can’t blame other developers for doing their best to duplicate their success.
ELK Studios seem to have a bit of a thing with the word Toro, don’t they? The developer has used the term several times when naming their previous online slot releases, and if my research is correct, their Buffalo Toro slot game is set to be the sixth game and what has become something of a franchise for them. It all started with Wild Toro, a game of the year winner back in 2017, after which ELK has just kept on riding the wave of that success with titles such as Book of Toro, Wild Toro II, Toro 7’s, and of course this one – Buffalo Toro video slot. These follow-ups have all been generally well received by the slot spinning public, but so far, none of them has claimed as much praise from the critics as the first of the series. Will ELK manage to change that with the release of Buffalo Toro? I guess as they say, only time will tell.
The paytable for a game like this must represent a real challenge for the developer, as the large number of pay ways will always limit the amount that can be offered for any winning combinations. Unsurprisingly then, the Buffalo sitting at the top of the table will only pay you 6x your bet for a complete pay way of six-of-a-kind, so you will have to cross your fingers that the stacked layout of most symbols might contribute towards boosting your winnings. Next up, we have the Eagle and the Tiger, both of which will pay you 3x your bet for all six, whilst the Wolf and the Bear each return 2.4x for six-of-a-kind. The wild and scatter symbols have no special award, so the wild will pay 6x like the Buffalo, while the scatters reward you with additional free spins instead of cash.
With such a huge grid, you could understand if the minimum bet on a game like this was set at a very high level, but I guess ELK worked around that somehow. The developer has implemented a minimum stake of €0.20 per spin, while the maximum bet of €50.00 seems like plenty for almost every player.
Base Game & Modifiers
So, we finally get down to taking this bad boy for a spin! You have to admire the high-quality graphics and silky-smooth animation after you first begin to play – Buffalo Toro online slot looks fantastic and moves even better. The action takes place on an enormous 6×4 grid, with all symbols appearing in stacks except for the wild, scatter, and bonus symbols. We have a bucketload of special features to talk about as well, starting with:
Walking Wild Modifiers
Toro is a walking wild symbol that will grant you free re-spins until he has left the screen via the left-most reel. When Toro first lands, you will be paid for any winning combinations currently shown on the screen, after which Toro will move one position to the left before starting your first re-spin. This procedure will repeat until all Toro symbols have left the screen.
Toro Goes Wild Modifier
The walking wild feature can be further enhanced by landing a Toro simultaneously with one or more Matador symbols. During the Toro Goes Wild feature, Toro will move vertically and then horizontally to knock over the Matador. As Toro moves, he will leave a trail of wild symbols in his wake, continuing to attack until he has defeated all Matadors on screen.
Matador Respins
Landing two or Matador symbols at once will award you a Matador re-spin, which is an extra chance to land a Toro and trigger the Toro Goes Wild feature. Any Matador on the screen will become sticky and lock in place for the duration of the re-spins, including any additional Matador’s that land from a re-spin. If no Matador or Toro symbols appear, the feature will end.
Buffalo Toro Slot Free Spins Feature
That’s the base game mods out of the way, but we certainly aren’t done yet – ELK Studios have also included a bunch of special features based around a free spin format. The number of free spins won is determined by the number of triggering scatter symbols, beginning with eight spins for three scatters, 12 spins for four, 16 spins for five, or a massive 20 free spins for all six scatter symbols.
During both regular and super free spins, an additional golden buffalo symbol is added to the reels and collecting these will fill the progress meter shown at the top of the screen. Each time another animal is unlocked, all its symbols will transform into the top-paying Buffalo symbol. If you complete the full progress bar then all animal symbols are now Buffalo, near-guaranteeing a high-paying feature!
Super Bonus Feature With Rampage Reels
There is a single super bonus symbol on the sixth reel, which you will need to catch to activate this enhanced version of the bonus round. In the Super Bonus, you will find Rampage Reels activate randomly, containing nothing but high-paying Buffalo symbols. For every three golden buffalo that you collect, another reel will have the Rampage Reels feature activated.
At the beginning of each free spin, between one and the current maximum number of Rampage Reels will activate and become a locked stack of Buffalo. The number of Rampage Reels will change from spin to spin, but if you manage to unlock all six, you stand a good chance of some highly profitable free spins!
X-iter- Bonus Buy Feature
If you like to use the bonus buy option of many slots to bypass the regular base game grinding, then you will love the X-iter option ELK builds into their games. This enhanced bonus buy option allows you to pay 500x your bet to go straight to the Super Bonus, 100x for the regular Bonus, 50x your bet for some Toro Re-Spins, 25x for Toro Goes Wild, or 10x for the Matador Re-Spins.
Some of these options should even be allowed in jurisdictions such as UKGC-licensed casinos. However, the technicalities and legalities will be up to ELK and the regulators to iron out.
Buffalo Toro Slot Review Final Thoughts
I have to say; this machine is as close to the true Buffalo Gold slot machine experience as you are likely to get without jetting over to Las Vegas and sitting down to play the machine in person. I love the massive feature set, especially the Super Bonus and the Rampage Reels, and on the whole, I think this could be the game to return the Toro franchise to its former greatness. Nice going, ELK!
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