Pug Thugs Of Nitropolis (Elk Studios) Slot Demo & Review

Today, I can tell you that we’re now one final step towards the long-awaited release of Elk Studio’s Nitropolis 5. How could I possibly know this? Because, today, I’m reviewing Pug Thugs of Nitropolis, the fourth and final slot in a mini-series focusing on each of the four main characters from the original Nitropolis series of slots. Before this, I brought you reviews of the Gritty Kitty, Rogue Rats, and Dirty Dawgs slots, and today, it’s the turn of Pug Thugs to fall under my microscope. If you’ve been following the story, these four characters were exiled from the Nitropolis police force by SGt Nitro Wolf, and as you see in each of their slots, they’ve been preparing for one final battle – which will be the theme of Nitropolis 5. Each title has offered something completely different so far, so I’m assuming the same again this time around. Pug Thugs is a 6×6 grid slot with a 94% RTP and a 25,000x maximum win.

Across the series, we’ve witnessed much deviation in reel setups, mechanics, and features, and Elk Studios is up to its old tricks again. We’ve had paylines, cluster pays, cascading reels, expanding grids, and more. This time, you receive payouts from matching symbols beginning from all four directions, can land Nitro Reels stacked up to 8, trigger feature screen modifiers such as coin collects and colossal symbols, and more. That’s before you consider two free spins bonus games and the return of the X-iter buy bonus options.

Are you as excited about this release as I am? Then, instead of listening to me, load up the free-to-play Pug Thugs demo slot below and check it out for yourself!

Pug Thugs of Nitropolis Slot
ProviderElk Studios
Reels6
Rows6
Paylines4
Bonus Rounds2
Bet Range0.20 - 100
VolatilityHigh
Max Win25,000x
Bonus BuyYes
RTP94.00%
Our Rating7.5

Pug Thugs Of Nitropolis Casino Bonus


Pug Thugs Of Nitropolis Demo Slot


Pug Thugs Of Nitropolis Slot Theme, Stakes, Pays & Symbols

Pug Thugs Of Nitropolis Slot Paytable
Pug Thugs of Nitropolis slot paytable

If this is your first introduction to Elk Studios or the developer’s popular Nitropolis series, you’ve just made this recommendation section incredibly easy. Of course, I already mentioned the three other slots in this spin-off series, Gritty Kitty, Rogue Rats, and Dirty Dawgs. However, much like a popular television series you’re about to binge-watch, you should always begin at the start. You can follow along the story by taking full advantage of our Nitropolis demo, Nitropolis 2 demo, Nitropolis 3 demo, and Nitropolis 4, which will lead you nicely onto the others in this mini-series. Then, as you know, Metropolis 5 is on its way, too.

There’s no point getting ahead of ourselves, as we still have Pug Thugs to help fill our time until then. This reminds me that I guess we should inspect the paytable to see what wins could come our way. The Pug Thug is the top dog, with 2x up for grabs when lined up six times across a win way. The Jetpack returns a maximum of 1.5x, the Laptop 1.2x, and the Cannon 1x. All that’s left is the Ace and King, which pay up to 0.7x, and the Queen and Jack, with a max return of 0.5x.

In terms of the betting options, this is an area that disappoints me slightly. The minimum bet of €0.20 is good, but there are only a handful of options before you reach the maximum of €100.00 per spin. Still, this has always been the case with Elk slots, so I’m confident you’ll still find a suitable entry point comparable to your balance.


Pug Thugs Of Nitropolis Slot Base Game & Modifiers

Pug Thugs Of Nitropolis Slot Base Game
Pug Thugs of Nitropolis slot base game

You can always count on Elk Studios to come up with innovative yet confusing slot mechanics, and that’s the case once again. The slot features a 6×6 grid, which is not uncommon. However, it uses a 4-Way Action mechanic, meaning you can create winning combinations starting from four directions. Paylines begin from the first reel or row at the top, left, right, or bottom of the grid, moving inwards either straight or diagonally.


Nitro Insane & Nitro Reels

Triggered randomly at the start of a spin, this feature creates a random number of nitro reels in the central 4×4 area of the grid. Nitro Reels are symbols that occupy one grid position but can contain a stack of up to 8 instances of the same symbol type. A number on them determines how many are within the stack.

If a Nitro Reel is created on top of another, the original symbol is upgraded to hold more symbols in its stack. 8 is the maximum size a Nitro Reel can grow to.


Winning Symbol Respins

All symbols involved in a winning combo, and any Nitro Reels, will respin after a win occurs.


Feature Screens

In each corner of the 6×6 are Feature Screens, which can randomly trigger one of four modifiers:

  • Make Big: Will randomly increase the size of a random symbol up to 2×2, 3×3, or 4×4 in size.
  • Nitro Wild: Will transform a random number of Nitro Reels into Nitro Wild Reels.
  • Nitro Match: Will transform all Nitro Reels symbols into the same as a randomly selected symbol.
  • Collect with a Chance of Coin Rain: This collects all values of any coin symbols on the reels. Those positions then respin if any additional coins land as a result of the respin. Triggered randomly, the Coin Rain feature will add additional Coin symbols to the grid.

Pug Thugs Of Nitropolis Slot Bonus Features

Pug Thugs Of Nitropolis Slot Free Spins Feature
Pug Thugs of Nitropolis slot free spins feature

The Pug Thugs slot has variations of the bonus game that can be triggered. So, let’s find out what these are and exactly how they work.


Free Spins Feature

If three or more regular bonus scatter symbols land anywhere in view, you trigger the standard free spins bonus. You’ll receive 6 free spins as standard but also some additional spins if there are extra triggering symbols. During free spins, the Nitro Insane features triggers on every spin.


Super Free Spins

If the Super Bonus scatter symbol is among the three scatters that land, you’ll trigger the Super Free Spins Bonus. During this variation of the bonus, all Nitro Reels are kept sticky throughout.


X-iter Bonus Buy

The X-iter bonus buy option is available for players in relevant jurisdictions and provides the following:

  • Nitro Insane: For 10x your current bet, the Nitro Insane feature is guaranteed to trigger.
  • Nitro Insane Plus: For 20x, you receive the above and a guaranteed Feature Screen modifier.
  • Bonus Game: For 100x, you can purchase the standard Free Spins Bonus.
  • Super Bonus Game: For 500x, this gives you the Super Free Spins Bonus.

Pros

  • Extremely engaging gameplay and storyline.
  • Great visuals and audio.

Cons

  • Low RTP of 94%.

Pug Thugs Of Nitropolis Slot Review Final Thoughts

Well, what a ride it has been throughout this four-part mini-series. I’ve had a great time checking out all four titles, some of which I enjoyed more than others. Personally, I think some of you may feel Elk Studios has left the best to last with Pug Thugs. I know it might not appeal to everyone due to the complicated mechanics, but the 4-Ways pay system offers something different, and the many features and modifiers the slot offers are sure to appeal to Elk's diehard fan base The only negative aspect of the series, and not just Pug Thugs, is the low RTPs. While I enjoyed the series and cannot wait for Nitropolis 5, I’ll probably only play these titles sparingly.

7.5

Good


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