Pirots X

Pirots X Review

The charming pirate parrots from ELK Studios' popular CollectR series are back in Pirots X slot, but this time they've ditched the CollectR win system for a more traditional Cluster Pays mechanic. Set against the backdrop of a treasure island, complete with a bird-shaped cave and a shipwreck in the distance, Pirots X features a 5x5 grid framed by wooden sticks.

Wins are achieved by landing 5+ matching symbols horizontally or vertically adjacent to one another. These winning clusters are then removed and replaced with new symbols via the Cascading mechanic, with each removed cluster spawning a Wild symbol. Wilds substitute for pay symbols to help create more cluster wins, and they can also split to be involved with multiple cluster wins and merge to create multiplier wilds that boost cluster wins.

Pirots X Slot - Reels Screen

The 4 pirate parrots are perched above the grid, inactive by default but ready to spring into action with a variety of modifiers and features. Keep an eye out for exploding bombs that clear symbols and expand the grid up to 7x7, big symbols that can reach up to 4x4 in size, and feature chests that can reveal nests, attracting the pirots onto the grid. Once active, these feathered pirates collect same-color symbols to increase the overall win multiplier, which keeps growing without resetting in both bonus round tiers.

Pirots X caters to both penny punters and high rollers with a betting range from €0.20 to €100 per spin. However, the game's RTP of 94 % is well below the industry average, a characteristic common to ELK slots these days, and the volatility is as high as in previous installments. The game boasts a 10,000x max win potential, on par with Pirots 2 and Pirots 3, though half of what you get in the original Pirots.

Pirots X Features

While the usual CollectR win mechanic is not included in Pirots X, the game is packed with bonus features and modifiers to cover. Let’s take a closer look!

Cascading Reels

All winning symbols in a winning cluster are removed from the grid, and the gaps are filled by existing and new symbols dropping down. This process goes on as long as new winning clusters are formed, allowing for indefinite wins per round.

The Pirots

The 4 pirate birds sit atop the grid and are activated when a nest symbol appears. A random pirot lands on the nest, and it can collect symbols of the same color after winning clusters have been removed. Each collected low-value symbol adds +1 to the global win multiplier, while collected premium symbols add +2.

The pirot flies back to the top of the grid after having collected at least one symbol within the same cascading sequence, or when it’s scared off by a bomb. The pirate birds can also be crushed by big symbols, get burned by exploding bombs, or fail to collect any symbols if there is no room to move toward symbols matching their respective colors.

Random Pirot Features

The Pirots can trigger random modifiers from their position atop the grid, and these work as follows:

• The Bomb explodes surrounding symbols for a redrop, excluding feature symbols and expanding the grid to size 7x7. The bomb feature can sometimes be triggered at the end of a cascading sequence.
• The Feature Release triggers when a pirot bird unlocks a treasure chest as the round starts, replacing a random number of regular-sized pay symbols with feature chest symbols. Each chest is unlocked to reveal wilds, nests, bombs, scatters, or super scatters. They can also reveal extra free spins in the bonus rounds.
• The Big Symbol drops a large symbol of the same color as the pirot, and it crushes regular 1x1-sized pay symbols except those of the same type. The big symbol counts as a block of 1x1-sized symbols in win calculations, and the maximum size is 4x4.

Wild Symbol Features

Wilds substitute for pay symbols to help complete or improve cluster wins, and they split to be part of multiple clusters if connecting with more than one winning cluster. If more than one wild partakes in the same cluster win, they merge into a multiplier wild with a multiplier equal to the number of wilds. The wild multiplier boosts come in addition to the global win multiplier boost.

Pirots X Free Spins

The regular Bonus Round triggers from 3 scatters on the same spin or within the same cascading sequence, awarding 5 free spins. The only difference from the base game is that the global win multiplier keeps building without ever resetting for the duration of the bonus round. You can win extra free spins via the free drop symbols.

The Super Bonus Round triggers from 2 regular scatters plus 1 super scatter in view, also awarding 5 free spins. The grid size expands to 7x7 for the duration of this feature, and you’re guaranteed a feature chest at the start of each super free spin.

Pirots X Slot - Free Spins

Pirots X Bonus Buy (not UK)

The X-iter bonus and feature buy menu is available in some jurisdictions, and found on the left-hand side:

• Bonus Hunt - pay 3x your stake to more than 3x your bonus round chances.
• Big Symbol - pay 5x your stake to get a big symbol up to size 4x4 on a 6x6-sized grid.
• Feature Release - pay 25x your stake to get a feature chest trigger with a maxed-out 7x7 grid.
• Bonus Round - pay 100x your stake to trigger the regular bonus round.
• Super Bonus Round - pay 500x your stake to trigger the super bonus round.

Pros and Cons of Pirots X

Our Verdict

While the CollectR mechanic has been a massive success for ELK Studios, it's understandable that they want to offer a Pirots installment with a win system that's more familiar to the average player. The CollectR system, while undeniably entertaining, unique, and innovative, can feel a bit repetitive and time-consuming after a while. It demands a level of attention more akin to a video game than a typical online slot, which might not appeal to all players.

With Pirots X game, you can now join these charming pirate parrots for another feature-rich adventure, this time with the popular Cluster Pays mechanic. I found the game to be highly enjoyable and an overall solid cluster-paying slot. The swashbuckling soundtrack, complete with "hey" and "hoo" pirate calls, is perhaps the best in the series so far, perfectly complementing the treasure island setting. It would be even more fun if ELK allowed more interaction with these rowdy birds, like having them perform antics when clicked on. Perhaps something to consider for future installments.

Having the pirots land in nest symbols on the grid to collect matching color symbols and build the overall win multiplier is a nice touch. It pays homage to the original CollectR installments while offering an innovative way to build potentially substantial multipliers. There are plenty of features to keep you entertained, including wilds that can merge into multiplier wilds for further boosted wins. The treasure chest feature stands out as particularly fun, revealing wilds, nests, and bombs, or potentially triggering the bonus or super bonus round.

When the win multiplier only keeps building during free spins, anything can happen, and you'll find yourself rooting for those birds to collect as many symbols as possible. The super bonus round, with its guaranteed chest feature per spin and a maxed-out 7x7 grid, offers a real shot at the 10,000x max win. Overall, Pirots X ELK StudiosELK Studios is a highly entertaining game, and while some players may miss the CollectR system, it's hard to complain when there are already 3 solid CollectR installments to choose from.