Man vs Gator Slot Overview

Man vs Gator is a casino slot from ELK Studios in which the provider steps into a territory familiar to most of you degens out there.

No, we’re not claiming that a 1-star motel by the swamps of Florida is a well-known domain for you guys, we are strictly talking about the mechanics that we’ll delve into in a bit. But yeah, the Everglades is our destination in this new ELK story. When Nolimit City went to the States with Land of the Free, it was full of offensive stereotypes and absurd graphics. While we find that hilarious, we like to see that ELK takes on a theme like this in a more PG-13 way, managing to create a fun setting without stepping on too many toes. No human toes, that is. The alligators may not be too happy as they were neither invited to the BBQ, and have also ended up on the grill. But hey, that’s life. These Floridians just want to celebrate the 4th of July, and the gators are looking to stop that. Let’s see who comes out on top.

A screenshot of the basegame view

Man vs Gator is a video slot from ELK Studios with a setup of 5 reels, 5 rows, and 259 paylines. Players can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.20 and a Max.bet of 100. The game has a default RTP of 94%, placing it a bit below the industry average. Its hit frequency of 24.3% implies that, on average, you can expect a winning combination on every 4th spin or so. Lastly, Man vs Gator is played at high volatility and can net you a max win of 10000x the bet.

Mechanically, Man vs Gator is a bit more straightforward than many ELK’s. Familiar Wild Reels are what you’re looking for! The features of Man vs Gator are Nudging Wilds, Stacked Multiplier Wilds, Free Spins, and Feature Buys (X-iter).

Man vs Gator Slot Information

The game takes place by the pool at a motel. The light is out on two of the stars, indicating that it’s quite rundown. But to be honest, it looks pretty alright. Palm trees surround it, and a nice little flamingo is in the water. Simply put; a great place for a barbeque. Until the gators come knocking, that is. 

Man vs Gators can be played on most common mobile devices and desktops. A winning combination is created by landing 3 or more matching symbols on consecutive reels within the game’s paylines. 

The lower-paying symbols consist of Q, K, A, Boxing gloves, and Gas canisters. Five-of-a-kind with these pays 0.25x-0.60x the bet. The higher-paying symbols include Blue alligator and Red alligator. A full line of 5 with one of these pays 1x (Blue) or 5x (Red) the bet. Scatter symbols and Wild symbols in different forms are also available, but more on that in a bit. 

Man vs Gator Slot Features

What is the max win in the slot Man vs Gator?

You can win up to 10000x the bet.

What features are available in the slot Man vs Gator?

The features of Man vs Gator are Nudging Wilds, Stacked Multiplier Wilds, Free Spins, and Feature Buys (X-iter).

A screenshot of 2 Stacked Multiplier Wilds

Nudging Wilds

Nudging Wilds can either come in the form of an Alligator or a Floridaman. These will either nudge up or down one position per spin until they are out of view. As long as one is on the grid, the re-spins are free of cost. If there’s also a Stacked Multiplier Wild out simultaneously, the Nudging Wilds will upgrade the multiplier value on its respective Stacked Multiplier Wild (Red on red, blue on blue). 

Stacked Multiplier Wilds

Stacked Multiplier Wilds can land on any reel. This triggers a multiplier fight (similar to the one in Wanted Dead or a Wild), where the Floridaman has one multiplier value, and the Alligator has one. A random one is chosen and applied to the Wild. This also triggers a Re-spin, where the Stacked Multiplier Wild stays in its position. If you land a new Stacked Multiplier Wild or a Nudging Wild on the re-spin, you’ll keep re-spinning. 

Free Spins

Landing 3 or more Scatter symbols triggers 5 spins in the Free Spins feature. During Free Spins, all Stacked Multiplier Wilds are kept sticky throughout the bonus. Free Spins are not consumed during Re-spins. 

If you trigger the bonus with 4 Scatter symbols, you’ll start with 1 Stacked Multiplier Wild, and if you trigger it with 5 Scatters, you start with 2. 

If you land 3 or more Scatters during the bonus, you are awarded 5 extra spins. If you land 4, you’ll get 1 Stacked Multiplier Wild on the next Free Spin, and if you land 5, you’ll get 2 on the next Free Spin.

A screenshot of the Super Free Spins

Feature Buys (X-iter)

The following X-iter Feature Buys are up for grabs:

2x = Activates the Bonus Hunt, giving you more than 3 times the chance to trigger Free Spins. 

10x = Guarantees that a Stacked Multiplier Wild lands on the next spin.

25x = Guarantees that 2 Stacked Multiplier Wilds land on the next spin.

100x = Triggers the Free Spins with a minimum of 3 Scatter symbols.

500x = Triggers the Free Spins with 5 Scatter symbols, guaranteeing that 2 Stacked Multiplier Wilds land on the first spin.

Man vs Gator Slot Conclusion

Usually, when we get to this point, ready to write a conclusion on a new ELK game, we feel overwhelmed. The feature list is often longer than the Indian Constitution (we just googled what the longest constitution in the world is). But in Man vs Gator, ELK goes back to basics, using a simple mechanic that has proven to be one of, if not the most, popular one on the market. Wild reels have been used in many different variations, but the one with the multiplier battle that Hacksaw made famous with Wanted Dead or a Wild is, by our understanding, the most popular one. We know a lot of people are opposed to providers “borrowing” mechanics from other providers, but we’re all for it. Sure, it might be in bad faith at times, but anything that pushes the industry forward and results in banger games is A-okay for us. 

But what we think made Wanted Dead or a Wild so successful is not only the Wild reels but the way they were implemented. They brought an explosiveness to the table that we had seldom seen before. Many bonuses could end up paying absolutely nothing, but you could also get 5 Wild reels randomly on one spin and get the max win. For a game with such simple mechanics to thrive in today’s slot climate, we believe that it needs that sort of volatility, and it’s unclear if Man vs Gator has that firepower. We did a bunch of regular and super bonuses and rarely got the feeling that something huge could be lurking around the corner. Of course, our sample size is too small to determine that, but we know that ELK often caters to players looking for games with fantastic graphics and innovative mechanics and not so much to dreamers. What we’re trying to say is that the game may lack the volatility a game like this requires to become a blockbuster, but we still enjoyed playing it. It feels reliable, has a funny theme, and frequent features. Perhaps not ELK’s most interesting release ever, but a solid one at that. 

Man vs Gator from ELK Studios offers Wild reels galore in the swamp. Beware of gators!