About Katmandu Gold
We are massive fans of ELK studios here at The Slot Buzz. Their back catalogue is stacked with fine games with clever and fun narratives and innovative gameplay. Some of the best are from the Kane series which follows an intrepid explorer who takes in some of the world’s most weird and remove locations in his search for gold, or as like to call it, epic wins! This time are freaky friend has landed in the stunning and enchanted city of Katmandu in Nepal, with the backdrop of the Himalayas and the mighty Everest to inspire him.
Like all their best games, ELK have given Katmandu Gold a big list of features to drive the gameplay. That includes a big expanding reels element to please those sick to death of the Megawaysâ„¢ series but not ready to leave those extra paylines behind, plus a whole host of other extras including colossal symbols, ice climbers which add wilds and transform symbols plus the usual set of free spins to boost your wins.
This is high variance gambling at its best and delivered in a stunning setting. Game on! Let’s find out more.
RTP, Variance and Top Payout
The volatility of Katmandu Gold is not savagely high, but it is high enough for most of us – we’re talking the usual long periods of low wins and dry spells before a heady combination of all those super symbols and extra rows kicks in to drive huge potential payouts. But do not let high variance ruins your inner peace! There’s plenty of fun features along the road. The game’s RTP  is variable – it goes from 96.2% in the base game up to 96.4% in the super bonus round and the top payout is set at 10,000x.
Symbols and PaytableÂ
On our 6×4, 4,096 payline reel set we have a mix of low and premium symbols.
The low value ones are the standard Jack through to Ace playing cards.
Medium icons are the elements of earth, air, fire, and water, whilst top paying ones are turtles, tigers, dragons, and, of course, Kane himself, acting as the highest value icon. The premiums deliver from 2x to 4x bet for six of a kind. Â Look out as well for the Wild which is there to substitute for all regular symbols to form winning lines, the bonus scatter which is there to trigger the Free Drops feature, and the Ice Climber which triggers its own feature with additional wilds and high-value icons.
Gameplay and Features
When we think about Katmandu, the first thought on our minds is normally peace and tranquility! Well, remember here that you are travelling with the adventurer Kane, so action and excitement all the way instead. This slot is stacked with cool features and top potential. Here is how it rolls:
Avalanches Feature
Avalanches trigger after every winning spin. We all know this one! Winning symbols are removed, and new icons appear in their place on the reels. The difference here is that you also get a new row with every successive win! Avalanches continue up to a maximum of 8 rows, and the reels re-set with any non-winning avalanche.
Big Symbols Feature
On every spin, players can land big, super, or mega symbols, so expect 2×2, 3×3, and even 4×4 icons on the reels. These can seriously boost your win chances.
Ice Climber Feature
Once you land the ice climber scatter, you will trigger the Ice Climber feature. All icons above the ice climber will be turned into wilds and premium icons, while every empty position under it will be filled with a wild. If triggered on the 8th row, ice climber will add an additional row, giving players a total of 531, 441 ways to win.
Expanding Wins Feature
Some icons will land with an arrow, pointing either up or down, or even both ways. When such a symbol is a part of the winning combination, it will expand in the direction pointed by the arrow, replacing all symbols in its way.
Free Drops Feature
Land three or more scatters on the reels and you will trigger the Free Drops feature. Depending on the number of scatters landed, players will trigger 10, 15, 20, or 25 free drops. Avalanches will be active, and we also get a win multiplier that starts at 1x and goes up by 1x every time an X bonus symbol appears on the reels.
Our Verdict
Katmandu Gold certainly has what it takes to become the best video slot in the Gold Series thanks to a fresh, popular location, exceptional visuals, and loads of interesting and rewarding additional features to enjoy. Following the Megaways™ revolution there are now lots of different variations on the expanding reels format of slots play, each finding clever alternative ways to trigger the expansion and weave the feature in with other gameplay. ELK’s own version, where the reels expand with each avalanche works to make this a tense slot where you’ll be crossing fingers that the win sequence keeps going and the Ice Climbers, extra wilds and multipliers can push the potential right up close to the 10,000x mark. It’s thrilling stuff for sure and we believe it makes this one of the top slots of 2020. Tread carefully if you choose to find out for yourself!
