Illogicool: Slot Overview

Illogicool is an online slot from ELK Studios, a developer rapidly making a name for itself in the weirder corner of the genre. Illogicool is a strange little title that follows an equally eccentric release called Tropicool. That game revolved around two birds on a tropical island set in Antarctica, of all places. With Illogicool, the setting shifts to somewhere vastly colder – the frozen reaches of outer space. A space trip might sound more conventional than a flamingo and a toucan chilling on an icy beach near the south pole, but ELK still packs Illogicool with plenty of off-the-wall moments.

The presentation kicks off with a Space Jam-style vibe where live-action elements collide with cartoonish characters. The “real” part comes via two explorers (one male, one female), while everything else is handled by CGI-like scenery and furry, Cluster Slide-esque creatures known as Troubles. As for the backdrop, it’s pretty slick: two astronauts tapping at screens from floating chairs, framed by a huge portal window staring out into the universe. Solid stuff, and once again the audio is excellent, delivering an absurdly strong blend of samples, beats, and a Western-style plod.

Under the hood, Illogicool carries over many of the same core stats as its predecessor. That includes an RTP of 95% and a fairly high volatile math model. The layout is different, though not dramatically, with play taking place on a grid of 6 reels and 6 rows. This time the special Cool reel across the top is more closely tied to the main set because standard symbols can land there too. Wins are formed by collecting coins when matching symbols connect left to right in any row starting from the left, giving 46,656 ways to win. You can launch into the cosmos on any device, and regular stakes run from 20 p/c to $/€100 per spin.

The symbol set is a quirky blend. Low pays are neon J-A card ranks, each returning 0.3x the stake, while mid pays include computers, ray guns, and spaceships, paying 0.6-1.2x the bet for six of a kind. At the top sit the male and female space people, appearing in 1×1 or 1×2 size, where six of them award 1.5-2 times your stake. For extra help, 3 types of wilds can appear at different moments – a standard wild, a Monster Wild, and a Locked Wild. All wilds substitute for regular paying symbols to complete winning ways.

Illogicool: Slot Features

As you’d expect, there are a few familiar touches from Tropicool, along with a good handful of fresh ideas too. Strap in, and let’s run through them.

Cascades

Every winning combination on the grid is removed after its payout is awarded. The remaining symbols on the main grid then fall to plug the empty spaces. This continues for as long as wins keep landing, and once the chain ends, symbols drop down from the Cool Reel to fill the gaps below, after which the Cool Reel refills. If a Feature Symbol drops from the Cool Reel, it becomes active.

Troubles

Trouble symbols activate when they fall from the Cool Reel. These fluffy characters can create areas that change the symbols beneath them into the same symbol type, functioning like a more advanced mystery-style mechanic. There are also sticky Troubles that reproduce and spread into neighbouring cells on the main grid, transforming those positions into the same symbol type as well – pays or wilds. Alternatively, if Troubles are overlaid on Bonus symbols, they are upgraded to Super Bonus Symbols.

Feature Symbols

Feature Symbols like Wilds and Locked Wilds don’t need to drop; they’re active wherever they appear. Wilds are straightforward, while Locked Wilds stay on the grid for 3 wins. Monster Wilds trigger when they fall onto non-Cool rows. Once triggered, Monster Wilds expand up and down to cover non-winning symbols on their reel.

Bonus Game

Hitting 3, 4, 5, or 6 Bonus or Super Bonus symbols grants 10, 15, 20, or 25 free drops. Super Bonus Symbols provide a starting win multiplier of x5, x10,x15, x20, x25, or x30 when 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 are present. In the bonus, two new symbols are added to the Cool Reel: Extra Drop symbols give 1, 2, or 5 extra free spins, and the Win Multiplier symbol boosts the win multiplier by +1, +2, or +3.

X-iter Feature Buy

If you’re happy to spend a bit more to jump straight into Illogicool’s strongest moments, enabling the bonus option lets you pick from five choices on the X-iter menu:

• Guaranteed win – 5x the bet ensures a winning game round.
• Locked Wilds – 10x the bet purchases a round featuring at least 3 Locked Wilds symbols in the first drop.
• Troubles – 25x the bet for a round with at least 2 Troubles next to each other, triggering sticky Troubles.
• Buy Bonus – 100x the bet awards a round with 3-6 Bonus symbols.
• Super Bonus – 500x the bet buys a round with 3-6 Bonus Symbols, with at least 2 being Super Bonus Symbols, meaning the starting multiplier will be x10 at minimum.

Illogicool: Slot Verdict

Overall, Illogicool is another entertaining ELK title, packed with humour, excitement, and a hefty set of mechanics to get through. The gameplay has a pleasing rhythm and there’s nothing dodgy going on. That said, it didn’t land quite as strongly as many of their other releases, and the main reason is largely cosmetic, because aside from the slightly annoying RTP, Illogicool’s features run smoothly.

The biggest snag is that the cartoon/real-world mix feels a touch awkward, with the in-house “real” heroes standing out a bit too much. This kind of blend can work in something like Jurassic Park, where recognisable faces share the screen with cartoon dinos, but Illogicool’s version didn’t feel entirely natural. That’s only an observation though, and it’s entirely possible other players will love the Who Framed Roger Rabbit vibe, or won’t even clock it.

It’s much easier to ignore that side of Illogicool when the Troubles, cascades, drops, and everything else are falling your way. As with ELK’s other games that include an X-iter menu, the more you’re willing to pay, the more likely you are to squeeze maximum enjoyment out of Illogicool in less time. It would be great to see stat comparisons for those options, similar to how Nolimit City has been transparent in recent releases. For example, comparing the natural odds of triggering free spins with a starting x10 multiplier versus buying them for 500x the bet would be genuinely interesting. Just a thought. However you choose to play, the max win tops out at 10,000x.

Illogicool’s slightly uneven visuals meant it didn’t feel quite as cohesive as ELK’s games often do. Still, it delivered plenty of exciting moments during testing. Troubles are enjoyable, and the quirky originality mostly works, making Illogicool a solid step forward for the ‘cool’ range’.