Voodoo Gold (ELK Studios): Overview

You have to give Kane credit: he has a talent for ending up in perilous situations that would overwhelm most people. Not him. He somehow turns them to his advantage—one day he’s a king in Tahiti, the next he’s uncovering the Temple of Lost Luck. Now he’s ventured into the deep, humid mangrove swamps of Louisiana. This is Voodoo territory, where the ordinary can twist into something dark and strange in a heartbeat. This time, luck hasn’t dragged him here by accident—he’s come deliberately, hunting the myth of the Voodoo Gold. The catch is that the first move requires him to submit to the power of the Voodoo shaman. What could possibly go wrong?

ELK deserve recognition for creating a character that’s clearly connected with the gaming community. This is the third chapter in the continuing Kane saga, which shows just how well Ecuador Gold and Tahiti Gold have been received. A strong lead and a solid backstory help, but if the gameplay doesn’t deliver, the game won’t last. Thankfully, ELK have backed their hero with plenty of extras and an engaging system that makes the whole package hard to ignore. Fans will be pleased to find that what they enjoyed before returns in Voodoo Gold.

The first thing you notice when it loads is the lonely guitar picking on the soundtrack. It doesn’t get much more bluesy than that. Combined with the eerie green backdrop, it sells the hot, sticky Louisiana setting—alligators, mosquitos, and all.

The gameplay begins on 6 reels and 4 rows, giving 4,096 ways to win. When a win hits, the symbols burst away so new ones can drop into place, potentially creating a continuing chain of wins. Each win also adds an extra row to the grid up to 8, pushing the win ways as high as 262,144. Add in giant symbols and the series’ trademark zooming screen, and it’s clear Kane has returned.

There are 12 base game symbols, all fitting neatly into the Voodoo theme. Like many cascading win formats, the payouts start fairly modest. At the bottom are four religious symbols—cross, goat, star, and heart—paying 0.05x – 0.2x the stake. Next come four southern-themed icons—moonshine bottle, crows foot, dice, and top hat—worth 0.2 – 0.6x the wager. Then the ‘high’ pay symbols: two unsettling Voodoo characters, a skull, and Kane, paying 0.5x – 2.5x the bet. Naturally, the more wins you Avalanche together, the stronger your outlook becomes.

As with earlier Kane slots, the RTP is 96.1% and the maximum win is 5,000x the stake. Bets begin at 0.20 c/p per spin, and ELK have again included the four betting strategies players can choose from. With a top bet of $/€100 per spin, that’s a sizeable ceiling for the top prize. What’s less generous is the Bonus Game hit rate. Ecuador Gold would land one about every 299 spins, and Tahiti Gold around every 370 spins on average. Here, ELK have increased the bonus frequency to 1 in 614, meaning you may struggle to trigger it. Luckily, the other extras appear far more often.

Voodoo Gold (ELK Studios): Features

Big symbols appear in 2×2, 3×3, and 4×4 sizes. They can boost your chances of forming a winning combination, but they’re even better for holding wilds in place. If winning symbols beneath a Big Symbol are removed and leave empty spaces, those gaps are filled with wilds—something that can occur multiple times consecutively. The wild is a Voodoo Doll and substitutes for any of the pay symbols.

The bomb symbol shows up now and then and, once wins are counted, detonates to clear space for a fresh batch of symbols. Dual Bombs can also land on opposite sides of the grid. Similar to the Eye of Tiki in Tahiti Gold, any symbols caught between the two blasts are wiped out so new ones can drop into the empty positions.

Finally, and much less often, the Bonus symbol appears as the scatter—3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters award 6, 9, 12, or 15 free drops respectively. During free drops, any wilds that land gather at the bottom of the grid. They become sticky and remain locked for the rest of the bonus game. A safety level is also used during the bonus, just like in earlier Kane slots. When the reels expand upward, they don’t shrink back to normal if no win lands. This means even more symbols can enter the bonus game than would usually be possible.

Voodoo Gold (ELK Studios): Verdict

Gold fans, Kane has unquestionably returned, and this entry is the most atmospheric yet. ELK have done an outstanding job building a damp, unsettling Voodoo world in a setting that doesn’t often appear in slots. Interestingly (or perhaps not), another Voodoo-themed slot was recently released by Endorphina, and it doesn’t come close to ELK’s version. From a world-building standpoint, the developers have nailed it.

Voodoo Gold carries on the Kane tradition and shows the franchise still has plenty of momentum. The sound and visuals are top-tier, and the gameplay remains as engaging as ever. The Avalanche mechanic is unchanged, but in this case, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ feels entirely appropriate.

If there’s one complaint—and there is—it’s the much rarer bonus trigger compared to the other two games. There’s no real need for it, and it may make you hesitate before picking Voodoo Gold over Tahiti or Ecuador Gold. The RTP and top prize are unchanged, so you’re not losing out on jackpot potential, but it still stands out. It’s not a complete deal-breaker, and Voodoo Gold should satisfy Kane fans while also serving as a strong entry point for newcomers to the trilogy.

If you’re a fan of ELK Studios slots and enjoy playing games with a lot of paylines, be sure to have a look at Ice Wolf. With a default setup of 6 reels and 729 paylines, it can expand to give you 117,649 ways to win as well as boosting your wins with a multiplier of up to 50x.