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Cluster Kingdom Slot Review

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Cluster Kingdom is an online slot game made by ELK Studios in 2024 that features a Cluster-based payout system that rewards players for landing groups of symbols instead of the usual line-based method. The game has very strong sense of visual identity, though its low RTP rate of 94% sours our impression of it. Cluster Kingdom is available on both desktop and mobile in all casinos with ELK software, and you can read this review to find out more about how it works as well as its strengths and weaknesses.

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INTRODUCTION

Cluster Kingdom from ELK Studios feels like one of those games that immediately tells you what it’s all about. It’s got a medieval theme, and you win it by hitting clusters of matching symbols. However, there’s a lot more to unpack once you actually try the game out.

For starters, we have nothing but praise for the game’s looks and overall presentation. The whole thing was built to look like you’re playing a kind of card game at a medieval tavern, complete with a distinct art style and atmospheric music. The screenshots don’t really do it justice since this theme permeates every element of Cluster Kingdom, including the animations and visual effects. Huge props to ELK’s art team for this one since both the theme and its execution hit the nail on the head. To be clear – the graphics aren’t some flashy showing of visual effects and advanced graphics, they just have a well-designed style that was clearly made with a lot of vision.

The gameplay itself also features a few twists and turns, which we’ll discuss in the next section of our review. We’ll just start by noting that this is one of the best-looking online slots in 2024, even though the underlying math model and payout rate are not really up to snuff. More on that later.

cluster kingdom Media Gallery

HOW TO PLAY CLUSTER KINGDOM

Cluster Kingdom works through a mechanic called Cluster Pays. You’re not trying to arrange winning lines like with classic reels and rows. Instead, your goal in is to create clusters of symbols. This means that identical symbols can be connected both vertically and horizontally anywhere on the 5×5. However, you need at least 5 matching symbols to secure a payout. Payouts are increased whenever you hit additional symbols beyond 5, as described on the game’s paytable.

You can find out more about Cluster Pays online slots here.

Additionally, the base game heavily relies on tumbling symbols, otherwise known as reel cascades. Every winning symbol is eliminated from the game, making way for fresh symbols to fall from the top of the board and take their place. These newly arrived symbols have the potential to create further winning combinations. This (hopefully) results in strings of multiple winning combinations after a single spin. For a more comprehensive understanding of this feature, we recommend referring to our comprehensive guide on cascade features in slots.

Cluster Kingdom also features Wilds in every part of its gameplay. Wilds in this game appear with multipliers that increase the payout for any cluster the Wild is a part of. Additionally, wilds are sticky and remain in place during symbol cascades.

Sticky Redrop

The Sticky Redrop is a special feature that can trigger with any spin. It randomly selects one type of regular symbol in the game and makes it sticky, which means it sticks around between spins.

Then, all other (non-sticky) symbols are removed in what is essentially a free respin. If you land at least one more sticky symbol during the respin, you get another respin, and potentially more than that. This continues until you hit a respin with no additional sticky symbols. This typically results in a large payout thanks to a typically big combination of regular symbols.

You can use the Feature Buy option to guarantee a Sticky Redrop on the next spin for 10x your stake.

Special Symbols

There are three additional special symbols that can appear during any spin:

  • The Princess feature places 1 to 4 wild symbols on the board. When the King symbol is visible, the Princess symbol moves one step towards it after each win and before a refill.
  • The King feature picks the lowest pay symbol type next to the king and upgrades these symbols to the highest adjacent symbol.
  • The Queen symbol rearranges vertically and horizontally adjacent symbols and moves towards the King, much like the Princess.

Bonus Rounds

The Cluster Kingdom slot game features several types of bonus rounds, which can all be purchased using the X-Iter feature buy button:

  • The Bonus Round triggers whenever a King and Queen symbol end the round next to each other. You get 6 free respins and a persistent multiplier from Wilds which sticks around and applies to all wins until the end of the bonus round. Costs 100x your stake to trigger via Feature Buy.
  • The Super Bonus Round is triggered by hitting a Kind, Queen, and Princess symbol all next to each other. Works the same as the Bonus Round except you get a persistent multiplier as soon as you trigger the round that increases with every spin and applies to all wins. Costs 500x your stake to trigger via Feature Buy.
  • The Mini Bonus Round triggers whenever a King and Princess symbol end the round next to each other. Works the same as the Super Bonus Round but you only get 3 free spins instead of 6 and costs 50x your stake to activate using Feature Buy.

Additionally, the X-iter button can be used to activate Bonus Hunt spins which increase the chances of hitting a bonus round for 3x the bet per spin.

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Casino Bloke Best tips for Cluster Kingdom Slot

  • 1None of the X-Iter options have any effect on the game's RTP.
  • 2Generally, special features in this game hit quite often even without the Bonus Spins option.

PAYOUTS & RTP

The game features only 5 tyes of regular symbols, which is why you hit winning clusters more often than one would think given the limited 5×5 space.

Anyway, winning clusters pay depending on the type and number of winning symbols. 5-symbol hits generally don’t pay a lot, but this gradually increases with 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 symbols. Note that hitting anywhere from 10-14 symbols will grant the same reward, as will 15-19. The biggest payout you can win from a single cluster is for any win featuring 20 or more symbols in the same cluster.

The symbols include Wheat, Trees, Mills, Houses, and Castles, ordered from least to most valuable. Each has its on separate table which you can find in-game.

The game’s low RTP rate is easily its biggest weakness. 94% is below the 96% mark we consider average, which is a big shame given how well-made all of the other aspects of Cluster Kingdom are.

what we like

  • Cluster Pays with a relatively high hit rate
  • Enjoyable and unique base game features
  • Three types of bonus rounds, all of which are accessible via Feature Buy
  • Excellent graphics and distinct visual style

what we don’t like

  • Low RTP
  • Most base game payouts you'll see will be quite low

CLUSTER KINGDOM BY ELK STUDIOS – CASINO BLOKE’S VERDICT

Our review rates Cluster Kingdom by ELK Studios very highly in almost all areas except one. Unfortunately, it’s an important one.

Let’s start with the good. The game looks great and boasts a fun, consistent atmosphere and distinct style that is probably one of our favourites from 2024. It is also relatively filled with features with multiple base game features, three special symbols, and three types of bonus rounds. Better yet, all of these feel unique and are connected to each other so they don’t feel tacked on.

Moreover, the extensive X-iter Featre Buy window allows you to control how you want to play the game, which is always a great addition.

The cons of Cluster Kindom are evident if you look at its stands. 94% RTP makes it very hard to recommend actually playing the game for real money despite its top-notch design. If that seems harsh, you should keep in mind just how important RTP is true your bottom line as a slot player.

It’s a real shame, too – better RTP would have made Cluster Kingdom one of our favourite slots of the year. As things stand, it’s a great idea that misses the mark on execution, so we can’t genuinely recommend it to our readers.

Cluster Kingdom Slot total score:

Total Score Overall
51%

Game developed by:

Release year:2024

Available on:Desktop

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