Katmandu X Slot Review

Katmandu X Slot RTP, Details & Wager Limits

The Katmandu X slot is played on a 6×6 grid with a Cluster Pays mechanic. Typical of grid slot games, winning combinations are formed by landing 5 or more matching symbols which are adjacent, vertically and/or horizontally, to one another. The more identical symbols in a cluster (i.e. touching), the larger the payout.

Bets wise, you can spin away on Katmandu X from 20p to £100 a spin. Standard for ELK Studios slots, look out for the Coins icon which appears in the bottom left-hand corner of the desktop version. Press/click this to see all 12 bet options. Players outside the UK have 2 more gameplay options. Auto Spin allows from up to 100 autospins and Quick Play speeds up your spin speed (the latter is enabled from the Settings section).

The Katmandu X RTP is 95% which is standard for an ELK Studios release but below the 96% slots norm/average. Whilst not ideal, it does top the 94% offered in the previously-released Pirots slot. That said, there are many games that are available at the best slot sites that are 96.5% and above.

High volatility (9/10), the hit frequency rate is 25% which means 1 in 4 spins will result in a winning combination. The Katmandu X slot offers 25,000 x bet max wins. Key to larger wins are the multipliers which can arise in the base game and free spins.

Theme – touch the last Golden Tree for eternal luck

With a mystical theme, the Katmandu X slot follows on from the Katmandu Gold slot released in December 2020. You head to the Temple of Clouds in the Capital of Nepal to touch the last Golden Tree in existence in order to be blessed with eternal luck.

With snowy mountains in the backdrop, the 6×6 grid is set within a traditional pagoda. The Temple of Clouds can be seen between spins before the symbols drop down. The soundtrack is also traditional and enchanting. Adventurer Kane from the first game is nowhere to be seen.

On the grid, you will see water, earth, wind and fire element symbols used in the original slot. Higher value symbols include a turtle, tiger, dragon and falcon. The falcon is the best paying symbol with 16+ in a cluster awarding 100 x your total bet.

You also have the Lotus Wild symbol that substitutes for all paying symbols. Other symbols include the Bonus, Super Bonus, Exploding Wild and Multiplier Wild.

Symbol	Payouts/Info
Water Element	5-16+ pays 0.05 to 4 x bet
Earth Element	5-16+ pays 0.1 to 5 x bet
Wind Element	5-16+ pays 0.15 to 6 x bet
Fire Element	5-16+ pays 0.2 to 7 x bet
Turtle	5-16+ pays 0.4 to 10 x bet
Tiger	5-16+ pays 0.6 to 25 x bet
Dragon	5-16+ pays 1 to 50 x bet
Falcon	5-16+ pays 1.5 to 100 x bet
Lotus Wild	Substitutes + can trigger various wild features
Bonus	3 on grid triggers Free Drops Bonus feature
Super Bonus	2 Bonus + 1 Super Bonus triggers Super Bonus feature

Katmandu X Mobile

Released on the 7^th of March 2023, the Katmandu X slot has been producing using the latest HTML5 technology. This means it has been optimised for play on laptop, PC, tablet and mobile devices. ELK Studios is a mobile-first slot provider which means they focus on smartphone play. Katmandu X is compatible with iOS, MAC, Android and Windows mobile devices.

Katmandu X Bonus Features

The Katmandu X slot comes with 11 bonus features. Winning clusters added to the progressive multiplier. There are various wild features including splitting, merging and exploding wilds. With Big Symbols up to 4×4 in size, the free spins sees the multiplier doesn’t reset between free spins. Finally, there is also a Super version which is much more lucrative potentially.

Progressive Multiplier feature

When a winning cluster is created, the Avalanche feature comes into play. Winning symbols explode and disappear from the grid to be replaced by new ones. This allows for another chance to win again. The process continues until no more wins are created.

Now, you will see a total multiplier within the ‘X’ above the grid. Every win increases this multiplier and applies to all upcoming wins. Known as the Progressive Multiplier feature, a win with 5 symbols will see the multiplier increase by 5 respectively. The multiplier remains in place as long as you keep on winning.

Wild features

The Katmandu X slot benefits from various wild symbols. Firstly, every winning cluster generates a Lotus Wild symbol. Called the Wild Generation feature, the wild appears in 1 of the empty spaces created after the explosion of winning symbols.

Then you have Multiplier Wild symbols. If they connect multiple winning clusters, the clusters are split into the respective clusters. This is called the Wild Split feature. On the other hand, multiple Lotus Wild symbols in a winning cluster merge into a multiplier wild. This is known as the Wild Merge feature.

On top of this, there is an Exploding Wild feature. The Exploding Wild symbol explodes symbols around it and generates a redrop. Lastly, there is a randomly triggered Wild Strike feature that replaces symbols with Lotus Wilds, Exploding Wilds or Multiplier Wilds.

Big Symbols feature

As with other ELK slots, all paying symbols can appear as Big Symbols. They will appear in 4 different sizes: 1×1, 2×2, 3×3 or 4×4. A 4×4 Big Symbol will count as 16 symbols for example which will generate a winning cluster.

When Big symbols re-drop, they crush 1×1 symbols on their way downwards unless they are the same type, wilds or bonus symbols. The Big Symbols feature can be found in the likes of Pacific Gold and Zulu Gold.

Free Drops Bonus feature

The Bonus Game feature is activated when 3 Bonus symbols land anywhere on the grid. With 7 free spins awarded, the total multiplier above the grid is persistent between free spins. This means that the multiplier can only increase/rise. If you land Bonus symbols during a free spin, additional free spins will be awarded.

Additionally, there is a Super Bonus feature that is triggered when you land 2 Bonus symbols plus 1 Super Bonus symbol anywhere on the grid. It can also be played when you land a Super Bonus symbol during the regular Free Drops Bonus feature.

The difference from the regular feature is that the Super Wild Strike feature triggers on each free spin. This randomly replaces symbols with Multiplier or Exploding Wilds.

X-iter feature

Finally, players outside the UK can opt for the X-iter feature. You can choose from 5 options which cost from 2 to 500 x your total bet. Here are all the details:

Katmandu X Review Summary – Katmandu Gold meets Propaganda

The Katmandu X slot takes you on another journey of spiritual enlightenment. Visually, it’s quite similar to the original Katmandu Gold game as ELK Studios have recycled most of the imagery and especially symbols.

However, the gameplay feels like a mashup game from ELK Studios. It has elements from Katmandu Gold naturally (it’s prequel) but has incorporated elements from the Propaganda slot. There are multiplier wilds and Wild Strikes but ELK has added Exploding Wilds, Wild Splits and Wild Merges.

With Big Symbols taken from other ‘Gold’ series slots, the free spins works like it does in Propaganda in that the multiplier doesn’t reset between free spins. The Super Bonus feature is also nearly identical.

However, Katmandu X is very different visually from Propaganda and also offers much higher win potential. Propaganda comes with 10,000 x bet max wins whereas the Katmandu X slot offers you 25,000 x bet top payouts.

With bonus features taken from other ELK Studios slots, this latest game is a clear mashup of a popular theme, engaging gameplay and big win potential. In summary, Katmandu X brings together the best elements of 2 popular ELK games. That said, it doesn’t offer anything unique or individual to make it stand out on it’s own merit.