Tropicool 5 Slot (ELK Studios)

The Tropicool 5 slot has 6 reels, 5 rows and 15,625 ways to win. Winning combinations are formed when 3, 4, 5 or 6 matching symbols appear from left to right on successive reels, starting from reel 1. Only the highest payout per way to win will be awarded. Above the main reel set, you’ll notice a Cool Reel: more on this below.

With a 10p minimum bet per spin, there is a ‘Coins’ icon that brings up a menu of bet options. The maximum bet per spin is £5 in the UK or up to £2 if you’re under 25: outside the UK, it can go up to £100 a spin. Players outside the UK can make use of Autoplay (10, 25, 50 or 100 auto spins) and Quick Play mode (located with the ‘Settings’ tab).

As with all ELK Studios slots, the Tropicool 5 RTP rate is 94%: this is lower than the 96% slots average but it’s the only RTP version available.

Medium to high volatility (7/10), the hit frequency rate is 24.5%: the latter means a winning a win will land every 1 in 4,08 spins on average. Tropicool 5 can also award 25,000 x bet max wins: this is the same max win potential as previous Tropicool slots (such as Tropicool 2), with the exception of the original game (10,000 x bet max wins).

With a tropical/animal theme, the Tropicool 5 slot is the (you guessed it) 5^th game in the series. In this installment, Kyle (the crocodile) arrives as you head to the coldest beat in existence. Set in freezing waters where icebergs float, you’ll see Elmo (the sloth) floating about on his hoverboard.

Colourful and vibrant, the first thing you’ll notice is the upbeat soundtrack which has a Caribbean feel. Quirky and fun, the icy paradise is home to 4 low-value berries. The higher-value symbols include grapes, watermelons, limes, pineapples and strawberries: the strawberry symbol is the best paying, awarding 2 x your total bet for 6 in combination.

Tropicool 5 also benefits from several special symbols: there is a Wild Egg symbol as well as Toucan and Flamingo Wild Birds. You’ll also see pearls, clamshells, Kyle the Mystery Crocodile, Mystery, Golden, Row Swap, Wilds, Locked Wild and Pearl symbols as well as Big Symbols and the Bonus Scatter. More on their functions below.

Tropicool 5 Mobile

ELK Studios uses HTML5 technology for all their games is Tropicool 5 is no different. Compatible with desktop, mobile and tablet devices, they have a mobile-first approach with iOS and Android smartphones usable, in Portrait Mode.

Tropicool 5 comes with lots of bonus features, including Avalanches, Big symbols, a Cool Reel that drops feature symbols onto the reels, character modifiers and free spins with an increasing multiplier.

Avalanche

When you land a winning combination, the Avalanche feature comes into play. Winning symbols are removed from the reels with Cool Reel symbols filling the empty spaces.

Big Symbols

Its important to note than symbols, as well as Row Swap, Wild Egg and Locked Wilds can appear as 2x2 Big Symbols. These pay out as 4 regular symbols of the same type but make it easier to land winning combinations. If an entire Big Symbols cannot drop down from the Cool Reel, it splits into 1x1 symbols, allowing some of them to drop down. Empty symbol positions below a Big Symbol will be filled with 1x1 symbols of the same type.

Cool Reel

Key to the gameplay is the Cool Reel which displays 2 rows of feature symbols and empty ice cubes. Dropping them onto the reels after wins, ice cubes are crushed to make room for more features and symbols. Symbols drop down with gravity, with new symbols refilling the top. Below is a list of symbols that drop on the reels from the Cool Reel:

• Mystery Symbol: they reveal paying or feature symbols when all wins have occurred.
• Golden Symbol: containing a multiplier value, the displayed value is determined by its position on the grid. Beginning with a 2x multiplier, it increases by 1 for every row, up to 6x. Multiple multipliers on the same reel will see their values added together whilst several multipliers on different reels are multiplied.
• Row Swap Symbol: it selects 1 random paying symbol on its row to replace all other symbols on the same row. If the Toucan, Flamingo, Wild Egg or Wild is selected, it will replace all other symbols with Wilds. Any extra Row Swap symbols on the same row will extend the symbol replacement to its reel. Symbol positions that would be changed to different symbols due to 2 Row Swap symbols will be replaced by a Wild. A big paying symbol will be completely replaced. If part of 2 or more Row Swaps, it will be replaced with a Wild. Furthermore, Bonus Scatters and Pearls will be temporarily replaced before changing back and Wilds will be not be replaced.
• Wild Symbol: substituting for any paying symbol, Wilds will pay as the highest-value symbol if a win of Wilds is formed.
• Locked Wild Symbol: this is ia Wild that is charged to last for the number of wins displayed on the symbol. It will remain ‘locked’ until the last charge is used.
• Pearl Symbol: key to triggering the Elmo Drop feature (more details below).

Character Features

Tropicool 5 comes with several character features: they are as follows:

• Wild Egg: the Wild Egg symbol is a sticky Wild that gives birth to a Wild bird when there is space on its reel for it to expand.
• Wild Birds: created from the Wild Egg, the Toucan and Flamingo are Wild symbols ranging from 1x2 to 1x5 in size.
• Elmo Drop: Elmo collects Pearls from clamshells once no more wins occur. All paying symbols are removed from the top 3, 4 or 5 rows, any any remaining empty pearl symbols. All symbols in the Cool Area drop down onto the reels. Whenever Elmo collects, there is an equal chance of triggering the feature. The amount of collected pearls is kept at each bet level and remains between spins.
• Mystery Crocodile: appearing in the Cool Reel as a 6x2 symbol, empty positions on the reels under the Mystery Crocodile symbol will fill up with Mystery symbols. The Crocodile slides left when there is space on the reels below him.

Free Spins

The Free Spins feature, or Bonus game, is triggered by landing 3 or more Bonus Scatters: 3, 4, 5 or 6 Bonus Scatters will result in 6, 9, 12 or 15 free spins/drops, respectively. You begin with a 1x multiplier.

The Cool Reel can also contain Extra Drop and Multiplier symbols. Extra Drop symbols can award 1, 2 or 3 extra free spins with the Multiplier symbol adding 1x, 2x or 3x to the win multiplier. These symbols come into play when dropping down from the Cool Reel.

X-iter

The X-iter feature is a Bonus Buy element for non-UK players. With 5 options, below are the details:

Tropicool 5 Slot

Rating: 4.2/5

Tropicool 5 builds on previous Tropicool slots with a new Kyle the Crocodile character and new features to offer plenty of charm and 25,000 x bet max wins.

Chris Taylor

Colourful and fun, there is no doubt ELK Studios’ Tropicool series is enjoyable. The Tropicool 5 slot looks superb, with the animations from the drops so smooth and crisp. The key is to land wins, which in turns triggered Avalanches and Cool Reel symbols to drop onto the reels.

With plenty of modifiers, the new Golden symbol with multipliers up to 6x can really boost your winning potential: especially if they land on several reels. I also like the new Kyle the Crocodile character: appearing 6x2 in size, empty symbol positions beneath him will see them filled with Mystery symbols. The Elmo Drop is also one to keep an eye out for as Elmo drops drops all Cool Reel symbols onto the reels when he becomes active.

In the Free Spins feature, the Cool Reel can drop Multiplier symbols which is the real key to winning big. You also have Extra Drop symbols which can keep the feature going that bit longer.

With 25,000 x bet max wins, Tropicool 5 offers the same win potential as 3 of its 4 predecessors. It would have been nice for ELK Studios to up the top payout figure but they’ve added new features and modifiers to make fans of the series happy.

In summary, the soundtrack is superb and the feel-good factor cannot be denied. With ELK Studios adding Kyle the Crocodile, where will they go next? I just hope they build on the series with new characters, new extras and possibly increase the win potential.

If you want more slot game series, there are plenty to choose from, including ELK’s Nitropolis, Pragmatic Play’s Big Bass and Hacksaw Gaming’s ‘Le’.

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The Tropicool 5 slot review was written by Chris Taylor from our OLBG Expert team who has written over 10,000 slot game reviews in an iGaming career spanning over 2 decades.

Chris Taylor

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Chris Taylor is an industry veteran originally from Gibraltar. Having worked in the online gambling industry since 2004, Chris loves slots and has reviewed over 10,000 online slot games. Running a slots-focused website for 13 years, Chris is the go-to guy for everything slots-related.