Man vs Gator Slot Review

The Man vs Gator Slot Game

This ELK Studios slot has a lot of similarities with Avatar UX’s FloridaMan. But I hope none copied the other.

Man vs Gator adopts a pastel design and starts with a filmic introduction to the gameplay. Its background setup is busy, with a motel, palm trees, a flamingo in the swimming pool, a boxy TV and computer set, and many other items.

However, I assume everything symbolises how the Everglades can be populated with every ragtag and bobtail of a creature. Overall, the design is quite okay. An easy-going melody backs the visuals, occasionally shifting its tempo to help you not to fall into a deep slumber of imagination.

The 5-by-5 gameboard sits in the middle of the screen, bordered by key game controls for easy access. It’s undoubtedly well put together!

Symbols and Payouts

This video slot proceeds to keep things simple in the paytable, where only 7 standard symbols should aid you in forming winning combinations. I know you’re curious about how wins form.

First, the game uses 259 connecting paylines. It means wins begin with the leftmost column and pay adjacently without gaps between the reels from left to right. Only the longest win per active payline is paid.

The regulars in Man vs Gator are divided into three categories: low, medium, and high. But all of them pay when 3+ of the same land and their prizes are multiplied by the total bet.

The low-priced tier doesn’t include all playing cards. Instead, it only uses the Q, K, and A, and they pay 0.1-0.25x, 0.15-0.3x, and 0.2-0.35x the bet, respectively.

Then, the chained Boxing Glove and Gas Can award medium pays worth 0.3-0.5x and 0.4-0.6x the stake, respectively. Finally, the Gators wearing Blue and Red attire pay high wins of 0.6-1x and 0.8-5x the total bet, respectively.

There are three wilds here: Man vs Gator, Man Up, and Gator Down, all of which substitute for all but the bonus symbol. Also, a payline of wilds pays as the highest-valued symbol.

Man vs Gator Slot Bonus Features

Apart from numerous wilds, the game has a bonus round and several buy options.

Man vs Gator Wild

The Man vs Gator is 5-row tall with two multipliers and nudges until it covers all 5 rows. When all reels have settled, one of its multipliers will be applied to the wild, showing either the Man or the Gator as the winner.

This wild also awards a re-spin where all Man vs Gator wilds on-screen remain sticky. In the case of multiple Man vs Gator wilds landing simultaneously, the re-spins will accumulate and play sequentially.

Man Up Wild

This symbol is 2-row tall but doesn’t have a multiplier. It nudges upwards, triggering re-spins until it’s off the screen. Every nudge upgrades the multiplier on a Man vs Gator wild, where the Man is the winner and currently in view. 

Gator Down Wild

It’s also a 2-row tall symbol without a multiplier, and it nudges downwards, triggering re-spins until it disappears from the screen. Every nudge upgrades the Man vs Gator multiplier, where the Gator is the winner and currently on the reels. 

Free Spins

Aim for 3 or more bonus symbols during the base game to trigger the bonus game worth 5 free spins. For 4 or 5 scatters, you also get one and two Man vs Gator wilds, respectively, on the initial spin.    

If you luckily hit 3+ bonus symbols during the free games, you’ll receive +5 more games. Also, 4 and 5 scatters award the same number of Man vs Gator wilds on the next free spin.

The Man vs Gator wilds that hit during this bonus remain sticky throughout the remaining spins. It’s also possible to trigger the bonus game during a re-spin, whereby the game’s condition before entering the bonus is saved. After the bonus game, the game resets to the trigger state, and the normal mode re-spins continue.   

However, the Man vs Gator from a base game doesn’t spill into the free spins. And you can enter the bonus game multiple times per round.

X-iter (Bonus Buy)

This trademarked ELK feature offers players the chance to buy different game modes as follows:

• Bonus Hunt with more than thrice the chance to trigger the bonus game for 2x bet.
• Man vs Gator for 10x the selected bet.
• Tag Team where 2 Man vs Gator wilds land for 25x the stake.
• Bonus Game with 5 free spins for 100x stake.
• Super Bonus for 500x the bet.

How to Win at Man vs Gator Slot

This developer kept things minimal this time, and you can see for yourself by trying the game’s demo linked on this GoodLuckMate page! It’s free!

The reels are configured into 5 columns and 3 rows, having 259 connected paylines. So, winning happens on active paylines from the far left side, paying left to right only on consecutive reels.

And the bets in Man vs Gator start from €0.20, stretching to €100 per game round.

Be careful with the stake picked because pressing the Spin button triggers a game and deducts your balance proportionately. The same goes for the Autoplay feature, which plays several preselected spins sequentially until they are depleted.

The slot also allows players to find the paytable, settings, rules, and claim promos through the Manu button.

Man vs Gator Slot RTP & Volatility

What do you think this slot’s RTP is? You’re right if you said 94%! Meanwhile, players who can withstand the high volatility for long periods with a 24.3% hit rate could win up to 10,000x bet!

The Final Thoughts

You see how it usually feels like a marathon having to go through the features in ELK Studios slots? Well, this Florida-based creation will give you a bit of a hiatus. I’m not saying its features are few, but they’re just enough for everyone to manage.

This video slot employs a few familiar mechanics, including nudging wilds, stacked multiplier wilds, and sticky wilds, just to mention a few. Furthermore, it also features a free spins bonus, which frequently is free drops in other games from this developer. In short, it’s a gaming experience that shouldn’t be challenging for players.

In my opinion, Man vs Gator could give FloridaMan from Avatar UX a run for its money, considering the two were released almost at the same time. But, where Man vs Gator lacks is with its below-average RTP and high volatility. Either way, it’s an enjoyable game, and I encourage you to go for it too!