Heist Guys Review – A Cartoon Crime Slot With a Retro Vibe

If there’s ever a studio that never ceases to release online slots that are chaotic, hilarious and cartoonish, it’s Elk Studios. Take Heist Guys, which is part of the PokerStars catalogue, that introduces players to a crime caper with mechanics that are as bonkers as its theme, but equally entertaining. 

This online casino slot has cluster pays, a cops and robbers bonus game, and a hip-hop crime aesthetic that makes users feel like they have just stumbled across a mash-up between Grand Theft Auto and an early 2000s Cartoon Network show.

Overview – Crime Meets Comedy

Heist Guys, found on PokerStars, opens with a really funky 80s aesthetic – The cityscape is drenched in neon-style blues and purples, palm trees swaying over high-rises, and the three Heist Guys trying to look tough under their masks. The atmosphere leans more into the comic side, resulting in a satirical take on crime-themed video games. 

The soundtrack also backs up this vibe, with an old-school electronic hip-hop beat playing while the reels spin. The interface keeps things simple but does have some sleek animations when things like cascades and Wilds drop.

• Year Launched: 2024
• Developer: ELK Studios
• Theme: Bank Heist / Satirical Crime
• Reels: 6×6 (Cluster Pays)
• Min/Max Bet: £0.20 / £5.00 (on PokerStars)
• RTP: 94%
• Volatility: Medium
• Max Win: 10,000x total bet

Heist Guys – Gameplay

On face value, it seems like there’s a lot to keep track of during Heist Guys’ base game, but the core of it is pretty easy to follow. Land five or more identical symbols in a cluster, and they will disappear, triggering a cascade that brings fresh ones into the mix.

The Wild Symbol, simply marked with a“W,” is where things get interesting. This Wild doesn’t just substitute – it moves randomly across the grid and carries a growing multiplier. Every time it’s involved in a winning cluster, the multiplier ticks upward, applying its current value to the next win it connects to. 

Also, if a Wild helps form a win with low-paying symbols, all non-winning versions of that symbol are zapped off the grid. If the Wild connects with a Heist Guy symbol, the thug is upgraded into the game’s highest-paying symbol (Kicker) for the rest of the round. What happens if all three Heist Guys get upgraded? Then a Super Drop clears the grid of everything but Wilds, Scatters, and Kicker Symbols. 

Mask On, Load Up and Stick to the Basics

During rounds, if a player manages to land five or more identical symbols connected horizontally or vertically, clusters will appear. Only the largest cluster of connected symbols counts, but it does offer more opportunities to increase the payout, depending on how lucky the spin is. All cluster wins can also trigger the cascading symbol drops, where winning symbols are removed and replaced with new ones, keeping the reels fresh. 

Super Wild Symbols and Multipliers

The Super Wild Symbol becomes a substitute for any symbol except the bonus. It starts at a 1x multiplier, moves randomly to another position before each symbol drops, and its multiplier increases each time it forms a winning cluster. If the player manages to land a  Super Wild, it forms a win with a low-value symbol, and all other non-winning versions of that symbol vanish from the grid.

The Heist Guys Team Up

If a Super Wild forms a win with a Heist Guy symbol, that character is upgraded to a Kicker symbol — the game’s highest-paying symbol. This upgrade lasts for the rest of the round, and when all three Heist Guys are upgraded in a round, a Super Drop is triggered, removing all non-winning symbols except Super Wilds, bonus symbols, and Kicker symbols.

Bigger Hauls With the Big Symbol Feature

Any symbol that pays out can show up in three sizes: regular, super-sized, or mega. The bigger the symbol, the more space it takes up on the grid, and it still counts as multiple matching symbols. If there’s any space underneath one of these big blocks, the game automatically fills it in with matching smaller symbols to keep the action going.

Bonus Game – Dodge the Guards and Hit the Vaults

Triggered by landing three bonus symbols, the Bonus Game takes players to a map-based grid where the three Heist Guys have to reach the vault without being spotted by the guards. All the Heist Guys move together as a group, and each round, a random leader is chosen, and the gang moves based on that character’s step count. They follow coloured or white arrows, or go upwards if no arrow appears. 

The Heist Guys can’t move backwards or revisit tiles, so dodging the security isn’t an easy task. If the robbers get into the guard’s range, they get caught and placed in a holding cell. That’s not where the action ends, however, as teammates can rescue imprisoned characters by passing their cell and breaking them loose! 

The Right Tools for the Job

Rooms may contain coins, keycards, dynamite, or zappers. Zappers get rid of guards instantly and prevent getting locked up. Keycards grant access to the vault, and without a keycard, there’s an option to hack it. If it fails, the round ends; if it’s successful,  the vault swings open and reveals three coloured safes, each tied to a Heist Guy. These can contain more coins or tools, such as those nifty zappers to take out guards or more keycards. 

Dynamite is another tool that players will want to look out for as it opens the Super Secure Safe, including the rare 10,000x max win. If all the Heist Guys end up behind bars, the bonus round ends, and wins are calculated and paid out.  

X-iter System – Fast-Track the Heist

For those who prefer to skip the setup and jump straight into the action, this PokerStars online slot offers the X-iter feature. This allows players to hop into certain special features by paying a percentage of their base bet.

The Bonus Hunt costs 3x the base bet and offers four times the chance of triggering the bonus round. For 10x the bet, the Bangin option guarantees two Big Symbols and a Wild with a 5x multiplier. The Ridin feature costs 25x and starts the round with all Heist Guys already upgraded to Kicker Symbols, along with a 10x Wild. Spending 100x triggers the standard Bonus Game right away, and the Super Bonus Game costs 500x and begins with a Zapper, Keycard, and Dynamite already collected, giving users a head start toward cracking open the vault.

Another Criminally Good Title From ELK Studios

For those who enjoy the chaotic charm, layered mechanics, and the hilarious cartoon style of Heist Guys, the PokerStars slot library offers plenty more titles from ELK Studios. Take Pirots 4, an exclusive to the platform, which is a sequel to the eccentric titles that come before it, following the feather-brained adventures of the Pirots. 

This online casino game seriously pushes the boundaries of what a modern slot can be, combining modernised symbol collection mechanics with a storytelling aspect similar to what’s seen in video games. But outside the bold artwork and comedic animations, Pirots 4 has more ways to blow up the grid and discover new areas, symbol transformations, a space coin mini-game, and the Super Bonus round. As with Heist Guys, the X-iter feature is available for those looking to sky-rocket their interstellar adventure. 

Behind the Reels – Cartoons Meet Casino

Formed in 2013, ELK Studios has developed quite a reputation for creating online slots that break the mould and don’t take their themes too seriously. Known best for titles like Pirots, Taco Brothers, and Wild Toro, the Swedish developer blends tongue-in-cheek gags with impressive character design and modern mechanics that are raising the bar.  

All the ELK Studio titles found on PokerStars are totally unique. Rather than being lazy and just using the same formula but tweaking the theme, ELK continues to find new fun ways to play slots with an overarching story that players can follow along with. 

Final Verdict on Heist Guys

Heist Guys isn’t just a spoof of the crime genre and stereotypes from video games and movies; it creates its own entertaining world using aesthetics and cleverly designed mechanics that work hand in hand. 

With a base game full of cascading Wilds, symbol upgrades, and oversized clusters, there are plenty of moments that will keep players engaged, whether it’s hoping for the reels to land just right or laughing at the criminal capers. 

Where this online slot really shines is in the Bonus round, where, for a moment, it turns slots into an old school RPG game, navigating guards and kicking down vault doors. Sure, the guards can get frustrating when they take a route that will get the Heist Guys caught, but if they manage to sneak past them, all the tense moments may just pay off. 

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