Fish and Bird (ELK Studios) – Review & Demo Play

Fish and Bird: Slot Overview

After a few spins, it felt like ELK leaned into a moody, washed-out sea with a cartoon edge. The old fisherman rows above the reels, birds hover, and a European-flavoured soundtrack creaks and swells. Under the surface sits a 4x4 grid with 256 ways to win, paying left to right on adjacent reels. Stakes run from about 20p up to £100 a spin, and the X-iter menu lets me jump into set modes when I want action on demand.

Compared to bright fishing slots, the look here is dim and realistic, which suits the calm pacing. Volatility sits around medium (6/10), and RTP is 94%. The 4x4 setup shapes how symbols scale and how the fisherman collects from above. At its best, the game builds a gentle rhythm, punctuated by Collectors grabbing birds and Prize Fish; at its worst, the base can feel slow while you wait for the right combo to click.

Fish and Bird Slot Information

Wins form with 3 or 4 of a kind across adjacent reels. There are eight regulars: four low jellyfish and four higher fish. Hitting 4 matching jellyfish pays 0.2x the bet, while 4 matching fish pay between 0.5x and 2x. All pays (except wilds) can land in four sizes: 1x1 standard, 2x2 super, 3x3 mega, and 4x4 epic. That scaling matters a lot on a compact grid, as big blocks can fill lanes fast.

Specials set the tone. Spreading Wilds arrive as a fish that expands either vertically to cover a reel or horizontally to cover a row. Fish can also appear as Prize Fish, carrying instant cash values. Birds above the grid bring multipliers that add to a global multiplier. Bonus symbols show as a mermaid. The fisherman is the Collector on the top bar, and he’s the key to pulling Prize Fish, birds, and bonuses into your balance.

Fish and Bird Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	4	x2
	3	x1
	4	x1.5
	3	x0.75
	4	x1
	3	x0.5
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.25
	4	x0.2
	3	x0.1
	4	x0.2
	3	x0.1
	4	x0.2
	3	x0.1
	4	x0.2
	3	x0.1
	Scatter
	Wild

Fish and Bird: Slot Features

Spreading Wilds do the heavy lifting when hits feel scarce. A vertical wild spreads to fill its reel; a horizontal wild spreads across its row, turning symbols in its path wild, including big symbols. This pairs neatly with the compact layout, giving small setups a shot at chaining ways. It’s simple on paper but adds proper spikes of momentum when the screen starts linking lines from left to right.

The Collector above the reels gathers Prize Fish, bird multipliers, and bonus symbols in his column. Collecting Prize Fish pays their shown value multiplied by the current global multiplier. When a bird is taken, its value adds to that global multiplier. Every time a Collector or Super Collector grabs a Prize Fish, you get a free spin and the fisherman shifts one column left. If Prize Fish or bonuses land with no Collector, a Diver can drop and salvage the column.

Bonuses trigger by collecting a bonus symbol. In the Bonus Game, at least one Collector is guaranteed, and the round continues while any Collector remains on screen. The Super Bonus swaps in only Super Collectors, which can scoop prizes from the whole grid while still taking multipliers in their column. X-iter offers paid routes: Bonus Hunt at 2.5x, Spreading Wild at 10x, big fish guaranteed at 25x, Bonus at 50x, and Super Bonus at 250x the bet.

Bonus Buy Feature

BONUS HUNT Buy a game round with more than triple the chance to trigger a Bonus game.
Feature Cost:	x2.50 Bet
RTP:	94%
Volatility:	-
SPREADING WILD Play a game round with a guaranteed Spreading Wild.
Feature Cost:	x10 Bet
RTP:	94%
Volatility:	-
BIG FISH Play a game round with a guaranteed big fish.
Feature Cost:	x25 Bet
RTP:	94%
Volatility:	-
BONUS Buy a game round triggering the Bonus game.
Feature Cost:	x50 Bet
RTP:	94%
Volatility:	-
SUPER BONUS Play a game round with a guaranteed Super Bonus.
Feature Cost:	x250 Bet
RTP:	94%
Volatility:	-

RTP, Payout and Volatility in Fish and Bird

RTP sits at 94%, under the 96% mark I usually look for, and volatility is medium at about 6/10. The top win caps at 10,000x the bet. In practice, I saw smaller wins often enough to keep the balance ticking over, with bigger outcomes leaning on Super Collectors and stacked bird values pushing the global multiplier. The expected average base hit frequency of roughly 31% lines up with that feel: steady spins, punctuated by collector-driven spikes.

Fish and Bird: Slot Verdict

It’s an offbeat fishing take that lands its theme and mechanics. The fisherman sitting off-grid, plucking birds to build a global multiplier, gives the collection play a fresh angle. Base patches can be quiet, but tracking the move-left cycle while hoping for a new entry keeps the bonus tense. With 256 ways on a 4x4, 94% RTP, medium volatility, and a 10,000x cap, it’s a tidy pick when I want fishing flavour with a different rhythm and X-iter control.