The Elk Studios releases are coming thick and fast right now — and we are absolutely here for it! We’d barely caught our breath after the launch of ZAPLAB — a brilliant mashup of classic Elk energy with the chaotic charm of Reactoonz — when, out of nowhere, Nightmaker appeared on the horizon… and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Nightmaker feels like the lovechild of Elk Studios and Nolimit City — we’re getting strong Mental 2 vibes here. With an XSplit-style mechanic, massive multipliers attached to symbols during the bonus, and some seriously wild megaways action, Nightmaker brings a huge 50,000x max win potential to the table.
Once again, Elk has treated us to a Super Bonus that takes the chaos to the next level — complete with jumping wilds roaming across the reels, stacking up those multipliers like a dream (or should we say nightmare?). Keep an eye out for the Beast Spins too — where only giant 3×5 symbols land across the middle reels, opening the door to some truly monstrous wins.
And finally — a quick but well-deserved shoutout to the atmosphere and soundtrack. It’s superb. From the burning cave backdrop to the eerie scraping and squeaking sounds straight out of a nightmare, Nightmaker nails the dark, cinematic vibe in a way that’s pure Elk brilliance.
10p Gamer Rating – 9.5/10
| Title | Nightmaker |
|---|---|
| Developer | ELK Studios |
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 5 |
| Paylines | 25,000 |
| RTP | 94% |
| Max Win | 50,000x |
| Volatility | High |
| Min/Max Bet | £0.20 / £100 |
| Release Date | May 30, 2025 |
| Special Features | Beast Spins, Rattle Feature, Feature Row, Bonus Game, Super Bonus, Jumping Wilds, Symbol Multipliers, Symbol Splits, X-iter Modes |
Nightmaker – Game Breakdown
Rattle Feature
- The Rattle Feature can trigger randomly on any base game spin.
- When active, it drops up to three 3×5-sized big symbols across reels 2, 3, and 4.
- This boosts your chances of hitting huge wins even before the bonus round kicks in.
Feature Row
- Above reels 2, 3, and 4, you’ll notice an extra row called the Feature Row.
- Symbols landing here can trigger one of four powerful enhancements for the reels below, such as:
- Symbol splits
- Multipliers
- Wilds
- Symbol substitutions
Each Feature Row effect impacts the column it sits above, opening up more ways to win.
Bonus Game
- Trigger: Land three bonus symbols anywhere to activate the standard bonus.
- Mechanics:
- You’re awarded 8 free spins.
- A random symbol is selected and given a persistent multiplier throughout the bonus.
- The 4 corner spaces of the reels are unlocked, allowing bigger clusters and more ways to hit.
Super Bonus Game
- If at least one of the triggering bonus symbols is a Super Bonus symbol, you unlock the Super Bonus instead.
- In the Super Bonus:
- Jumping Wilds move around the reels with each spin.
- These wilds can massively boost your potential with added multipliers and better setups for monster hits.
Beast Spins
- During the bonus rounds, if all four corner positions are unlocked and bonus symbols land there, you’ll trigger Beast Spins.
- In Beast Spins:
- Only 3×5-sized mega symbols appear across the middle reels (2, 3, and 4).
- This creates a much higher chance of landing epic, full-screen wins.
X-iter™
- X-iter™ is Elk’s special buy feature mode.
- It allows players to jump directly into different game modes, including:
- More frequent Rattle Feature triggers
- Guaranteed bonuses
- Super Bonus buys with jumping wilds
- Options range from 3x the bet up to 500x the bet, depending on the level of action you want.
