Hula Balua Slot Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Hula Balua Review

Perhaps you remember Elmo the Sloth from Tropicool 2, and this charming creature makes an appearance also in ELK’s semi-follow up; Hula Balua. He’s finally found his way to a warmer climate, and he seems to thrive in his little Hawaiian jungle cabin by the waterfall pond. The soundtrack is rich with jungle sounds as well, and the atmosphere is idyllic, lighthearted, and fun. Well, at least until you get a taste of the math model that is, and that pesky 94 % RTP that this developer keeps insisting on.

The upside is that you don’t have to worry about adjustable RTP ranges, but still. Anyway, Hula Balua slot is a charming fruit-filled game overall, and it comes with plenty of features. Symbols merge to form big symbols, and these add to the global win multiplier. The multiplier keeps building in both bonus round tiers, and Elmo the Sloth can appear out of nowhere to spread wilds per spin until he walks into his home.

ELK Studios Slot Developer

ELK Studios is a Stockholm-based developer that’s been around since 2012. They deliver top notch audiovisual experiences each time, and their games are packed with innovative features. They are masters at building elaborate and unique worlds, and famous for their popular Gold series and Nitropolis range. They also won Slot of the Year Award in the 2017 EGR Awards for their legendary Wild Toro, another game that’s spawned a whole series.

Slot Theme And Storyline

Hula Balua online slot takes you to the jungle of Hawaii, where Elmo the Sloth lives in his little tree cabin next to a waterfall pond. The setting could hardly be more idyllic, and the reels are filled with exotic fruit of different kinds.

Hula Balua RTP, Volatility, And Max Win

The Hula Balua RTP of 94 % is not uncommon from ELK, but still well below the industry average (which hovers around 96 %). ELK does not operate with customizable RTP ranges though, and the volatility is medium to high in this game. The max win is 25,000x your stake, which is more than solid enough to match this volatility level.

Hula Balua Rules And Gameplay

You can play Hula Balua slot with bet levels between £0.2 and £100, which should cater to both penny punters and highrollers. You win by landing 8 to 20+ matching symbols anywhere in view, thanks to the scatter pay system, and winning symbols are removed and replaced via the Avalanche mechanic. This process repeats as long as you keep winning, and you can check the Hula Balua paytable below.

Symbols And Paytable

Hula Balua Bonuses And Special Features

You can look forward to plenty of bonus features in Hula Balua slot, and we’ll give you an overview of how everything works below.

Avalanche Wins

Winning symbols explode off the grid each time, and new and/or existing symbols drop down to fill the gaps. This process repeats as long as you keep winning, which means that you can get indefinite winning streaks per round.

Big Symbol Multipliers

Big symbols can land organically, or they are created when matching pay symbols form a rectangle or square on the grid. All big symbols generate a multiplier that’s equal to the number of positions the big symbol covers, and the multiplier value is added to the global win multiplier when the big symbol partakes in a win.

Big symbols can merge into even larger symbols as well, as long as two or more matching big symbols appear adjacent to each other. If this happens, the multiplier increases accordingly, and is added to the global win multiplier if the new big symbol is part of a win.

Elmo Wild Drops

Elmo the sloth will sometimes drop down before the symbols drop, and he moves one position to the left per spin that follows until he walks off the grid and into his cabin. Before the symbols drop, Elmo uses his magic wand to drop a random number of wilds into place, and the wilds are persistent until used in a win (or until Elmo walks off the grid).

Sticky Redrops

The half-full potion bottle triggers this feature, and the bottle selects a pay symbol randomly inside itself. All instances of the chosen symbol become sticky, and you get new redrops as long as you land new instances of the sticky symbol (or wilds). The win is paid when the redrops end, and the sticky symbol can be upgraded. It can also come in sizes up to 3x3.

Hula Balua Free Spins

You trigger the Hula Balua Bonus Round when 3+ scatters are in view, and 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters award 6, 8, 10, or 12 free spins, respectively. If you trigger the bonus round with 2 scatters vertically connected, you get the Super Bonus Round instead.

X-iter Feature Buy Menu (not UK)

The X-iter Bonus and Feature Buy menu comes with the following options in Hula Balua slot:

• Bonus Hunt - pay 3x the stake to get an unspecified boost to your bonus round chances.
• Big Symbol - pay 10x the stake to get a drop with a guaranteed big symbol.
• Sticky Redrops - pay 25x the stake to trigger this feature.
• Buy Bonus - pay 100x the stake to get the regular bonus round.
• Super Bonus - pay 200x the stake to get the super bonus round.

The 200 Spins Hula Balua Online Slot Experience

You get to see a longer avalanche sequence that culminates in a big symbol multiplier boost, before we purchase the super bonus round at 0:34 into the 4:37-minute highlights video. We got 4 triggering scatters, and you can see for yourself how it all went by hitting the play button below.

Review Summary And Verdict

The jungle waterfall setting, as well as the exotic fruit symbols, made a charming first impression on us at least, but we only wish ELK would be as considerate with the math model as they are in the visual department. The 94 % RTP is well into dealbreaker territory for many players, and with good reason. In addition, the Bonus Hunt ante bet comes with unspecified stats this time. This is an unnecessary rookie mistake in our book, as players must be allowed to know exactly what they pay extra for.

Looking past that, however, Hula Balua is a bouncy and feature rich affair that’s well worth a closer look.The animations are as excellent as the cartoonish sound effects, and the clever big symbol multiplier system can lead to solid payouts in all stages. The Sticky Redrops feature is highly engaging as well, and it can certainly prolong your bonus rounds.

Pros And Cons Of Hula Balua Online Slot

Pros

• Pay Anywhere system w/ Avalanche Wins
• Merging Big Symbols build win multiplier
• Random Walking Elmo Wild Drops
• Random Sticky Symbol Streak Redrops
• FS w/ non-resetting big symbol multiplier
• Super FS w/ guaranteed big symbol per spin
• Win up to 25,000x your stake

Cons

• 94 % RTP borders on dealbreaker territory

How To Play Hula Balua At An Online Casino

It just so happens that we scan all the online casinos every day, and this keeps all our casino lists up to date per slot review. You can therefore find your preferred Hula Balua casino and bonus at the top of this page (below the Hula Balua demo game):

• Scroll to the top (and check below the demo game).
• Pick a Hula Balua casino from the confirmed list.
• Sign up and deposit money to claim your bonus.
• Head to the slot lobby and search for “Hula Balua”.

Similar Slots To Try

If you love Hula Balua slot, you can also try:

Tropicool - takes you to the paradoxical frozen tropical paradise, and this ELK release comes with the avalanche mechanic and 46,656 ways to win. The top reel can award 4 different modifier symbols, and you get a progressive win multiplier free spins round for payouts up to 10,000x your stake.

Tropicool 2 - is ELK’s follow-up release, and it’s become more popular than the first game. Once again, you get modifier symbols from the top sliding reel, and you can look forward to Elmo Redrops and a progressive multiplier free spins round. The max win is increased to 25,000x your stake.

Goat Getter - is a recent Push Gaming release with a somewhat unique 3D-objects visual style. It’s a Scatter Wins game with avalanche wins, and you’ll benefit from Coin Drop streak respins. Goat symbols collect the coin prizes in the free spins round, and you can win up to 10,000x your stake.

Play Hula Balua Slot On Your Mobile

Yes, you can play Hula Balua on your mobile phone for sure, and it also works like a charm on tablet devices. All the Hula Balua casinos we recommend at the top of this page (below the demo game) allows you to play directly in your mobile browser, be that Android or Apple devices, so you don’t need to download any casino app to play.

Strategy And Tips For Winning

While we all know that there are no surefire ways to win when it comes to online slots, having a Hula Balua strategy is still a good idea. Since the bonus round hit rate is unknown, it’s a good idea to start with a low bet level until you get a feel for how often it triggers.

You can always play the free Hula Balua demo at the top of this page to achieve the same, of course. Also keep in mind that the X-iter menu prices inadvertently reveal how much you can expect in return on average from the different features.

Hula Balua Demo Version And Free Play

Sure, you can always test the free play demo at the top of this review page. It’s also possible to get Hula Balua free play via different bonuses. It doesn’t hurt to ask customer support for some Hula Balua free spins either, as they might be in a generous mood if you ask nicely. You can get started right away by checking our confirmed casino list, and it’s found right below the game demo.

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