Free slot: Hit It Hard

How Hit It Hard works

ELK Studios invites you to the return of their famous game show that doesn't necessarily look like a game show anymore... In a retro neon atmosphere, Hit It Hard is clearly reminiscent of classic land-based casino slots with some of the simplest gameplay.

This sequel to Hit It Big is a slot machine developed and published by the online games provider ELK Studios which made it available from January 21, 2020 on a large number of online casinos. Its player payout ratio (PPR) is quite high at 96.3%, while its volatility has been slightly decreased to be in the high average. On the jackpot side, the maximum winning potential is still 2,500 times the starting bet, which is still more than adequate.

The grid of Hit It Hard is therefore in the classic format of land-based slots with 3 reels of 3 symbols each. The basic operation is very old-fashioned: the reels are triggered, revealing symbols that you have to connect to obtain winnings. Only, in addition to a very interesting free spins bonus, Hit It Hard offers a Wild Respins feature in base game. A multiplying wild can appear at any time on the 3rd reel, if no connection is obtained, then a respin is triggered and the wild keeps its location and multiplier.

Hit It Hard Symbols

In addition to the multiplier Wilds and the Scatter Die, there are 9 symbols in Hit It Hard. These symbols are classified into several categories according to their rarity:

• Very high value symbols, otherwise known as premium, are simply the rarest symbols. They are represented by a red, blue or green triple 7;

• The high value symbols are the famous BAR symbols of the old slot machines. Here you will find the triple red BAR, the double blue BAR and the green BAR;

• The low value symbols, also called common symbols, are represented by fruits. Watermelon, lemon and cherries appear more often, but pay much less.

Above are the potential payouts for a €1 bet.

The different connections in Hit It Hard

Like the classic land-based slots, there are few different ways to make connections in Hit It Hard. To win, you need to connect 3 identical symbols on a predefined payline. In this slot you will find only 5 paylines: lines and diagonals. For ease of connection, the Wild can replace any symbol except the Scatter. You can see the 5 different paylines in the graphic below.

How the Hit It Hard Bonus Works

The free spins bonus is what makes Hit It Hard a great slot game. To get it, all you need to do is to see the pink die symbol appear in the middle of the 3rd reel. This scatter turns into a wild with a 10x multiplier. A kind of board game is then triggered: the die is rolled and decides your movement on the board which then lights up above the grid.

Each square gives you a function:

• Spin boxes trigger a number of free spins with a multiplier on each free spin. If you get at least one paying connection during these free spins, you can re-roll the die at the end of the spins and continue the bonus;

• The Quantum Leap box moves you randomly across the game board. The Quantum Leap box moves you randomly across the board, giving you the opportunity to make a larger move than with a 6-sided die;

• The Power Run square allows you to re-roll the die and move forward on the board. The features of each square you cross to advance are then triggered;

• The Stacked Wilds box triggers a free spin with the 2nd reel full of Wilds, the next free spin the stacked Wilds are on the 3rd reel and the last free spin the Wilds are stacked on reels 2 and 3;

• The 10 Wild Spins box, as the name suggests, triggers 10 free spins with guaranteed multiplier wilds on the 3rd reel:

• The Lucky Ballz slot triggers a mini Pachinko game with 4 balls guaranteeing a win each;

• The Super Ballz box also triggers a mini Pachinko game, but this time the balls are thrown until one ball lands in the same basket as a previous ball;

• The box showing a key opens one of the two locks of the chest;

• The box showing a chest only works if you have managed to collect 2 keys beforehand. Landing on the safe with both locks open triggers the Break the Bank feature, which simply awards you the jackpot with the maximum multiplier of 2,500 times your bet!

Our review of Hit It Hard

ELK Studios has an interesting sequel to its Hit It Big slot from the Classic Slots series. Indeed Hit It Hard sticks perfectly to the retro universe of the classic slot machines, with flashy colors, quality graphics and arcade animations. The atmosphere offered by the show host and the audience is a bit lacking in this slot, but its bonus in the form of a board game more than makes up for it. Moving between prizes and free spins is very exciting and the maximum winning potential of 2,500 times the starting bet seems much more affordable in this opus thanks to the jackpot function of the bank vault!