Heist Guys 2

Heist Guys 2: Slot Overview

On its creative rampage through the online slot space, ELK Studios has come up with a bunch of interesting ideas over the years, some of which have stuck, others, not so much. But you can't expect to land absolutely everything if creativity is a key driver. One that hit or miss, depending on the gambler, was Heist Guys, largely on account of its map traversing bonus round where three Guys toddled their way towards a vault, which could be a load of laughs, or a royal pain. For fans, there is good news, as the three Guys are back, and they've got their sights set on cracking another bank in the Western-themed sequel, Heist Guys 2.

As noted, the three Guys have left the bright lights and big city far behind and traded them for the Wild West, a place where hopefully, anything goes. It's not a slot ELK Studios pulled out all the stops for when designing the skin. At least, it's like this in the base game and free spins, where players plant themselves at the bar in a pretty plain saloon. Items of note include a jar of coins down the bottom left, which can be won, and the three variously coloured stools, which mark Guy collection on the way to the Heist Game. The Heist Game is when the unique magic of Heist Guys gets to express itself, as the slot flips to map mode and the three guys march towards a bank, shooting or avoiding guards along the way.

Heist Guys 2's base game and free spins features are played on a 5x4 grid, and instead of cluster pays, like last time, there are 1,024 ways to win. After each win, all winning symbols except Super Wilds are removed from the grid. Super Wilds move to a new position, while symbols fall down to fill the reels for another chance to win. Avalanches continue as long as new winning combinations appear. Players are able to stake $/€0.20 to $/€100 in what is a medium-high volatile slot and where the default RTP comes in at 96%.

Heist Guys 2's pay symbols are Q-A playing cards, keys, guns, dynamite, and the three Guy symbols. Winning combinations of 5-of-a-kind in size pay out 0.2x to 0.5x the stake.

Heist Guys 2: Slot Features

Cracking the vault may or may not occur with tools such as Super Wilds, State Jar prizes, free spins, super free spins, the Heist Game, and feature buys.

Super Wild

A Super Wild is always present on the grid. They start the spin without a multiplier value and substitute all paying symbols. After one or more Super Wilds are part of a win, they either gain a multiplier of x2 if they did not have one, or their multiplier is doubled. If more than one Super Wild is part of a win, their multiplier values are added. Super Wilds drop out at the end of base game spins.

State Jar

If a State symbol is in view at the end of a spin, it is collected. After collection occurs, the State Jar may increase by one level, or it is emptied and awards a random prize - cash, 8 free spins or the Heist Game.

Bonus Game

Collecting 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols in a spin triggers 8, 10, or 12 free spins, respectively. If one of the scatters is a super scatter symbol, players win the same number of super free spins. At the start of free spins, at least one new Super Wild drops in, and for super free spins, at least two Super Wilds drop in. None starts with multipliers. In both features, Super Wilds and Collected Guys are persistent between spins, keeping their multipliers, but moving to a new position. If the Heist Game triggers, free spins continue when the feature completes.

Heist Game

If a Super Wild is part of a win with a Guy high pay symbol, Guy tokens are added to the inventory. The Heist Game starts if all 3 Guys have been collected in a spin. During the Heist Game, the three Guys travel along a map through town towards a Bank guarded by patrolling guards. Collected coins are then awarded. Rooms are opened when Guys go past them, and may contain coins, or safes containing coins, multipliers, guns, keys, dynamite, or safe upgrades.

• Multipliers - Apply to the current heist win.
• Guns - Used to defeat and remove a guard.
• Key - Guarantees access to the Bank when a Guy reaches it. If there is no key when a Guy reaches the Bank, they attempt to crack it. Unsuccessful attempts end the Heist Game. When the crew enter the Bank, each remaining Guy is assigned a safe.
• Dynamite - Used to gain access to the Super Safe if Guys enter the Bank, which is the most valuable one.

Bushes in the Guy's path allow the Guy to pass from guards in that part of the map. Guards remove Guys from the game if they are within sight range and they do not have a gun. The guard is then removed, and the next Guy continues. However, caught Guys can be freed from certain rooms. In addition, the bonus round may include a high-value bounty. If the crew has a gun when meeting an outlaw, the bounty is awarded. If they do not have a gun, a standoff occurs. Winning the standoff awards the bounty; losing the standoff causes one Guy to be caught. Standoffs continue till the Guys win or there are no more Guys left. When all Guys are caught, the Guys cannot move any further, or the max win is achieved, the round ends and the collected winnings are paid.

X-iter

Five options are available at the X-iter. They are the Bonus Hunt at 2.5x, giving more than 3 times the chance to trigger a bonus or the Mega Bonus at 5x, giving 7 times the chance. The Heist Game costs 50x to buy, the bonus round 100x, or the super bonus round 250x the bet.

Heist Guys 2: Slot Verdict

The original release was a fresh game when it dropped, on account of its wandering along a path bonus round, and Heist Guys 2 has taken the original and expanded on it with more layers and additional features. The heart of the slot is still its Heist Game, no arguments there, but the studio has spread out the way players can potentially collect a bit of cash along their journey. Where the original had the base game and the map round, and that was about it, Heist Guys 2 expands its payout capabilities through the State Jar, and not only a free spins round, but a super free spins round, too, if you're lucky enough to enter that phase.

There were mixed thoughts on the expanded range of features. The slots' USP is its Heist Game, so having the RTP spread across bonus rounds, and a random State Jar coin thing might strike returning players as unnecessary additions that dilute the Heist Game's effectiveness. Admittedly, the free spins features aren't bad, you do get roaming wilds which double up their multipliers on a ways to win grid, but still. Furthermore, it may make triggering the Heist Game feel that little bit more special when it does occur, and since Guy collection is progressive during free spins, they are not a stagnant place to be.

One of the interesting things about Heist Guys 2's version of the Heist Game is that the crew are not assigned a set number of steps the way they were in the previous release. Now, they will just keep walking until they can walk no more. The Guys can still be annoying when they're bumbling foolishly into guards, but they can also be entertaining, dodging guards, collecting items, freeing each other from the slammer, and with luck, busting into the bank to grab coins.

As before, Heist Guys 2's max haul means winning 10,000x the bet, yet this time, there are extra ways to go about the heisting. The Heist Game remains the most interesting part, though it is quite un-slottish, so it won't be for everyone. However, in this instance, having free spins features might broaden the appeal to a wider audience, while players who did enjoy the original get a somewhat more refined version to spin, and a better RTP to boot.