Introduction to Concrete Cowboys
Concrete Cowboys is a casino slot from ELK Studios where we join the best construction company in town. Just like in the beloved Pirots series, Concrete Cowboys is a game centered on the unique CollectR mechanic, which replaces the traditional paylines with Collector Symbols that travel across the playing grid, picking up paying symbols and features along the way. We’ve seen this mechanic used in plenty of releases over the years, such as the aforementioned Pirots series and Spark of Creation. One quirk about these releases is that they usually come packed with features and bonuses, and Concrete Cowboys is no different, as it may just be the most packed release so far. While its typical CollectR mechanics are pretty standard, outside of the fact that the Collectors can be killed, we have many Feature Symbols that trigger various effects such as Upgrades, playing grid Level Ups, or even calling in HR Karen to fire lazy employees. On top of this, we have a handful of minigames as Game Mode bonuses, two of which are quite arcadey, drawing inspiration from Tetris and the original Donkey Kong games. So, while not your typical CollectR game, Concrete Cowboys delivers on plenty of fun spins, where each drop can deliver on a different experience, all based on the features that drop, with a solid max win of 10,000X the bet on the horizon.
ELK Studios delivers another CollectR release with Concrete Cowboys, where features violate just about every construction safety code for the sake of big wins.
Theme, Gameplay, & Payouts
Concrete Cowboys is a video slot from ELK Studios with 5 / 8 Reels, 5 / 8 Rows, and uses the CollectR mechanic for its payouts, where a Collector Symbol can only pick up the paying gem symbols of the same color for wins. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.2 and a Max.bet of 100. Concrete Cowboys come with an average RTP of 96%, a hit frequency of 24.7%, medium/high volatility, and a solid max win of 10,000X the bet. However, do note that the game comes in multiple versions, with RTPs as low as 87%.
Concrete Cowboys is set atop a construction zone, where each Collector symbol represents a different worker, alongside HR Karen, who oversees the operation from her crane lift. As the workers travel across the construction zone, that being the playing grid, they’ll trigger various themed features and bonuses along the way. You can play the game on most notepads, mobiles, and desktops.
The paying symbols are different-colored gems, each with its own Collector, including blue, green, purple, and red. All gem symbols can level up to 7, and their payouts at that level range from 5X to 12.5X the bet. There are also many Special Symbols, including Feature Symbols like Dynamites, Walkie Talkies, Level Up, and Upgrades, as well as Special Symbols like Wilds, Scatters, and many more, which we go over in the Feature section.
Special Features & Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Concrete Cowboys
You can win up to 10,000X the bet.
What features are available in the slot Concrete Cowboys
The features are CollectR, Wrecking Ball, Feature Symbols, Game Modes, Free Spins, and Feature Buy (X-iter).
CollectR
The game doesn’t use traditional paylines, as instead, it uses the CollectR mechanic, having 4 character symbols travel across the playing grid, picking up colored gems and Special Symbols to trigger payouts and features. Each CollectR character comes in a distinct color, meaning they can only pick up Gem Symbols of the same color, but can pick up any Special Symbols that come across their path. CollectR Symbols can’t travel across other colored gems, but can switch places with other CollectR symbols if it leads to additional symbols.
CollectR Symbols can also be killed through a variety of Features, and any dead Collectots will not appear in the Refill / Redrop Cascading effect of the same spin. On top of this, if there are any symbols left with the corresponding dead Collector, they will all be replaced with Wild Symbols.
Wrecking Ball
By collecting symbols during a spin, you fill up the Wrecking Ball Meter, which can hold up to 3 Wrecking Ball Bonuses, with the first bonus requiring 20 Symbols, the second needing 30, and the third needing 40 collected symbols. After no more wins can be made and all features have triggered, the Wrecking Ball Bonuses activate, swinging onto the playing grid, removing any symbols and Collectors it hits.
Feature Symbols
There are plenty of Feature Symbols that can appear on the playing grid, which will activate a range of features and bonuses when collected by a CollectR Symbol, and they are as follows:
Wild = Can substitute for any symbol and can be picked up by any CollectR in a cluster.
Upgrade = Two types of Upgrades in Silver and Gold versions. When collected, the Silver Upgrade increases the payout level of the active Collector’s gem color by 1-3 steps, with the Gold version upgrading all four gem colors.
Transform = When collected, Transform symbols change the adjacent cluster to the corresponding CollectR Symbols color. Will be shaken and left to explode if no adjacent symbols can be transformed.
Dynamite = Explodes all symbols in random directions, removing any Symbol and Collector Symbol caught in the blast.
Coin = Instantly pays the amount shown, multiplied by the current bet.
Tunnel = Allows a Collector to travel to another cluster of their own color.
Level Up = Expands the grid by 1 row and 1 column, and triggers a redrop of all symbols and collectors.
Walkie Talkie = Triggers HR Karen, removing at least 1 CollectR Symbol and replacing it with Karen as a CollectR Symbol.
Building Time = Triggers the Building Time Game Mode.
Game Modes
Game Modes are bonuses that can trigger in various ways and are played on a special playing grid. They are as follows:
Building Time = Triggered by collecting the Building Time Symbol. This bonus game is played on a Tetris-like grid, where you have 4 attempts to fill a row, with a progressively higher Multiplier awarded per row. Each time you fulfill a row, all 4 Builders come back, awarding you 4 more attempts.
Employee Of The Month = Awarded by picking up all symbols on the playing grid during the same spin. The bonus game starts with a Collector Symbol on the bottom corner of an empty playing grid, which will spin and can reveal Special Symbols such as Ladders, allowing Collectors to move up a row, Walkie Talkies, to call in additional Collectors and award more spins, or Coins, which can pay out if collected.
Heaven = Triggered if all Collector Symbols are dead in the same spin. The bonus game is played on a maxed-out 8x8 playing grid where all paying gem symbols are at their max level of 7.
Free Spins
By landing 3 Scatter Symbols, you will be awarded the Free Spins feature with 5 spins. During the standard Free Spins, the playing grid size and symbol levels stay persistent between spins. If one of the triggering Scatter Symbols was a Super Scatter Symbol, you will be awarded the Super Free Spins. During the Super Free Spins feature, all Upgrade Symbols are Gold variants.
Feature Buy (X-iter)
Through the Feature Buy, you can instantly trigger various bonuses for a price based on the current bet
2.5X = Activates the Bonus Hunt, making each spin more than 3 times the chance to trigger the Free Spins bonus game.
5X = Activates the Mega Hunt, making each spin more than 6 times the chance to trigger the Free Spins bonus game.
50X = Awards the Minigame bonus, triggering a random Game Modes bonus.
100X = Awards the standard Free Spins feature.
250X = Awards the Super Free Spins feature.
Final Thoughts on Concrete Cowboys
Compared to its many CollectR peers, Concrete Cowboys doesn’t bring with it as much fantasy flair as its more well-known predecessors, however, the formula is also quite known for its construction zones, as seen with Huff N’ Puff CollectR and Dam Beavers. But, even so, Concrete Cowboys feels very much like its own game, and we really enjoy its silly, slightly over-the-top nature and squished chibi-like characters. This, coupled with the rather fun theme, means the game is full of charm and personality and is so much more grounded than what we’re used to with Pirots flying through space and dimensions. It seems, at least from our perspective, that ELK Studios had quite a lot of fun with the development of Concrete Cowboys, drawing on arcade-game inspirations, adding memes like HR Karen, and even giving us the chance to kill the Collector symbols, which only adds to its not-so-serious setting.
While funny, safety regulation violations can also be quite profitable in Concrete Cowboys, and just about every feature can lead to a write-up from HR Karen. The gameplay loop can be described as busy, as its starting 5x5 playing grid can easily be filled with features and bonuses, leading to very chaotic spins, which is pretty normal for CollectR releases. Many of its features and bonuses also feel quite fresh compared to the rest of the series, especially the two Game Mode bonuses, Building Time and Employee Of The Month, for being very unique as bonus games. Even so, these Game Mode bonuses, while you could call them minigames, feel more like proper bonus games than the Free Spins features, as they feel less distinctive and engaging in comparison, but it’s just another way to help you hunt down the big wins. With that said, while we really enjoy much of the game, Concrete Cowboys isn’t perfect, as its wins, while solid, aren’t exactly the most explosive things you’ll see, and its regular gem symbols have a low paytable when not maxed out in levels, meaning it can feel a bit discouraging during regular spins. But, even so, we think ELK Studios delivers on a very solid slot experience, both for CollectR veterans and new players to the series, as it is packed full of features and bonuses that feel fresh to the formula.
Concrete Cowboys is a not-so-serious construction-themed CollectR release, full of thematic features and bonuses, such as the many Special Symbols and Game Mode mini-games, that combine into a fun, workplace-accident-filled game with constant chaos.
