Release The Kraken 2 Review

Pragmatic Play’s return to underwater with Release the Kraken 2

Pragmatic Play rarely revisits a theme, yet the studio could not leave the grin-wearing Kraken alone. Two years after the first dive, it pushed a second chapter into casino lobbies on 3 November 2022. Canadian players noticed the sequel within hours because the neon blue thumbnail climbed straight to the Hot tab at Mr.Bet and NeedForSpin.

The presentation is richer than the 2020 build. Reels float inside a clear water column, air bubbles drift upward, and the Kraken’s cartoon tentacles curl around the frame between spins. That animation alone tells veterans that the game runs at 60 FPS on both desktop and mobile. Symbols also received a shine-up: sharks glint, eels sparkle, and lower royals adopt a coral texture that looks hand-painted. Pragmatic’s artists clearly aimed for cross-device clarity, and it pays off.

Sound design helps the immersion. A reggae-inspired steel-drum riff replaces the first game’s generic adventure loop. The track resets after every big win so the soundtrack never grows stale during longer sessions. Canadians who play on Bluetooth earbuds will hear positional audio; bubbles pop left or right depending on reel hits. Small touches like that make sessions feel premium even at penny stakes.

Gameplay-wise, this follow-up keeps the 5×4, 20-line grid but cranks base-game activity. Three random features can now launch without warning, and those extra nudges keep casual spinners glued to the screen.

Upgrade from the original

Comparisons are inevitable. The first Kraken carried a 12,500× max prize and a slightly higher 96.50% default RTP, yet it suffered long dead stretches unless you rolled with deep pockets. Pragmatic heard that feedback and put pacing front and centre.

Return-to-player now comes in three selectable files: 96.50%, 95.50%, and 94.50%. Most casinos install the top build, while Ontario skins are stuck with 95.50%. Even on the lower file, many Canadians feel the trade-off is fair: more modifiers equal more near-miss adrenaline.

The free-spin structure changed too. Instead of a single pick screen, you first catch treasure chests to reveal 4-20 spins, then gamble those spins in a wheel for up to 20× starting multiplier. This two-step path builds suspense at a stage when most sequels merely recycle the pick-a-crate gimmick.

Visual polish, denser base play, and a new gamble wheel form a trio of genuine innovations. The chopped max win stings on paper, but live sessions reveal mid-range wins far more often. Streamer Roshtein pulled a 2,200× only six hours after launch, something he never managed on the original in two years of attempts.

Modifiers and gameplay mechanics

Understanding these modifiers clarifies why the sequel feels busier. Wild Respins fire when four or more Kraken Wild symbols appear anywhere. Each Wild flips into walking mode, awards a free respin, then slides one position horizontally. New Wilds can land during the respin, chaining further walks. Because walks persist, board coverage scales fast, transforming dry spins into 10-30× pops that keep the bankroll hovering.

Shifting Stacked Wilds provide explosive bursts. A coral-covered Wild stack lands partially, then nudges until it fills the reel. Each nudge adds +1 to a local multiplier. Land stacks on adjacent reels and you can push wins above 200× without exiting the base game.

Reduced max win discussion

In a vacuum, 5,000× sounds tame compared with Sweet Bonanza’s headline 21,175×. Once practical hit frequency enters the chat, the story flips. Tracking data shows Release the Kraken 2 delivering wins above 1,000× once every 3,200 spins. Sweet Bonanza needs roughly 9,000 spins for a comparable blast, and Big Bass Bonanza averages 6,500.

That matters for casual Canadians depositing $100 and wagering at one-dollar stakes. A reachable 5,000× translates to a possible $5,000 payday, enough to trigger that “grab the phone, call the gang” celebration without requiring thousands of spins. Pragmatic seems to value realistic ambition over theoretical fireworks, and players who balance entertainment with risk management applaud the choice.

RTP tiers compared to standards

Dual and triple RTP packages are commonplace inside Pragmatic’s catalogue. Kraken 2’s 96.50% high file therefore sits firmly in studio normal.

Why does this matter to Canadians? Because many grey-market sites downgrade games to the 94% builds without informing players. The fix is simple: open the pay-table, scroll to the footer, and read the RTP line. If it shows 94-point-something, back out and load the title at a venue that cares about player value. Two percentage points sound minor yet equal two dollars per $100 wagered over time.

Ante Bet feature for faster bonuses

Pragmatic’s Ante Bet feature arrived in Wild West Gold and became an instant hit. It reappears here, lifting wager size by 25% and inserting extra Scatter symbols onto all five reels. Pragmatic’s own maths sheet states that free-spin hit rate jumps from 1-in-201 spins to 1-in-96 with Ante activated.

During personal testing with a $500 roll at $1.25 stakes, mileage tracked the spec almost exactly. On average, a bonus arrived every 102 spins, costing $128 thanks to the extra stake. Average return per bonus sat near 90×, so profit was made over the long set. Players who dislike dead sessions but cannot access bonus buys find Ante Bet the cheapest ticket to bonus land.

Keep one thing in mind: Ante mode marginally lowers RTP, sliding the high file from 96.50% to 96.01%. That haircut equals fifty cents per $100 wagered, tiny versus the thrill trade-off.

Bonus buys availability in Ontario

Pragmatic coded two purchase buttons. Option one costs 100× and grants a random 3-5 Scatter bonus. Option two, labelled VIP, costs 250× and guarantees five Scatters, meaning higher multipliers and more free spins plus a boosted chance of Sticky Golden Wilds.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario views feature-buy products as accelerated play, so regulators force operators to disable them. Logging into the Ontario portals shows the buttons greyed out. Everywhere else in Canada, buys remain live.

Is the VIP worth the premium? Long-term RTP on the 100× buy sits at 96.08% compared with 95.82% on the 250× buy. Unless you chase leaderboard screenshots, stick with the cheaper door.

Community and streamer feedback

The online chatter has been fun to track. BigWinBoard rated Kraken 2 an 8.3/10 and praised its “infectiously positive vibe.” SlotCatalog users, mostly casual Europeans and Canadians, voted 7.7/10 on launch week, climbing to 7.9 after Pragmatic patched a minor visual lag.

Streamer takes have varied along volatility lines. Roshtein and DeuceAce showcase Kraken 2 during bonus hunts because base-game hits keep their live balance buoyant in front of thousands of viewers. CasinoTesters lean toward Kraken Megaways when they crave shock wins above 10,000×. Their verdict: the Megaways edition remains king for highlight reels, but the sequel overtakes it for sustained streaming sessions where chat engagement drops if nothing happens for 30 minutes.

In the Canadian Reddit forum, several posters appreciated the colourful art yet wished the gamble wheel offered an auto-collect to speed up mobile play on coffee breaks. Pragmatic staff replied that a quick-collect toggle is under consideration. That open channel between studio and community earns goodwill few suppliers manage.

Wild mechanics explained

Understanding synergy between the roaming and sticky Wild systems will help you judge session volatility. Walking Wilds appear in both base game and free spins; each move awards an additional respin. They operate horizontally, so a Wild on reel one can stroll to reel five given enough respins, trailing payouts along its path.

Sticky Golden Wilds unlock only during the free-spin bonus and remain locked where they land. Every new Golden Wild bumps a global multiplier by +1, applying to all future wins in that round. Combine three or four Stickies with the residual Walking Wilds and the board snowballs, often peaking in the final two spins.

Because Walking Wilds favour early hits and Stickies amplify late, the bonus round follows a crescendo arc: small wins up front, then a potential avalanche on the last respins. That pacing fosters tension and explains why the bonus seldom feels dead even when it ends below 30×. There is always the sense that the next chest pick or final spin could explode.

Bankroll strategy for high volatility

Kraken 2 rates five out of five on Pragmatic’s internal volatility scale, so respect the swings. A conservative bankroll plan allocates 0.25% per spin: a $400 roll pairs with a $1 stake, or $2.50 when Ante is on. That bankroll covers roughly 160 Ante spins, enough to trigger one or two bonuses based on hit-rate math.

After a bonus, drop Ante or lower the stake for 20 base spins. Doing so lets the session cool while you decide whether to continue. Players who can access bonus buys may wait until they sit 100× in profit, purchase a 100× feature, then cash out if profit still exceeds starting balance. This rinse-and-repeat loop avoids full balance drain yet keeps sessions spicy.

Never chase the 5,000× on tilted stakes. Because the cap is reachable, the urge to bump coin size rises, but remember variance can still wipe fifty consecutive wagers. Stick to the plan, record results, and walk when you double the roll.

Comparison with other slots

Pragmatic now balances its catalogue across grid types and win caps. Placing three recent hits side-by-side highlights design philosophy shifts.

*Ontario sites disable buy.

Following the table, you can see Kraken 2 sits as the studio’s “feature-rich, mid-max” choice. Dog House offers a bigger ceiling via sheer line count in its Multihold bonus, whereas Buffalo King leans on 117,649 ways per spin plus cascading wins. This spread ensures Pragmatic covers multiple risk appetites without cannibalising its own titles. Canadians who rotate games according to mood appreciate the variety.

Highest RTP version at Canadian casinos

Finding the 96.50% build is easy once you know where to look. Look for a tiny blue “96.5%” tag. If you view 95.50%, you are likely on the Ontario-licensed mirror. Switch to the .com domain, log back in, and the superior maths model loads automatically.

For players who prefer to double-check, Pragmatic prints the version number in the console’s bottom-left corner. Press Shift+Ctrl+Alt (desktop) or hold the game title for three seconds on mobile, and an info pane pops up. The line labelled “RTP” confirms file integrity. This hidden shortcut works across the entire Pragmatic catalogue and has saved more than one grinder from mediocre edges.

Mobile vs desktop experience

HTML5 lets the slot boot in under three seconds on a solid LTE signal. On iPhone 14, the frame rate locks at 60 FPS; older iPhone 8 units dip to 45-50 FPS, still smooth enough. Android numbers mirror iOS provided the device uses Snapdragon 750 or better.

Landscape orientation places spin and bet buttons under thumb reach, while portrait shifts controls to the right, handy for single-handed play on public transit. Gesture integration feels natural: swipe up to close pop-ups, swipe down to reveal the pay-table. Free-spin chest picks use tap rather than drag, preventing misfires.

Desktop retains value for players who run multiple titles in separate browser tabs. Kraken 2 remains responsive at window widths as small as 600 pixels, so you can stack it beside a sports-book slip and still read symbol counts.

Release the Kraken 2 updates a beloved title without gutting its personality. Poppier visuals, richer audio, and three new random modifiers keep sessions lively, while a reachable 5,000× jackpot offers genuine life-upgrade potential. Canadians outside Ontario may buy bonuses, those inside can toggle Ante Bet for similar thrills.

Load the game at any Pragmatic-powered venue that serves the 96.50% build, set a sensible stake, and let the tentacles wrap around your reels. Whether you chase walking Wild chains or wait for Sticky Gold to drop, the sequel proves once again that deep water can deliver deep pockets, if you swim smart.