Das xBoot 2

Das xBoot 2: Slot Overview

Several years ago, software provider Nolimit City went through a mini World War 2 phase, which saw the release of Pearl Harbor in 2022, and the German submarine-themed Das xBoot about a year earlier. What both slots shared was a view of the conflict from the Axis side, coupled with technically complex gameplay and high levels of immersion. Apparently, the studio isn't done with WW2 just yet, because it is sending gamblers on another daring undersea mission in the sequel Das xBoot 2,(or Zwei, if you prefer) where building and launching torpedoes, spying on enemy ships before sinking them, is once again the order of the day.

Some WW2 U-boats could dive to depths of up to 280 meters, which, when you consider all that water above your head, is a pretty scary proposal. One stray mine cracks the hull, and, well, let's try not to think about the terrifying sink to the bottom of the sea as the boat slowly fills with frigid Atlantic seawater. Certain features bring the action closer to the water's surface, where the sub gets the chance to do what subs were made to do - blow up enemy vessels. Add in torpedoes, a periscope, and smatterings of German, and it doesn't take much imagination to pretend you're a silent prowler of the seas, popping off Allied ships. Like the previous slot, Das xBoot 2 does a great job of conjuring feelings of claustrophobia tinged with fear, as mines drift past an onscreen sub deep in grey, murky waters.

Das xBoot 2 does that periscope thing with the expanding third reel (amongst other things), but by default, it is played on a 6-reel matrix, its symbols landing in a 2-3-4-4-3-2 pattern providing 576 ways to win. Its volatility has been rated 'Extreme', and while there are three RTP configurations, the highest of them is slightly lower than usual for NLC 95.94% value. The game is stacked with ante bets, feature buys, and an extra bet, which are optional, but a stake will have to be chosen, where the options range from $/€0.20 to $/€100.

The paytable consists of 10 regular paying symbols. Half of them are 10-A card royals, the other half are five characters from the boat looking more frazzled than they did last time. Except for the captain, he is as unshakable as ever. Hitting a 6 OAK royal win pays 0.6x to 0.9x the bet, rising to 1x to 5x the bet when the 6 OAK win is made from premium symbols. All wilds can substitute any regular paying symbol.

Das xBoot 2: Slot Features

Like the original, Das xBoot 2 is rammed with features; some are similar, others have evolved. The list includes xNudge Wilds, xWays, xBombs, Periscope Up!, Torpedo Builder, Golden Torpedo Builder, Silent Hunter Spins, Wolf Pack Spins, Battle of the Atlantic Spins, Nolimit Boosters, and Nolimit Bonus buys.

• xNudge Wild - The xNudge Wild is a 4-row high wild symbol that always nudges to be fully visible. Each nudge increases a wild multiplier by 1. It can only land on reels 3 and 4, except during Periscope Up!, when it can only land on reel 4. Multipliers add to each other, and the win is awarded after multiplying with the total multiplier.
• xWays - The xWays symbol may land on reels 2 and 5, revealing a random regular symbol. The size of the xWays is 2-3 symbols. If more than one xWays symbol lands, then all xWays symbols reveal the same symbol.
• xBomb - xBomb symbols substitute for all symbols except bonus scatters. xBomb Wilds explode all symbol types that are not part of winning combinations except other wilds and scatters. After the explosion, the grid is refilled. The xBomb increases the win multiplier by one before the collapse. The xBomb multiplier during feature triggers is carried over to Torpedo Builder, Silent Hunter Spins, Wolf Pack Spins, and Battle of the Atlantic Spins.
• Periscope Up! - Reel 3 can grow up to 8 positions, and a Periscope Wild may land there. When it does, a torpedo sequence triggers: a target appears, a torpedo fires, and if it hits, the Periscope Wild expands to the top and nudges down, adding a multiplier with each nudge. A miss leaves it as a single wild. Periscope Up! can trigger randomly in the base game and Wolf Pack Spins, while in Silent Hunter Spins and Battle of the Atlantic Spins it's always active. The Periscope Wild never nudges over symbols revealed by the Torpedo Launch.
• Torpedo Builder - In the base game and Silent Hunter Spins, landing a full 2-symbol-wide boat in the Ocular above reels 5-6 triggers the Torpedo Builder. A Torpedo tube appears under reels 2-5, and only Torpedo parts can land. Players get 3 spins to collect all 4 parts: reels 2 and 5 drop +1 to +3 xWays symbols, while reels 3 and 4 drop +1 to +3 xWays Wilds. If all parts are built, the Torpedo launches, revealing xWays behind it based on the collected values - regular split symbols on reels 2 and 5, and split wilds on reels 3 and 4.
• Golden Torpedo Builder - In the base game and Silent Hunter Spins, landing a golden boat in the Ocular triggers the Golden Torpedo Builder, where Torpedo parts only have values of either +8 or +88.

Free Spins

• Silent Hunter Spins - Landing 3 scatters in the main game triggers 8 Silent Hunter Spins. The Periscope Up! feature is always active in the round. Also, the Periscope Wild nudge awards a persistent multiplier that starts at x1 after the first nudge, then grows by +1 with each Periscope Wild nudge. This multiplier applies only to the spin where Periscope Wild lands and the target is hit. In all free spins features, each time an xBomb hits, an xBomb Multiplier is awarded and increases the multiplier by +1 for the rest of the round. All multipliers are added to each other before wins are calculated. Also, in all bonus rounds, extra landed scatters award +2 spins.
• Wolf Pack Spins - Hitting 4 scatters in the base game awards 9 Wolf Pack Spins. A Torpedo Tube appears under reels 2-5, where Torpedo parts can land. The tube is preloaded with xWays and xWays Wilds of size 2 at the start. On reels 2 and 5, the Torpedo parts drop a +1 to +3 xWays symbol to the Torpedo area. On reels 3 and 4, the Torpedo parts drop a +1 to +3 xWays Wild instead. These sections activate once the Torpedo launches. Any time a boat lands in the Ocular, the Torpedo launches in its current state. After the Torpedo launches, an identical Torpedo is loaded, which can be enhanced on future spins.
• Battle of the Atlantic Spins - When 5 scatters land in the base game, 10 Battle of the Atlantic Spins are awarded. The Periscope Up! feature of Silent Hunter Spins and the Torpedo Builder of Wolf Pack spins are both active.

Extra Spin

When a free spins bonus round ends, players may have the chance to buy an extra spin, where any existing multipliers and Torpedo Tube progress, where applicable, are kept. The cost depends on the current state, and the extra spin is offered if the cost is less than or equal to the total win.

Nolimit Boosters & Bonus Buy

The four Nolimit Boosters in Das xBoot 2 are: Bonus Booster (1.5x bet, guarantees a scatter), Periscope Booster (8x bet, guarantees Periscope Up!), Torpedo Booster (20x bet, guarantees Torpedo Builder via full normal boat in the Ocular), and Golden Torpedo Booster (4,500x bet, guarantees Golden Torpedo Builder via full golden boat in the Ocular). Player can also buy access to Silent Hunter, Wolf Pack, or Battle of the Atlantic free spins, or a lucky draw for 80x, 250x, 750x, or 290x the bet, respectively.

Das xBoot 2: Slot Verdict

There's no doubt Das xBoot 2 is a bigger, denser game, but it won't take long for players familiar with the original to find their sea legs. Indeed, the bulk of Das xBoot's features have been pulled along for a second ride, but many adjustments and additions have also been made to alter the way they play out and affect the overall experience, creating a tenser, more claustrophobic experience. Nolimit City has taken what worked previously as the foundation, then gone full steam ahead, stacking the sequel with add-ons, extra-layered mechanics, and even greater emphasis on tension-building features.

For one thing, the periscope and torpedo effects are both available in the base game now, whereas before they were bonus round only features. There's more going on in general, in just about every regard. For instance, the game now dangles the chance of shooting the highly desirable golden boat, which triggers the Golden Torpedo Builder with the much chunkier +8 or +88 xWays values. Indeed, just to see what would happen, one of the very first spins of the review was the Golden Torpedo Builder feature buy, which resulted in Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein!, the game's 59,999x max win as if it were nothing. Obviously, that ain't going to happen every time, but assembling torpedo parts over 3 spins is a great way of building anticipation, whether naturally triggered or not. The Periscope Up! feature links neatly to the theme as well, and while it wasn't as productive as the torpedo effect during the review, it's got potential. So while it's good having torpedoes and/or a periscope on hand throughout an entire bonus round, knowing they can drop at any time in the base game really helps thicken the plot.

Hopefully, this doesn't sound like Das xBoot 2 is an easy-going comfort cruise that spews money from its funnels. There may be more going on under the hull, but it's still every bit the deadly pressure cooker its predecessor was. Das xBoot 2 is a well-designed sequel that expands on the original slot's arsenal with heavier firepower, bigger everything pretty much, and a greater variety of pyrotechnics ready to pop at any moment.