Ice Wolf 2

Ice Wolf 2: Slot Overview

If you like ice and being really cold, then software provider ELK Studios might have the slot for you. Titled Ice Wolf 2, it's a sequel to the original Ice Wolf slot that the developer released in 2019, chillier and howlier than ever. This being a game released 6 years after the first means players can expect greater winning potential, and expanded features, which this time include a free spins bonus round. Much of the original action returns, though, so smashing ice to open up the gaming area is back, as well as wolf-triggered effects, just more of them. So, how about we rub our hands together for warmth and see if we can thaw some goodness out of this somewhat delayed sequel.

Ice Wolf 2 lives up to its name by encasing just about everything on the screen in ice. This includes most of the play area, as well as the location that depicts Viking longships entombed in a frozen cavern. If you haven't got the message by now, Ice Wolf 2 is a cold, icy game. Play stays in the same place when free spins trigger, but an Aurora Borealis effect is added to the background to give the bonus mode a touch of the ethereal, amplified by haunting tunes that go all heavy metal when celebrating big win count-ups.

Ice Wolf 2's gaming area is divided into three areas - the feature row, an ice section, and the main 6x3, 729 ways to win section. At the start of a base game spin, the top upper sections are covered in ice and are inactive. When ice has been removed from the ice section, the grid adds up to 3 more rows of symbols, and ways to win can bloom to 100,842. Ice Wolf 2 has a stake range of $/€0.20 to $/€100, is highly volatile and comes with an RTP of 94%.

Nine regular symbols make up the pay hierarchy. They are Q-A, shields, hammers, axes, birds, deer, and wolves. The three lower symbols pay 0.25x for 6 OAK, the middle three pay up to 0.75x to 1.5x, while the higher three award 2x to 5x the bet for a 6 OAK winning combination.

Ice Wolf 2: Slot Features

Ice Wolf 2's lengthy list of features includes respins, wilds, Golden Wilds, feature row symbols, wolf features, Wolf Spins, and X-iter feature buys.

Respins

Wins detected during pre-evaluation clear a number of ice blockers from their respective columns corresponding to the number of winning symbols. Each winning evaluation triggers a respin after the payout. Active Ice Wolf symbols trigger the Ice Wolf feature. A game round ends when there are no more winning combinations or Ice Wolves that award respins, at the end of bonus mode, or when the win cap is reached.

Wilds and Golden Wilds

Wilds appear on reels 2-6 in all sections, while Golden Wilds appear on reels 3-6 on all sections except the feature row. Golden Wilds may land with a multiplier of x2, x3, or x5. Both wilds have their multiplier increased by +1 when affected by a wolf feature - a wild without a multiplier gets an x2 value in this case. Wild symbols blocked by ice are sticky till the ice is cleared or at the start of a new game round. Wild symbols on the feature row are sticky between respins until they are part of a win. Golden Wilds are sticky and only spin out at the start of a new game round.

Multiplier Symbols

Multiplier symbols appear on the feature row. They multiply all wins by x2 to x50 when active. The total win multiplier is the sum of active multiplier symbols plus the values of all wild multipliers in the winning combination. Multiplier symbols are sticky between respins.

Wolf Symbols

The three wolf symbols and their features are:

• Howling Wolf - The Howling Wolf lands on reels 2-6 on the main section. Before the win evaluation, the Howling Wolf turns left or right and clears all ice in a 90-degree cone from its position. Any wilds within the cone increase their multiplier. After this, the Howling Wolf converts to a wild.
• Ice Wolf - Lands on reels 2-6 on the main and ice section, or in the Wolf Den in bonus mode. It triggers if active at the end of a spin, awarding an Ice Wolf respin, keeping all Ice Wolf symbols sticky. During the respin, before the reels stop, a wolf runs up the reels with active Ice Wolves, clearing all ice from the columns and making positions from the Ice Wolf symbol and up wild. Wilds that are passed over by wolves get an increased multiplier.
• Golden Wolf - Lands on reels 2-5 on the feature row. Landing one triggers the Golden Wolf feature before evaluation, affecting the Golden Wolf's column and the two columns immediately adjacent. Positions in these reels are cleared of ice, and wilds fill the positions from the Golden Wolf downwards, possibly with a multiplier of x2 to x5. Wilds passed over get an increased multiplier.

Wolf Spins

An active bonus symbol on the feature row triggers 5 Wolf Spins when respins end. This unlocks the Wolf Den section below the main reel area. Each free spin may trigger the Wolf Den feature, which activates up to 4 Ice Wolf symbols on reels 2-5, triggering after reels have stopped. Wolves run up the columns with an active Ice Wolf clearing ice. All symbols from the active Ice Wolf position and up in the main and ice section convert to wilds. Wilds passed over increase their multiplier. Active Ice Wolf symbols do not award respins. Also, +1 Spin symbols may land on the feature row to award an extra Wolf Spin. Lastly, at the start of bonus mode and between Wolf Spins, only Golden Wilds and wilds covered by ice do not spin out.

X-iter

The five choices from the X-iter bonus buy include the Bonus Hunt at 2.5x to buy a spin with more than triple the chance of triggering a bonus game, Call of the Wild at 10x to trigger a wolf feature, Ice Breaker at 25x for a spin with all ice cleared, the bonus round can be bought for 100x, or the super bonus where all ice is cleared for 250x the bet.

Ice Wolf 2: Slot Verdict

If sequels are meant to have more features and bigger winning potential, then Ice Wolf 2 nails both of these objectives. It doesn't stray miles away from the original idea, but Ice Wolf 2 adds a bunch of stuff to it, while sharpening its claws to bring more bite. The core loop of chipping away at ice to expand the active area is here, and if you enjoyed this tension-building mechanic before, you'll likely do so again, while staying eagle-eyed for the new bits to shine. Adding rows, increasing ways to win, these are things ELK Studios has a ton of experience deploying through games like those in its Gold range, and the effect is present in Ice Wolf 2, though in a more step-by-step, position-targeted way.

There's a compelling up and down escalator ride happening as ice is cleared and returned, but where Ice Wolf might end up chasing its own tail going through the motions, Ice Wolf 2 manages to side step this potential trap due to the addition of a free spins bonus round. Speaking of potential, this isn't the 2010s anymore, so Ice Wolf 2 has four times the max win, now coming in with a cap of 10,000x the bet. It's not just free spins to thank for the increase, but extra punch is provided by the various wolf features, as well. All are a bit samey, as in they generally clear ice or add wilds, or increase wild multipliers, but all are good to have on hand regardless, and help plump the game up.

While there is something strangely dated about Ice Wolf 2, that doesn't stop it from being a strong sequel. Strong in that it delivers things players may have liked about the first, as well as a blizzard load of extras. Ice Wolf 2 is icy, volatile, and may be a bit of a grind, yet it's capable of snapping wildly into life when the wolves start prowling, so fans of the first game should feel at home on this frozen tundra.