Jammin’ Jars 2

Jammin' Jars 2: Slot Overview

Get your glad rags on players because developer Push Gaming is back for more carnage on the dance floor. The first Jammin' Jars slot brought an infectious groove to the reels, introducing players to the joys of its leaping Wild Jar multipliers. Well, 'joy' when things were going well. Those jam jars had minds of their own after all and didn't always end up where you wanted them to go. Such was the tragedy or delight the game could evoke when things went your way. Take all of that, multiply it like wild jam, and you've got the sequel, Jammin' Jars 2, a slot that blows up every single element of the original.

Visually, things have moved on, and the action now takes place in a proper disco. To the left of the 8x8 grid sits the Giga Jar DJ, who isn't just there for show but ties in with the features, as we will see. He's perched on a stool in a tropical, neon-themed club, reproducing a Miamian vibe. The music jives, but to be honest, it's not really a high-energy track, more jazzy chill, ideal for sipping cocktails rather than raving to. Taken all together, it's an obvious upgrade, but the core Jammin' Jars experience remains the same, linking the two slots nicely together.

Jammin' Jars 2 provides bets from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin - on any device, whether smartphone, tablet, or desktop, any is fine. Like most Push games, brace for a highly volatile math model, matching the intense gameplay like fuzzy chests and gold medallions. As before, the game is happy to bop along in cruise mode before knocking together something special at a moment's notice. This is most likely going to occur in the bonus games, yet new instant prizes mean the base game can pop as well. The default RTP, meanwhile, clocks in at 96.4% (lower versions are available as well). Though it's slightly down from the original, it's a healthy value nonetheless.

The key rule remains the same: land a cluster of 5 or more identical symbols vertically or horizontally to trigger a payout. Being in some ways a fruit slot on roids means plenty of ripe shiny fruit making up the paytable, such as an assortment of melons, pineapples, pomegranates, and berries. In addition, there is the Wild Jam Jar symbol, assisting any pay tile to complete clusters. When used in a win, jam jars remain on the grid but move to a new random position. As they do so, they bring a multiplier into play, rising by 1 for each win.

Jammin' Jars 2: Slot Features

Features are a mix of new and old, including cascades, gold vinyl symbols, instant prize symbols, a Fruit Blast, free spins, plus Giga Free Spins. The cascade system springs to life following cluster wins, removing winning symbols from the grid so new or existing ones can fall into the gaps. This can lead to consecutive win chains from a single spin, coming to an end when no new cluster hits.

Push Gaming's interest in coins continues with the instant prize symbols, going up to 1,000x, and which may land in any of the blue framed tiles. When 5 or more sit adjacently, they turn purple, awarding their values.

The Fruit Blast feature may trigger after any cascade or collapse in the base game as a sort of replacement for the Rainbow feature from part one. When active, an equaliser covers the reels, and the Giga Jar DJ fires 1-3 giant fruits that burst to form clusters of the same kind.

Should 3 or more Wild Jars hit at once, 6 free spins are awarded. Triggering Wild Jars stay on the reels throughout the feature, leaping to new positions on each spin. When used in a win, they apply a win multiplier that increments by +1 each time.

Look out for the gold vinyl symbols. When these symbols land, they leave a pay symbol on the reels as they fly off the grid to be collected by the Giga Jar DJ – who has 5 levels:

• Level 1 - 96.10% average game RTP. You need 20 vinyl symbols to upgrade to level 2.
• Level 2 - 96.20 average game RTP. You need 25 gold vinyl symbols to upgrade to level 3.
• Level 3 - 96.30% average game RTP. You need 30 gold vinyl symbols to upgrade to level 4.
• Level 4 - 96.40% average game RTP. You need 35 gold vinyl symbols to upgrade to level 5.

Reaching level 5 means there is a chance the Giga Jar feature triggers. Beware, the Giga Jar feature doesn't automatically trigger just because you've reached max level - it may trigger randomly when a disc is collected. When triggered, the grid is cleared of all symbols, and the Giga Jar adds 3 or 4 Wild Jars. Then, the Giga Jar lands on the reels in 2x2 size, or as a 3x3 or 4x4 instant prize block, as well as awarding 8 Giga Spins. All instant prize blocks stay on the reels for the full duration of the bonus. During Giga Spins, Wild Jars behave in the same way as in free spins, mentioned above.

Jammin' Jars 2: Slot Verdict

In the tradition of designing great sequels, Jammin' Jars 2 takes all of the magic of the first, pours gasoline all over it then sets the lot on fire. Everything has been tinkered with to create a game that is instantly recognisable yet far more lethal. Even the neon nightclub background adds to the experience. And the DJ? He's not just there for his lit tracks but plays a pivotal role in the game's most exciting moments via Giga Spins. Keep in mind though, even when having collected all the discs necessary to reach max level, it's no guarantee the Giga Jar feature will trigger. Moreover, free spins appeared to trigger less frequently the closer we got to level 5. Therefore, it can take quite a toll on your balance if your end goal is to trigger the Giga Jar feature.

It will be no surprise to hear potential in Jammin' Jars 2 soars above the original. Where Jammin' Jars one was capable of the well respectable total of 20,000 times the stake, part two ratchets things up to a figure of 50,000x. It goes without saying a bonus round that produced anything near this amount would be impressive indeed - such is the power of having several jam jars multiplying a regular win one after another. Two working together at once is a blast; three or more is where things start to get cute. Yet Push has gone two steps further by adding instant prize blocks to Giga Spins, where the game gets the chance to go utterly nuts.

Sequels are tough, no wait, scratch that, making them is easy, making them great is the hard part. So often, they come across as a cash-in attempt or a convenient way of filling a quota. Jammin' Jars 2 is none of these things. It capitalises on an iconic slot while walking the fine line between keeping the parts everyone loved while adding new bits to give the sequel an identity of its own.