Links of Ra 2

Links of Ra 2: Slot Overview

Games Global chums Slingshot Studios dropped Links of Ra at the end of 2021, which borrowed much of the internal workings of its Game of Thrones Power Stacks slot. Doing so gave the studio a chance to reuse the mechanics, arguably dispersing them amongst a broader gambling audience, one that appreciated Ancient Egyptian slots rather than the more specific Song of Fire and Ice world. Presumably, it also meant online casinos could offer the same gameplay without any associated branded slot licensing costs. Doing so has obviously turned out to be a shrewd move because the studio has followed up on the success with Links of Ra 2, a similar game, but one with an extended set of features.

Links of Ra's eye-catching glossy visual quality has returned for Links of Ra 2, which is as glossy as ever. The landscape portrayed in the background has been shuffled around but still gives Egypt enthusiasts plenty of pyramids and palm trees to gawk at. The game provides players with hovering over Giza Plateau-type optics, the sun blazing on a reconstructed scene, which does look pretty. Totally commonplace stuff to portray, but it's prettily done.

Encased in gold trim, Links of Ra 2's play area has 5 reels holding 4 symbols each and possesses 40 paylines for calculating wins. It takes bets of 20 c to $/€25 and has a significant list of feature buy options for players to pick and choose which ones they fancy. With a highly volatile math model, the default RTP (there are several models) comes in at 96.05%, while the hit rate remains 34.1% on all of them.

Symbolically, we've got 4 sharply cut games as the low pays, then what looks like Khnum, Sobek, Bastet, Anubis, and Horus as the highs. A line of 5 low pays is worth 1.8 to 2 times the bet, and a line of 5 highs is worth 2.5 to 8 times the bet. Wilds shell out 10 times the bet for five of them, and they can also replace any regular pay symbol in a winning combination.

Links of Ra 2: Slot Features

Links of Ra 2's features are a recognisable bunch and include Power Stacks, various ULTRA Link&Win features, a Collection Pot, free spins, and bonus buys.

Power Stacks

All regular symbols (excluding scatters or wilds) may land as Power Stacked in the base game on any reel. During free spins, only wilds and Coin symbols may be Power Stacked.

ULTRA Link&Win Feature

Landing 6 or more Coin symbols triggers this feature. Here, 3 respins are awarded, and triggering Coins are held in place while all other positions spin. Any additional Coins that land are held and reset the respins back to 3. When respins end, the max win is hit, or all positions are filled the feature ends. The Ultra Link&Win can be triggered in the base game or in free spins.

Ultra Link&Win Feature Modes

Landing 4 or 5 Coins in the base game or free spins grows the ULTRA Link&Win meter. Triggering the ULTRA Link&Win feature with the meter full to the relevant level plays in Max Mode, Multiplier Mode, or Collect Mode.

• Max Mode ULTRA Link&Win – the feature starts with 3 additional active rows.
• Multiplier Mode ULTRA Link&Win – the feature starts with 3 additional active rows and includes a guaranteed land of a Persistent 2x Multiplier Booster Coin.
• Collect Mode ULTRA Link&Win – the feature starts with 3 additional active rows and includes a guaranteed land of a Persistent Cash Collect Booster Coin.

ULTRA Link&Win Booster Coins

Players can land ULTRA Link&Win Booster Coins to boost the ULTRA Link&Win round. These are:

• Persistent Cash Collect Booster Coin – collects the sum of all Cash Collect Booster Coins and Cash Coins into a total value on each spin.
• Cash Collect Booster Coin – collects the sum of any already landed Persistent Cash Collect Booster Coins and Cash Coins into a total cash value.
• Persistent 2x Multiplier Booster Coin – randomly doubles up to 4 Cash Coins on each spin.
• 2x Multiplier Booster Coin – randomly doubles up to 4 Cash Coins.
• Unlock Booster Coin – 1 of these activates 1 additional row. Activate up to 3 additional rows.
• Extra Chance Booster Coin – 1 of these awards 1 free respin.
• Prize Coins – each Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand Coin counts down once per spin. Any that complete their countdown will award their associated prize at the end of the ULTRA Link&Win feature. The Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand are worth 15x, 50x, 500x or 5,000x the bet, respectively.
• Cash Coins – have values of 0.5x to 12x the bet.

Collection Pot Feature

In the base game, landing an Eye of Ra Coin symbol on the rightmost reel grows the Collection Pot and randomly triggers this feature. Spin the feature wheel to win either the Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand prizes.

Free Spins

Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters triggers 10 free spins plus a prize of 1x, 10x, or 100x the bet, respectively. During free spins, wild or Coin symbols are Power Stacked on each spin.

Buy Feature

At the buy feature, it is possible to get the ULTRA Link&Win for 40x the bet, the Max Mode ULTRA Link&Win for 80x the bet, the Multiplier Mode ULTRA Link&Win for 110x the bet, or the Collect Mode ULTRA Link&Win for 165x the bet.

Links of Ra 2: Slot Verdict

Games Global studios do like their Link&Win slots, and few do it as well as Slingshot. They aren't exactly the crème de la crème of hold 'n win gaming, but they are popular, and since Links of Ra achieved award-winning status (according to the game docs), it stands to reason the team would be back for a sequel. What's interesting is that while the GG family is good at making these sorts of games, rarely do they turn out great. Links of Ra 2 is another example. It's got some smart ideas going on; there are some interesting special symbols potentially boosting an ULTRA Link&Win round, but still, it doesn't fire the imagination like your Cash Trucks or Money Trains. Perhaps it's because the theme, while appealing to a wide audience, is, by definition, kinda overdone. It is not boringly utilised in this case at all; it is just, okay, another Ancient Egypt slot, again, type of thing.

Admittedly, Links of Ra 2 is as handsomely presented as its predecessor while sharing mechanical commonalities with Loot Boost and Spinny McWinnagin Loot Boost. Much of the gaming is at least as good as last time, if not better since now there are more extras available to shake things up. Weirdly, Links of Ra 2 doesn't theoretically shake things up as much as the previous Links of Ra game is capable of since winning potential is cut off at 10,000x compared to the 25,000x of part one or the Game of Thrones version (though we're yet to see proof of the claimed potential). Quite a step-down, which is weird to see as sequels usually go in the other direction.

And that was Links of Ra 2. A fairly well-made game if Link&Win features in an Ancient Egyptian setting sounds cool. There is nothing wildly original here to discover in any aspect, but for a dependable Egyptian hold 'n win, eh, okay, Links of Ra 2 gets the job done.