Release the Kraken Megaways

Release the Kraken Megaways: Slot Overview

Boy, software provider Pragmatic Play really can't keep a lid on its multi-legged marine beast, can it? This is the third time the studio has gone all Clash of the Titans and released the kraken. This time, the fantastical sea creature is accompanied by Big Time Gaming's Megaways engine, and the result is Release the Kraken Megaways. Release the Kraken 2 proved to be quite a departure from the first Release the Kraken in many ways, and so it proves to be in the third instalment, which sticks to parts of the original blueprint while pushing out in several directions.

The Release the Kraken range is nothing if not capricious, as each release tries on slightly different forms and functionalities. The first release was the scariest, featuring a glowing-eyed kraken monstrosity, before part 2 leapt into full-on Finding Dory cutey mode. Release the Kraken Megaways sits in the middle of those two, being neither overly cute nor overly terrifying, but more a high seas pirate/exploration/trade adventure, with Turner-esque cloud formations in the background and sweeping 70s-era TV drama music. Pragmatic Play's skin people certainly can't be accused of being lazy, as Release the Kraken Megaways feels very different to those that preceded it.

One unmissable difference about Release the Kraken Megaways is its gaming grid. The active area is made up of 6 reels, landing 2 to 7 symbols on each reel, giving players up to 117,649 ways to win. On the bottom left is where users select a stake of 20 c to $/€240, and on the right is where the feature buy and ante bet buttons are. The ante bet ups the stake by 25%, for a higher chance of winning free spins. A maximum RTP of 96.4% is produced by Release the Kraken Megaways medium volatile math model.

Creatures of the deep and card royals are Release the Kraken Megaways' pay symbols. Ten to Ace are the low pays, and 5 varieties of aquatic species are the high pays. 6 AOK winning combinations vary from 0.6 to 7.5 times the bet in value. Wild symbols help create winning combinations by standing in for any symbol except scatters or Mystery symbols. Wilds appear on all reels except the leftmost.

Release the Kraken Megaways: Slot Features

As if krakens in the deep aren't mysterious enough, Release the Kraken Megaways has Mystery symbols. In the base game only. When Mystery symbols hit, they all reveal the same random pay symbol. The other features are wild respins, guaranteed wins, free spins, pick upgrades, and a feature buy.

Wild Respins

In the base game, when at least 3 wild symbols hit, the game switches to respin mode. In respin mode, all wild symbols roam the reels, moving to different positions while the game pays between each respin. A new wild landing at the time awards +1 extra respin and becomes roaming. This feature ends when no more respins are left.

Guaranteed Win

On random losing base game spins, the symbols on the reels may change to produce a win worth at least 10 times the bet.

Free Spins

Scatter symbols may appear on any reel. Landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters awards 6 free spins. Before free spins begin, a group of chests appear on the screen. Players open a number of chests equal to the number of triggering scatters. Opened chests reveal random upgrades:

• +1, +2, +3, or +4 free spins.
• Start with an extra roaming wild.
• +x1 or +x2 to the global multiplier that applies to all wins in the free spins round.
• Minimum 2,000, 5,000, or 10,000 ways to win on each spin of the round.

Each wild that lands on a free spin transforms into a roaming wild, moving to a random position on the reels on each spin. If 2 roaming wilds stop in the same position, the round multiplier increases by +1. Hitting a scatter symbol on the rightmost reel grants an additional free spin plus one more chest opening for a random upgrade.

Feature Buy

For a 100x the bet outlay, payers can trigger free spins with 3 scatter symbols. Paying 150x the bet triggers free spins with 4, 5, or 6 scatters.

Release the Kraken Megaways: Slot Verdict

To start on an agreeable note, that all fitted together rather nicely. The features that the Release the Kraken range has made use of in the past, roaming wilds, respins, etc, work like a charm slotted onto the Megaways framework. As previously noted, each Release the Kraken slot differs from the last, and Release the Kraken Megaways is no exception. Fortunately, the differences tend to be positive increments, though a preference for part 1 over part 2 has been displayed in the past. Release the Kraken Megaways, the third has the goods to eclipse both, or at the very least, sit on the same level as those which came before it.

Pickin' 'n clickin' has always been a part of these games, so it's no surprise to see this style of play return. Picking for upgrades before a bonus round is a classic slot move, and it seemed like a better fit in Release the Kraken Megaways than part 2's Deal or No Deal accept or reject feature. The upgrades on offer are pretty standard but no less effective for it. Minimum numbers of winning ways in a Megaways slot are always useful, as are roaming wilds, with a multiplier cherry on top. Really, it's a solid combination of potential upgrades that can fire extremely well in tandem with each other on top of this game engine.

Bunging Megaways on a successful slot is a pretty passé move these days, but in this case, it works well. One ever-so-minor grumble is the max win of 10,000x the bet. A sturdy figure, to be sure, yet one which could have been higher since it's the same cap the original Kraken slot had. Never mind, Release the Kraken Megaways keeps the pick 'n click elements alive, the roaming wilds, too, just now they've got more room to move in what is a fuller, all-around slot.