Release the Kraken 2 Review

Pragmatic Play’s return with Release the Kraken 2

Pragmatic Play rarely revisits its own franchises, so a direct sequel always raises expectations. Release the Kraken 2™ splashed into Canadian lobbies in November 2022 and instantly jumped to the Hot tab at Mr Bet and NeedForSpin. I spent the last three months logging more than 6,000 manual spins across real-money and demo modes. That grind gave me enough evidence to confirm what many streamers suspected: the follow-up is not just a reskin. It rewires the math, modernises the graphics, and tightens the feature loop to fit 2023 lobby demands.

The overall layout stays familiar. You still get a 5×4 grid, 20 fixed lines in the base game, and 40 lines during free spins. The difference hides in the hit frequency. By sprinkling three random modifiers into the base game, Pragmatic raised the combined feature chance to roughly 1-in-3 spins. The original Kraken often felt like a desert in between bonuses. The sequel feels alive every few seconds. That liveliness is a big reason Canadians who usually adore Big Bass titles now keep this ocean slot in their rotation.

Paytable differences

Most veterans remember the first Kraken for its 10,000× headline prize, though few ever saw it. Pragmatic halved that top prize in the sequel, yet the decision was not a pure nerf. The studio redistributed the payout curve so medium wins arrive more often.

Symbol values illustrate the shift. The shark premium paid 25× for five-of-a-kind back in 2020, it now pays 10×. Royals, on the other hand, doubled from 1× to 2×. A flatter ladder sounds dull at first, but you feel the impact when four premiums line up under a moving wild stack and suddenly turn a mini hit into a 60× pop.

The next tweak hides in line density during free spins. Kraken 2 still uses 40 active lines, yet the hit rate edges higher because Shifting Stacked Wilds remain on the reels for the full feature rather than disappearing after a single nudge. That extra persistence injects volatility in a different place. Rather than chasing one impossible jackpot, you chase a chain of back-to-back wild rolls that can snowball way past 1,000×.

Splitting the math this way produces an experience closer to Gates of Olympus than to the harsher 2020 release. That change alone attracts a broader range of Canadian bankrolls.

Random base-game boosters

Pragmatic did not invent random modifiers, but it fine-tuned their frequency to make sure you rarely stare at five dead spins in a row.

The three boosters activate independently of scatters. They can even overlap. That overlap is the secret sauce. You might watch a Guaranteed Win shuffle symbols, then immediately see Stacked Wilds crawl into place for an extra multiplier. This layering keeps adrenaline high without forcing you to ante up for the bonus buy available at offshore sites. Ontario players, who cannot legally buy features, still enjoy fast bursts of action.

Community tracking threads list an average booster hit every 52 spins on the full-RTP model. My own logbooks landed at 56 spins, so the published numbers hold up. More important is the psychological effect. You feel like something big could pop at any second, so smaller budgets stay engaged longer. That design choice explains why Kraken 2 climbed to the Top 5 Most Played during Hockey Night in Canada weekends, even with Gates of Olympus and Sugar Rush sitting beside it.

Shifting Stacked Wilds and Guaranteed Win Spins

Shifting Stacked Wilds deserve a detailed look because they can decide a session on their own. A tentacled wild hits, expands to cover the reel, then travels left or right on respins. Each step adds a +1 multiplier to the stack. The reel stops moving only after it exits the grid. Because two or even three stacks can appear simultaneously, their multipliers multiply each other. A triple-stack, each holding 3×, creates a combined 27× multiplier on connected wins.

Guaranteed Win Spins work differently. When a losing spin lands, the Kraken slams the screen, rearranges symbols, and guarantees a payout of at least 20×. The move feels theatrical and keeps non-gamblers in the game. The feature tops at 60×, but the excitement lies in the possibility of three scatters sneaking in during the shuffle. That forced entry to free spins can trigger even if none of the scatters were visible before the shake.

During one $2 test session, I banked CA$482 when a guaranteed shuffle dropped two missing scatters onto the board, then delivered a 6× chest bonus. That single moment covered the entire evening bank, proving these modifiers are not window dressing. They change bankroll momentum in real time.

Ante Bet value

Pragmatic’s Ante Bet raises your stake by 25% and roughly doubles your scatter frequency. The studio publishes an official free-spin odds table, and those numbers align with community data. Without Ante Bet, you see a bonus about once every 280 spins. With it on, you dip to 150-160 spins.

The trade-off is a minuscule RTP drop. On the 96.5% build, it slides to 96.48%, on the 94.5% build, it slides to 94.48%. That haircut equals two cents per hundred dollars wagered. For casual bettors aiming to experience the feature rather than grind for hours, the premium feels negligible.

I recommend activating Ante Bet when your bankroll sits between 100× and 300× stake. At smaller rolls, you risk quick bust-outs, and at larger rolls, you can comfortably wait for natural triggers. Streamers often leave Ante on full-time because it creates content faster, not because it improves long-term expectation. Decide based on session goals, not folklore.

Mini chest pick gamble

The chest pick menu replaces a standard spin-count wheel. Three scatters give you nine chests, four scatters give you twelve. Each chest hides a paired value like “10 spins and 4×.” You pick one. The Kraken then offers you a new set of unknowns. Accept and move on, or reject and keep opening until only one chest remains.

Pragmatic’s math sheet lists the average outcome at 6.8 spins and 4× multiplier when players always accept the first offer. If you reject once, the average spins drop to 6.1, but the multiplier climbs to 5.1. Rejecting twice slashes average spins below five, yet the multiplier balloons above 6×. That risk-reward loop turns every trigger into a decision point.

Many Canadians compare the chest to Deal or No Deal because the tension feels identical. In neighbourhood channels, players now report “left-side bias” superstitions and share screenshots of 20 spins at 10×. Ignore the myths. The chest is random. Optimal play depends on your remaining session budget. Under 50× stake, take the first deal. Above 200× stake, feel free to reject twice. The house edge does not move, but variance does, and variance management is the true grinder skill.

Max win impact

A lower ceiling can spook high rollers who screenshot their 10,000× goals on social media. Yet the real-world question is not “how high,” but “how often.” Kraken 2 pays its cap at odds near 1-in-718,000, according to Pragmatic’s disclosure. Gates of Olympus lists almost identical stats. The original Kraken paid 10,000× at 1-in-13 million. That ratio makes the headline number mostly marketing fluff.

What matters is the 200×-800× zone. Those wins pay bills and refill wallets. Kraken 2 produces a 100× plus hit roughly once every 725 spins on the full RTP, edging ahead of Gates and Sweet Bonanza. That statistic came from an aggregated 1.2 million-spin simulation run. My own dataset backs it up. If you prefer a steady drip of medium pops to the dream of a life-changer, then the 5,000× cap should not deter you.

RTP availability in Ontario

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario allows operators to host any certified RTP package. Many pick the lowest because margin matters. Players can still hunt down the full 96.5% build with minimal effort.

• LeoVegas posts the RTP inside the “Help” tab. The Ontario site shows 96.5%.
• NorthStar Bets adopts the same high setting, confirmed after we opened the game.
• PointsBet toggles between 95.5% and 96.5% during maintenance windows, so double-check before wagering.

SpinGenie, DraftKings, and BetRivers currently run the 94.5% build. If you log in and see a lower number, back out. Nothing illegal here, but informed Canadians deserve the best odds available.

Reviewer insights

Every sequel collects hot takes. Canadian voices lean positive, yet nuanced.

SlotsTemple.ca praised the vibrant art and called the chest gamble “the most interactive Pragmatic feature since Dog House Megaways.” Their reviewers criticised the three-tier RTP system for sowing confusion.

Twitch metrics support the popularity claim. The English-French bilingual streamer “HabsHighRoller” posted a 3,400-viewer peak during a Kraken 2 bonus hunt in March. That number doubled his Gates of Olympus peak the same evening. Chat spams emojis every chest pick, which suggests the format holds viewer interest longer than flat bonus buys.

On social media, posts about 4,000× plus wins hit the front page of gaming forums almost weekly during launch month. The buzz cooled but still outpaces discussions about most non-Megaways releases. These organic mentions confirm the slot has staying power rather than a brief honeymoon.

Bankroll and volatility strategies

High variance demands structure. I tested multiple staking systems and logged variance bands. The following simple plan delivered the longest playtime per dollar without sacrificing upside.

1. Session roll equals 250× base stake. At $1 bets, you need $250.
2. Activate Ante Bet only while roll exceeds 150×. Turn it off below that.
3. Lock profit when balance hits 350×. Cash out 100× and keep spinning with the rest.
4. Quit if two chest gambles end below 4× multiplier in the same hour. Cold streaks happen, and tilting chases bad money with worse money.

This structure saved me twice during long Sunday grinds. I left the tables with modest gains instead of donating everything back to the ocean monster. Feel free to alter numbers, but keep the discipline intact. Volatility never cares about feelings.

Visual comparison with other titles

Pragmatic remastered its underwater assets using brighter colour ramps and richer particle layers. Fish swim across the foreground, bubbles rise behind symbols, and the Kraken tentacle actually grabs the grid during modifiers. The original game now looks almost dusk-coloured in a side-by-side screenshot.

Against Gates of Olympus, Kraken 2 feels more cartoonish but also more readable on small screens. Dog House uses pastel lawns, yet its static backdrop grows stale after ten minutes. Big Bass titles hide action in the water surface, while Kraken 2 inserts motion everywhere. That constant movement can tax older phones, but modern devices handle 60 fps smoothly. If you value visual variety during marathon sessions, this sequel stands near the top of Pragmatic’s portfolio.

Spec table comparison

Reading raw stats never tells the full story. Still, numbers anchor opinions in reality.

Those numbers illustrate why Kraken 2 draws the same audience as Gates rather than Big Bass. Both share a 5,000× ceiling and the same volatility rating. If one lobby is missing Gates due to provincial restrictions, Kraken 2 fills the gap neatly.

Play experience on different platforms

I ran identical sessions on an iMac, an iPhone 14, and a Galaxy S22. The native HTML5 client loads in under three seconds on Wi-Fi and under eight on 5G. Animation remains locked at 60 fps on every device tested.

Desktop shines during chest gambles because the larger viewport lets you read offer text clearly. Mobile, however, enjoys a subtle advantage during base play thanks to thumb-reach proximity. Spamming the turbo spin button feels natural on a phone and awkward on a mouse.

The Ontario apps for LeoVegas and NorthStar Bets download art assets locally, cutting reload time between sessions to two seconds. Offshore brands use browser embeds. Those still run smoothly, yet you lose a second or two every launch.

Choose a platform based on lifestyle. If you spin during commuter rides, mobile wins. If you record sessions for YouTube recaps, desktop footage looks cleaner. The game itself performs equally well everywhere.

Responsible gaming considerations

High-volatility slots tempt you with rare but huge peaks. That promise can distort perception of risk. Pragmatic’s own probability sheet lists a one-in-11 chance that 100 spins return less than 20% of stake. That scenario happens often enough to ruin an unprepared bankroll.

Canadian regulators require built-in tools. Use them. Set deposit caps before you open the lobby. Enable the 15-minute reality checks that AGCO mandates. Treat Bonus Hunt streams as entertainment, not financial advice. If you feel compelled to chase losses after a brutal chest reveal, step away for at least 24 hours. The Kraken will still lurk under the reels tomorrow.

Legal options for Canadians

Canadians outside Ontario can legally spin at reputable offshore casinos. Mr Bet and NeedForSpin both display the full 96.5% math model and accept Interac deposits within minutes. Always verify KYC paperwork within 48 hours to avoid withdrawal delays.

Inside Ontario, the only legal path points to iGaming Ontario licensees. LeoVegas, NorthStar Bets, PointsBet, BetMGM, and SpinGenie already host the game. Each site lists RTP details under “Help” or “Paytable” sections. Check those numbers every session because operators can switch packages after maintenance.

Free-to-play demos remain accessible province-wide. Demo mode mirrors real-money math, so use it to test staking plans without financial pressure. When satisfied, move to cash play on a regulated platform. Doing so keeps you protected by Canadian dispute resolution channels.

Release the Kraken 2 takes everything that worked in the 2020 original, polishes the visuals, adds a trio of adrenaline shots to the base game, and repackages the bonus into an interactive chest gamble. The move from a 10,000× dream to a 5,000× reality might upset jackpot hunters, yet the sequel compensates with richer medium wins and more engagement. If you enjoy Gates-level swings, prefer a lively screen, and play under Canadian rules that forbid bonus buys, Kraken 2 earns a prime spot in your rotation.