Release the Kraken review
Theme and Storyline
Release the Kraken takes its title from a line in the 1981 Ray Harryhausen movie:4️⃣ Clash Of The Titans. The slot appears to have little to no interest in the movie beyond the borrowed line.4️⃣ Nor does it seem like the makers knew exactly what a kraken is.
Instead, what you get is a by the4️⃣ numbers undersea treasure hunt slot. With some vibes from Finding Nemo and a few from Pirates of the Caribbean. Not4️⃣ a kraken in sight.
It remains a fun little setting though, with some cute characters and fun design features.
5 of a4️⃣ kind win with top paying symbol of the game
Graphics, Sounds and Animations
The graphics are good, digimation styled fish with that4️⃣ large eyed Pixar style look.
The soundtrack has a lovely ambient underwater quality, with some gentle music and soft win and4️⃣ spin sounds the whole experience is rather relaxing.
The animations are similarly gentle, just enough movement to keep one from falling4️⃣ asleep. But small and efficient.
Big wins can occur with some luck and stacked top paying symbol
Gameplay
Release the Kraken is a4️⃣ five reel, four row slot with 20 win lines. The number of win lines doubles during the Free Spin bonus4️⃣ (details below).
It has a range of randomised features to keep players on their toes, and a couple of bonus games4️⃣ that make for a variety of outcomes. This is nice as the high volatility of the game means there is4️⃣ a lot of spinning without winning to be done (with bigger wins making up for the wait when they arrive).
Gameplay4️⃣ video
Wilds, Bonuses and Free Spins
The Wild symbol substitutes for all symbols except the three Bonus symbols.
There are a few random4️⃣ features that can be triggered during a base game spin. These trigger one of three randomised Wilds. Respins with walking4️⃣ Wilds, a 3x4 Wild added to the reels, or a Wild that lands at random and transforms adjacent symbols into4️⃣ Wilds.
Random Spin feature can occur with any spin in the base game
The Bonus system works a little unusually in Release4️⃣ the Kraken. In order to trigger a bonus, the player must hit three of any kind of Bonus symbol, one4️⃣ on each of reels one, three, and five. Reels one and three sport the Bonus symbol.
However, reel five has two4️⃣ different symbols that determine the kind of Bonus that is triggered. The two possible symbols on reel five are the4️⃣ Treasure Bonus symbol and Kraken Bonus symbol.
If the third symbol is the Treasure Bonus symbol, then the player gets awarded4️⃣ the Sunken Treasure Bonus. In this mini-game the player picks one of three chests that award a cash prize.
If the4️⃣ third symbol is the Kraken Bonus symbol, the player then picks chests to determine the amount of Free Spins (maximum4️⃣ of 12) with a running multiplier that increases by one for each Wild symbol that lands, up to maximum of4️⃣ x10. Landed Wilds remain on the screen for the remaining free spins, changing their positions randomly in each spin. The4️⃣ Free Spins cannot be retriggered.
Bet Sizes, RTP and Variance
The return to player of this game is 96.50%, well over our4️⃣ yardstick for average of roughly 96%.
The range of bets on the site we tested ran from a minimum bet per4️⃣ spin ofR$/£/€0.20 up to a maximum ofR$/£/€100.00 per spin.
The volatility of this game is high, which makes it a great4️⃣ match for our preferred slot machine strategies. Our slot strategies target the highest possible volatility.
Full paytable for Release the Kraken4️⃣ slot
Conclusion
The main selling point for us is the high volatility coupled with a 96.50% RTP. This makes it a great4️⃣ match for our preferred strategies.
That Release the Kraken is also a fun, well designed game, which is just a bonus.
The4️⃣ varied bonus and randomised features make sure there is plenty to look forward to in the gameplay, and the music4️⃣ and visuals make for an excellent time for the player.
