Release the Kraken (Pragmatic Play): Overview
Release the Kraken is a maritime-themed
slot from developer Pragmatic Play. For those who don't 7️⃣ know, the Kraken is an infamous
cephalopod made popular by Moby Dick and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Both books 7️⃣ were
released in the 19th century, but the legend of the Kraken far predates them. It
originally appeared in the 7️⃣ Norse Sagas which described a squid-like beast that
terrorised the hearts and minds of sailors for centuries. Pragmatic Play continues 7️⃣ the
tradition with a slot that is capable of big rewards, but equally proficient in
haunting dreams after a particularly 7️⃣ savage session.
Being one of the better looking
games to roll out of the Pragmatic production line in quite some time, 7️⃣ the game is set
at the bottom of the deep blue sea. Its semi-transparent 5-reel, 4-row setup lies
before an 7️⃣ old galleon, ominously wrecked on the sea bed. The UI allows players to
choose 1-10 coins per line, with coin 7️⃣ values of 0.01 -0.50. This means total bets from
10 p/c per spin up toR$/€100. During the base game, players 7️⃣ match up symbols of three
or more on the 20 paylines for a payout. At 4/5 lightning bolts, it's not 7️⃣ Pragmatic
Plays most volatile setting, but don't let that have you fooled as it is certainly up
there all the 7️⃣ same. Release the Kraken ships (get it, ships? Sorry), with a respectable
default RTP of 96.5%.
As often is the case, 7️⃣ the paytable is split between low and high
pay symbols. Low pays are card royals of J – A with 7️⃣ nothing particularly nautical or
interesting about them. High pays are more imaginative with four creatures of the sea –
a 7️⃣ green fish, blue fish, a turtle, and a shark. They all have a friendly Finding Nemo
look about them. The 7️⃣ game’s logo is the most valuable regular symbol with five of a
kind paying out 25 times the stake. The 7️⃣ standard wild is worth the same amount and can
substitute for any symbol except the Bonus, Free Spins, or Chest 7️⃣ Bonus symbols. There
are a few other wilds, but we will look at them in the features section where they 7️⃣ are
triggered. After a few initial spins, there is little to differentiate this game (not
counting theme) from several others 7️⃣ in the Pragmatic catalogue.
Release the Kraken
(Pragmatic Play): Features
The game comes to life when features drop and the beast
appears 7️⃣ which they do at random, or by being triggered. Let's start with the Random
Spin features. At any moment, three 7️⃣ tentacles appear over the reels waving a 'Pick Me'
sign. Players choose one to unlock one of these spin modifiers:
Kraken 7️⃣ Lockin Wilds :
This feature introduces a new wild into the game. Three chests appear on the reels and
players 7️⃣ open them one by one. Get 'More Wilds' and the game adds more Kraken Wilds to
the reels. 'Continue Spinning' 7️⃣ does nothing, 'All Wins x2 and Collect' applies a
multiplier to any win value and ends the feature. 'Collect' ends 7️⃣ the feature and wins
are paid out.
: This feature introduces a new wild into the game. Three chests appear
on 7️⃣ the reels and players open them one by one. Get 'More Wilds' and the game adds more
Kraken Wilds to 7️⃣ the reels. 'Continue Spinning' does nothing, 'All Wins x2 and Collect'
applies a multiplier to any win value and ends 7️⃣ the feature. 'Collect' ends the feature
and wins are paid out. Colossal Kraken Wilds : this adds a giant 3x4 7️⃣ wild which is
guaranteed to land on the reels. It might not cover a full 12 positions though. It can,
7️⃣ but it could cover just the top or bottom 3 positions. Or anything in between.
: this
adds a giant 3x4 7️⃣ wild which is guaranteed to land on the reels. It might not cover a
full 12 positions though. It can, 7️⃣ but it could cover just the top or bottom 3
positions. Or anything in between. Infectious Kraken Wilds: this feature 7️⃣ adds at least
one Infectious Kraken Wild to the reels. These wilds turn adjacent symbols into wilds
as well.
Special wilds 7️⃣ during the Random Spin feature substitute for any symbol except
the Bonus, Free Spins, or Chest Bonus symbols.
It's time to 7️⃣ look at what those symbols
do. When there are bonus symbols on reels 1 and 3, and a Chest Bonus 7️⃣ on reel 5, they
trigger the Sunken Treasure Bonus - 3 chests appear on the screen which players open
one 7️⃣ at a time to reveal cash prizes. There is no set limit to the number of picks.
Players keep on 7️⃣ opening chests until one of them reveals 'Collect' and the feature is
over.
Finally, we have the highlight of the game 7️⃣ which is the Roaming Kraken Free
Spins. It is triggered with Bonus Symbols on reels 1 and 3, along with 7️⃣ the Free Spins
symbol on reel 5. There isn't a set number of spins for this feature. Instead, players
are 7️⃣ presented with a screen of chests which reveal +1, +2, or +3 spins although 99
times out of 100 you 7️⃣ will probably be rewarded the standard 10 spins (at least that was
the case during our test run). Players keep 7️⃣ picking until that pesky 'Collect' message
shows up again. Roaming Kraken Free Spins benefits from 40 paylines instead of the 7️⃣ 20
you get in the base game as well as a win multiplier that starts at x1. Every time a
7️⃣ wild lands, it remains on the reels and roams, and increases the multiplier by
+1.
Release the Kraken (Pragmatic Play): Verdict
If 7️⃣ players like opening chests, they
are going to love Release the Kraken. It's all about uncovering the treasures contained
within. 7️⃣ Interestingly, every time we had the chance to open them, four was the amount
we got. Every single time, no 7️⃣ matter what feature it was associated with. Of course
this could be complete coincidence, but it was strange. Its predictability 7️⃣ started to
get amusing after a while. Four was the magic number. The fifth was always, always the
‘Collect’ result. 7️⃣ Whether that was with Kraken Free Spins or the Sunken Treasure
feature.
We also started to noticed other patterns as well 7️⃣ while playing the free spins
feature (we probably played 30+ features). For example, if no wild landed in the first
7️⃣ spin it would almost always land on the second spin of the bonus. Again, it could have
been a coincidence, 7️⃣ but it got a bit ridiculous after a while and the predictability
sort of ruined the excitement.
Release the Kraken appears 7️⃣ to use a similar math model
to other recent Pragmatic Play slots. In fact, it shares a lot with Hercules 7️⃣ & Pegasus.
First, features are triggered in similar ways, secondly in the way sessions play out -
volatile and whimsical. 7️⃣ There is good potential of up to 10,000 times the stake, but
games can easily go either way. That means 7️⃣ winning big, or constantly paddling against
a powerful current sweeping you in the wrong direction.
Like Hercules & Pegasus or
Aladdin 7️⃣ & the Sorcerer, without high doses of luck it can be tough going. Sure, every
session is different, and everyone 7️⃣ has different results. There are epic wins of
course, or Kraken Wins as the game calls them, here. Just be 7️⃣ wary. As Captain Nemo
found out, the Kraken can take what it wants in its monstrous tentacles and crush
dreams 7️⃣ as easily as paper cups.
