Release the Kraken is a good-looking cartoon-style game based on the myth about the monstrous sea creature that, according to legend, sealed the fate of many sailors at the beginning of the 19th century. However, the game is not scary in any way, except perhaps for its brutal mathematical composition.

The non-threatening appearance of this game should not fool anyone, as it is a slot with high volatility, which Pragmatic Play is known for releasing. Everything takes place on 5 reels, 4 rows and 20 paylines, and you can place bets between 20 pence and £100 per spin on all platforms and devices.

There are already 4 different bonus features in the base game, and the free spins feature comes with a progressive multiplier and sticky wandering wilds. You can win 10,000 times your bet here, but the game will also test your patience at times. The RTP of 96.5% is generous enough, but the dry spells can destroy your bankroll if you are not careful.

What are the symbols?

The wild symbol and the octopus anchor both pay out equally here and are by far the most valuable symbols in this game. You’ll also find a small selection of other sea creatures here, as well as the regular low value royal symbols. You need to land between 3 and 5 matching symbols on a payline to win. Here we present you the paytable for Release the Kraken slot:

• Bubble Wild – Pays 25x for 5 on a payline.
• Release the Kraken anchor – Pays 25x for 5 on a payline
• Shark – Pays 12.5x for 5 on a payline
• Turtle – Pays 10x for 5 on a payline
• Blue fish – Pays 7.5x for 5 on a payline
• Green/yellow fish – Pays 5x for 5 on a payline
• Royal symbols – Pays 4x or 2x for 5 on a payline

What are the bonus features?

During the base game, 3 of the octopus tentacles may suddenly appear in front of the reels. You can then select 1 of the 3, and this will give you one of the following bonus features for the next spin:

• Kraken Lockin – you open 3 chests, and to either get more Kraken wilds, keep spinning (which does nothing) or 2x multiplier. Collect symbol ends the feature.
• Colossal Kraken – Lands a 4×3 sized Kraken wild, and when fully visible, covers 3 full reels for 1 spin.
• Infectious Kraken – Lands an octopus wild that turns adjacent symbols into wilds.

There is also a Sunken Treasure bonus game that you can trigger by landing a bonus symbol on reels 1 and 3 and at the same time landing a chest symbol on reel 5. Again, you can choose from 3 different chests and here you win a cash prize. The good news is that you keep selecting more cash prizes until you find a collectible symbol, which ends the feature.

Free Spins in Release the Kraken

The Roaming Kraken free spins feature is the highlight of this game, and you need to land a bonus symbol on Reels 1 and 3, as well as a free spins symbol on Reel 5 to trigger the bonus round. Again, you can choose from different chests and see how many free spins you can collect before you hit the collect symbol. Usually you will get 10 to 12 spins, but more is also possible.

You will get either 1, 2 or 3 spins from each chest and the feature will start as soon as you find a collect symbol instead of extra spins. The reels set is now expanded from 20 to 40 ways to win and you start with a 1x multiplier. The progressive multiplier increases by 1x for each wild you land during the feature, and all wild symbols become sticky and move with each new spin.

What is the jackpot (maximum win)?

You can’t win a jackpot here, but if the number of paylines doubles during the bonus round, the potential effectively doubles to 1000 times your bet. Factor in the progressive multiplier and you have a maximum win potential of 10,000 times your bet. This is solid even for a very volatile game and means that you can win up to £1 million if you play at the highest stake.

Pros

3 randomly triggered bonus features in the base game.
Free spins with progressive multiplier
High volatility and maximum win potential of 10,000x

Cons

Might be too volatile for some cartoon-style players