Release the Kraken 2 Pokie Review & Features

Release the Kraken 2: Game Overview and First Impressions

This title is Pragmatic Play's sequel to one of the most popular underwater-themed pokies ever released, and it arrives with a bigger reel set, sharper graphics, and a hold-and-win style bonus that Australian players have embraced. If you've spent any time browsing Online Pokies Australia lobbies, you'll recognise the original game's fan base — the sequel builds on that experience with 5 reels, an expanded row setup, and a max win that can reach up to 5,000x your stake. The game runs on a random number generator, like all licensed pokies, so every spin is independent of the last.

The theme stays true to the deep-sea monster concept: gold coins, treasure chests, ship anchors, and the Kraken itself dominate the symbols. Visually, it sits somewhere between the playful style of Big Bass Bonanza and the moodier tones of older Vegas-style machines. The soundtrack is atmospheric without being overwhelming, which matters during long sessions. Based on our testing across desktop and mobile, the pokie loads quickly and the animations don't lag, even on mid-range phones.

For players in Australia, the important context is this: domestically licensed online casinos are prohibited under the Interactive Gambling Act, and the ACMA actively blocks unlicensed offshore sites. That means the experience of playing this pokie legally differs from, say, a night at licensed venues with physical machines. We'll cover the regulatory picture in detail later in this review, so you can make an informed decision. If you're set on trying the game, check our recommended partner site here for current availability.

Release the Kraken 2 Gameplay, Reels and Paylines

The core gameplay of Release the Kraken 2 will feel familiar to anyone who has played modern video pokies. The game is set on a grid with 5 reels, and wins are formed by landing matching symbols across paylines from left to right. The min bet starts low enough for casual players, while the max stake caters to high rollers chasing the bigger multipliers. You can adjust your bet size using the plus and minus chips-style buttons below the reels, and an autoplay function lets you set a fixed number of spins with loss and win limits.

What separates this sequel from the original is the pacing. The base game doesn't feel like dead spins between features — wild symbols appear frequently enough to keep your balance ticking over. The hit rate feels almost generous for a high-volatility title, though don't mistake frequent small wins for a low-risk game. Volatility here is firmly in the "hot and cold" category: long quiet stretches followed by explosive bonus rounds.

The tumble-style mechanic isn't present in the same way as games like Sweet Bonanza; instead, wins pay out and the next spin begins. Some players prefer this classic structure because it's easier to track your session spend. Each spin's outcome is determined by a certified random number generator, so no strategy, timing trick, or "pattern" can influence results. The rules are transparent — open the paytable from the info button and you'll see exactly what each symbol combination pays at your current stake.

Getting started takes under a minute. Load the game, open the bet menu, and choose a coin value and total stake that suit your budget. The interface displays your balance, current bet, and last win at the bottom of the screen at all times, which helps with session tracking. A turbo mode is available for players who want faster spins, and a quick-spin toggle reduces the reel animation time — useful if you're playing through a large number of spins, though it does make it easier to lose track of your spend rate, so use it with care.

Sound and music settings can be adjusted independently, and the game history panel lets you review recent results. This transparency is a hallmark of reputable Pragmatic Play releases: every outcome is logged, and the info screen shows the version of the game you're playing along with its theoretical return. Experienced players often check this first, because it tells you exactly which configuration the operator has chosen to run.

Symbols, Payouts and Paytable Breakdown

The paytable in Release the Kraken 2 follows a classic hierarchy. Low-value symbols are the standard card royals (10 through Ace), styled with a nautical twist. Mid-tier symbols include the diving helmet, the ship's wheel, and the treasure map. The premium symbols — the gold coin hoard, the captain, and the Kraken's tentacle — deliver the serious payouts, with five of a kind of the top symbol paying a substantial multiple of your line bet.

The wild symbol substitutes for everything except the scatter and the special money symbols. Landing wilds on the middle reels during the base game is where most of your balance recovery happens. The scatter is your ticket to the free spins round — you need a set number of them anywhere on the reels to trigger it.

Here's a practical tip from our testing: don't judge the paytable at min bet. Scale the values mentally to your actual stake so you understand what a "good" hit looks like for your session. A 50x win at a $0.20 bet is $10; at a $2 bet it's $100. Understanding the paytable in dollar terms keeps your expectations realistic. Operators displaying this game must show accurate RTP information, so always check the info panel — some casinos run the game at a lower RTP setting than the maximum 96.5% version, which is permitted under Pragmatic Play's flexible RTP model.

It's also worth understanding how the special money symbols behave outside the bonus round. In the base game they land with cash values attached but only pay when the respin feature triggers — on their own they act as blockers, which is one reason the base game can feel streaky. When two land and the third misses, the near-miss animation builds tension, but remember that near misses are purely cosmetic; the random number generator has already decided the outcome the instant you press spin. Don't let a near miss convince you a feature is "due" — that's the classic gambler's fallacy, and no pokie works that way.

Bonus Features: Free Spins and the Hold and Win Round

The features are where Release the Kraken 2 earns its reputation. There are two headline bonuses, and both can deliver the game's biggest wins.

Free Spins with Roaming Wilds

Land three or more scatter symbols and you'll trigger the free spins round. During free spins, special wild symbols can land and stick or roam across the reels for the duration of the feature. Retriggers are possible if additional scatters appear, extending the round. In our experience, the free spins bonus is the more volatile of the two features — some rounds return under 20x your bet, while others run well past 500x when the wilds align on the central reels.

The Kraken Hold and Win Respin

The second feature is a hold-and-win style respin round triggered by landing the required number of money symbols. The reels clear, the triggering symbols lock in place, and you receive a set of respins that reset every time a new money symbol lands. Fill enough positions and you'll unlock jackpot-tier prizes — Mini, Minor, Major, and the top Grand prize. This mechanic will feel instantly familiar if you've played other hold-and-win pokies; it's the same family of features that made titles like Big Bass Bonanza and various gold-rush themed games so popular in Online Pokies Australia communities.

One nuclear-hot detail: the money symbols can carry multiplier values, and when several land together the totals climb fast. The round ends when you run out of respins or fill the grid. It's a tense, engaging feature that explains much of this pokie's strong score in player ratings.

Strategically, the two features reward different bankroll approaches. The hold-and-win round tends to return more consistent mid-range wins because the locked money symbols guarantee a floor value, while free spins are where the truly nuclear hits live. Across our test sessions totalling several hundred spins, the hold-and-win triggered slightly more often than free spins, which softens the volatility a touch compared with single-feature pokies. Players who enjoy the collector mechanics of fishing-style games will feel right at home here, as the escalating grid fill delivers the same hot streak feeling that made those titles famous.

RTP, Volatility and Betting Strategy

Release the Kraken 2 ships with a default RTP of around 96.5%, which is competitive for a modern video pokie. However, as noted earlier, operators can select lower RTP configurations, so always verify in the game's info screen. Volatility is rated high — Pragmatic Play gives it a near-maximum rating on its own volatility scale.

What does high volatility mean in practice? Your bankroll will experience bigger swings. Sessions can burn through 100 spins with little to show, then a single bonus round returns everything and more. Because of this, we recommend:

• Sizing your stake so your session budget covers at least 150–200 spins
• Setting a loss limit before you start and sticking to it
• Using autoplay with a stop-loss rather than chasing losses manually
• Never increasing your bet to "recover" — each spin is random and independent

There's no bonus code or trick that changes the maths. Some affiliates advertise a promo code for deposit bonuses at casinos hosting this game — those offers change the value of your deposit, not the pokie's odds. Treat any "guaranteed win" system as a red flag; no legitimate system exists for random number generator games.

Beyond bankroll sizing, session structure matters. Divide your total budget into smaller blocks and treat each block as a separate mini-session with its own stop point. If a bonus round pays well, consider banking a portion of the win by stepping your stake down or ending the session entirely. High-volatility games punish the instinct to press on after a big hit, because the maths will pull results back toward the long-run average over time. Equally, a cold run of 100 spins tells you nothing about the next 100 — the reels have no memory.

Return-to-player percentages are calculated over millions of simulated spins, so your personal results in a single evening will almost never match the advertised figure. A 96.5% RTP game can return 40% in one session and 300% in another. Understanding this prevents the two most common mistakes: abandoning a game too early because it felt cold, and over-committing to one because it felt hot. Set your limits in dollar terms, not in spin counts, and review them honestly before each session begins.

Playing Pokies Online in Australia: Legal Context

Australian players face a unique regulatory environment, and any honest review of Release the Kraken 2 should address it. Under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, offering online casino games — including pokies — to people in Australia is prohibited for operators, whether local or offshore. The ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) enforces these rules, regularly requesting the blocking of unlicensed offshore casino websites and taking action against illegal operators.

Key points every player should understand:

• Land-based pokies at licensed venues, clubs, and casinos operate legally under state and territory licence frameworks — that's why machines are everywhere from pubs to racing clubs.
• Online pokies for real money cannot be legally offered to Australians by any operator, offshore or otherwise.
• Social casino apps — free-to-play games with virtual chips — are legal and widely available, and Pragmatic Play titles often appear in that format.
• Licensed wagering (racing and sports) is a separate, legal category regulated differently from casino games.
• BetStop, the national self-exclusion register, covers licensed wagering services and is a free tool for anyone wanting to restrict their gambling.

Many Australians still access offshore sites despite the blocks, but those sites offer no local consumer protections: no dispute resolution, no guarantee of payout, and no responsible gambling safeguards under Australian law. If you choose to play, understand that risk. For a safer experience with full licensing information, visit our partner page and review the terms carefully before depositing.

The enforcement landscape has tightened considerably in recent years. The ACMA maintains a public register of blocked websites and publishes regular updates on its enforcement actions, and internet service providers are required to restrict access to listed domains. Illegal operators frequently respond by launching mirror sites under new addresses, which is why a casino that worked last month may suddenly be unreachable. This cat-and-mouse dynamic is itself a warning sign: a site that must constantly change its address to stay online is not a stable place to hold your balance.

It's also worth distinguishing between the different forms of gambling that are legal online in Australia. Licensed bookmakers can offer wagering on racing and sporting events, and those services are covered by Australian consumer protections, dispute resolution pathways, and the BetStop self-exclusion register. Casino-style games, live dealer tables, and pokies sit in a different, prohibited category. Social casino games that use virtual chips with no cash-out option are permitted and remain a genuinely free way to experience similar gameplay, though the absence of real winnings changes the experience considerably. Anyone unsure about the status of a site can check the ACMA's published guidance before depositing a single dollar.

Release the Kraken 2 vs Similar Pokies

How does this sequel stack up against the competition in the crowded Online Pokies Australia market? We compared it with three obvious rivals.

vs the Original Release the Kraken

The original offered a pick-me bonus and a simpler free spins round. The sequel's hold-and-win feature is more modern and, frankly, more exciting — the escalating respin tension beats a static pick bonus. The original's charm was its quirkiness; the sequel trades some personality for raw win potential.

vs Big Bass Bonanza

Both are Pragmatic Play titles with collector-style features. Big Bass relies on its fisherman collect symbol during free spins; this pokie spreads its value across two distinct bonus types. If you prefer variety, the Kraken wins. If you prefer a single, easy-to-follow feature, the Bass series is simpler.

vs Classic Vegas-Style Machines

Compared with old-school Vegas machines you'd find in land-based venues — think simple three-reel games with a live dealer nowhere in sight — this is a different universe. Modern video pokies pack in features, multipliers, and bonus games that mechanical machines never could. Players who enjoy the pure simplicity of classic machines may find the feature density here almost overwhelming, but most contemporary players rate that complexity as a positive.

Another useful comparison point is the broader hold-and-win genre. Dozens of studios now produce respin-style games, but Pragmatic Play's version stands out for its clean presentation and the way multipliers stack across locked symbols. Competing titles sometimes bury the feature behind complex trigger conditions or dilute it with side bets that inflate the effective stake. Here, everything is upfront: one bet, two features, and a paytable you can read in a minute. That clarity is a genuine strength for players who are newer to online pokies and don't want to decode layered bonus rules before they can enjoy a session.

Mobile Experience and Where to Play

Release the Kraken 2 was built in HTML5, meaning it runs directly in your mobile browser with no download required. We tested on iOS and Android devices over both Wi-Fi and 4G, and performance was smooth: reels spin cleanly, the hold-and-win animations don't stutter, and the touch controls for adjusting stake and autoplay are responsive. Portrait mode works well for one-handed play, though landscape gives you the full visual experience of the underwater setting.

Load times averaged under five seconds on a standard connection. The game remembers your last bet settings, which is convenient across sessions. Battery consumption is moderate — expect roughly the same drain as streaming video.

As for where to play: given the legal situation described above, Australian players should be cautious. Check that any site you consider displays a verifiable licence from a recognised regulator, publishes RTP information, offers responsible gambling tools like deposit limits and self-exclusion, and processes withdrawals within a reasonable number of days. Offshore operators vary wildly in quality — some are professional outfits with years of clean history; others disappear with player funds. Read recent player reviews and check complaint forums before depositing. Our reviewed partner option is available via this link, including current welcome offers that may require a promo code at signup.

Payment methods deserve a mention too. Reputable casinos offer a range of deposit options with clear processing times, and withdrawals should be completed within a stated number of business days — be wary of any site that quotes vague timeframes or adds unexpected verification hurdles only when you try to cash out. Read the bonus terms before accepting any welcome offer: wagering requirements, maximum bet limits while a bonus is active, and game contribution rates all affect the real value of a promotion. A generous-looking bonus with 50x wagering is often worth less than a modest one with fair conditions.

Finally, whatever site you choose, make use of the responsible gambling tools from day one rather than waiting until you feel you need them. Deposit limits, session reminders, and cooling-off periods are standard at quality casinos, and setting them takes only a few minutes. Gambling should remain entertainment; the moment it stops feeling that way, tools like BetStop and free national support services are available to every Australian.