Editorial note: this is a general guide to how Release the Kraken works. Slot rules, feature availability and RTP can vary between operators and game versions, so always check the in-game information panel before you spin. Slots are games of chance — nothing here is a prediction of results, and no strategy changes the odds.
Release the Kraken slot review
Release the Kraken is Pragmatic Play’s 2020 plunge into monster-infested waters — a five-reel, three-row, twenty-line dive where the legendary beast is less a threat than a benefactor, hurling tentacle wilds onto the reels and guarding a hold full of sunken bonus features. It arrived in Pragmatic’s prolific 2020 wave and stood out immediately for its production values — the submarine gloom, the glimpsed tentacles — and for a bonus structure with genuine variety at a time when much of the catalogue ran to formula. A sequel followed, but the original’s balance keeps it the entry most players return to.
How Release the Kraken plays
Divers, anchors, treasure chests and luminous jellyfish pay across twenty fixed lines in front of a beautifully murky seascape. The kraken interferes from the depths at random: colossal tentacle wilds slam across reels mid-spin, and kraken-marked symbols can convert in unison, turning unpromising drops into sudden line-ups.
Sunken bonuses and free spins
Scatters open the treasure stage, where picks among the wreckage decide your reward: instant sunken-gold prizes, or free-spins rounds of rising ferocity in which the kraken’s wild attacks come thicker and the beast itself can anchor the middle reels. The escalating-feature structure gives triggers a lucky-dip thrill, and the top-tier round — tentacles everywhere, premium divers lining up — is where the legend earns its name.
RTP, volatility and top wins
The commonly published RTP is around 96.5%, with operator versions varying — the in-game information panel shows the live figure. Volatility is high, with the value weighted into the upper bonus tiers and advertised wins running to thousands of times stake when the monster fully surfaces.
Frequently asked questions
What does the kraken do?
It intervenes at random with tentacle wilds and synchronised symbol conversions in the base game, and dominates the upper free-spins rounds.
How does the bonus work?
Scatters lead to a pick among sunken treasures, awarding either instant prizes or one of several free-spins modes of increasing volatility.
What is the RTP?
Around 96.5% in the standard version, with operator variants — check the in-game information panel.
Is there a sequel?
Yes — Release the Kraken 2 revisits the depths with expanded mechanics, though many still prefer the original’s balance.
Related guides
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