Description
Exciting, fast-paced video slot Beat the Beast: Kraken’s Lair from Swedish operator Thunderkick is a standard five-reeler with three rows plus a relatively modest nine Paylines, offering free spins and a cool Expanding Win feature. It’s the first in a series of five games guaranteed to offer a high thrill count.
This is the third outing involving the genuinely blood-curdling Kraken, the monster of the deep! The watery, spooky background comes complete with sunken shipwrecks, which are no doubt a reminder of the octopus-like beast’s chilling strength.
How to play
Play from as little as 10p or up to £100 a spin, choosing the Autoplay function if you wish, and you’re good to go once you’ve placed your bet. Generally speaking, there’s nothing too complex about playing this fairly traditional game. You get a win for three low-paying or two premium icons on a Payline, which, by the way, have patterns as well as straight lines. Wins are paid out from left to right.
Low-paying symbols include the standard playing card 10 to Ace values, while among the premium icons are a trident, pendant, two other Kraken icons and a chest. The gold Kraken symbol (50x stake for five) is far less lucrative than the purple one, which pays 500x stake for a five-of-a-kind combo.
Beat the Beast: Kraken’s Lair special features
Special symbols
The Kraken Emblem serves as the Scatter and the Wild. In both the bonus and base games, it replaces all other symbols. It can generate Payline and Scatter wins.
Free spins bonus game
Land at least three Scatter symbols to launch the bonus round, in which you win 10 free spins. It’s played with the same bet as the winning spin which launched the feature.
If at least another three Scatters appear in this round, 10 more free spins are triggered, and this can happen an infinite number of times.
Expanding win feature
This crops up when a Payline’s winning combo includes a Kraken Emblem icon, which appears randomly on any reel at the start of every free spin. Each symbol expands just once, although the Kraken Emblem symbol does not expand, to create more winning combos in the bonus round and base game.
Progressive jackpot
A progressive jackpot is not on offer in Beat the Beast.
Return to Player (RTP)
Theoretical RTP or Return to Player isn’t too shabby at all in this game, at a reasonable (for a slot) 96.12%. The high volatility means you may have to expect some lengthy spins between wins. Offset this against the bonus features and the high-value wins.
Verdict
You should particularly enjoy the graphics and great production values in particular of this game – Thunderkick has a knack of creating simple yet visually appealing slot games with high-definition symbols.
Overall, you should find this classic (if not wholly original) slot with a modern feel a solidly satisfying and thrilling game to play, with a strong payout potential. Give it a whirl and check out Beat the Beast for yourself – let us know what you think – or visit Roger.com for more games.
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