Release the Kraken Slot: Features, RTP and Australian Availability

Release the Kraken slot at a glance

Pragmatic Play announced the original Release the Kraken as available on 30 January 2020. Its base game has 20 paylines, while a published set of rules describes 40 paylines during its free-spins feature.

Some specifications depend on the version. In particular, the published rules list several theoretical return-to-player settings, rather than one figure that can be assumed to apply everywhere.

• Developer: Pragmatic Play
• Announcement date: 30 January 2020
• Layout: Five reels and four rows
• Base-game paylines: 20
• Free-spins paylines: 40 in the documented version
• Documented theoretical RTP settings: 96.5%, 95.5% and 94.5%
• Volatility: Definitive provider classification unconfirmed
• Maximum win: Universal cap and conditions unconfirmed

How the game plays

The Pragmatic Play original should not be confused with Cadillac Jack’s separate game of the same name, Release the Kraken 2 or Release the Kraken Megaways. Those titles are different games, so their layouts and specifications should not be assumed to apply here.

A reel is a vertical column of symbols. A payline is a defined route across the reels used to evaluate a combination; it is not the same as a way to win. The base game uses 20 paylines, and the game’s information screen should show the routes and relevant awards.

In the documented rules, line wins run from left to right on adjacent reels, starting on the leftmost reel. Only the highest win on an individual line is paid, and awards on different lines are added together. Line awards are calculated using the stake per line, which is different from the total stake for a spin.

For example, if a game’s information screen shows a line stake of 10 cents, a listed line award based on that stake is not automatically a multiple of the entire spin stake. Check how the particular paytable expresses its awards before comparing them.

The usual sequence is to read the information screen and paytable, select a total stake, start a spin and inspect any result. Changing the stake changes the amount at risk; it does not make the next result predictable.

Symbols, wilds and the paytable

Archived rules for the game show an anchor or logo, a shark, a turtle, a fish and card-rank symbols. Ordinary symbols can form paying combinations on the game’s lines. The applicable paytable is the place to check which combinations pay and how their awards are calculated.

A wild can substitute for ordinary symbols when a line is evaluated. In the archived rules, it does not substitute for the three special bonus symbols. Those special symbols—Bonus, Free Spins and Chest Bonus—are used to determine whether a feature is triggered.

The distinction matters when reading a result: an ordinary fish symbol may contribute to a line combination, whereas a Chest Bonus symbol has a role in triggering the chest-picking feature. Historical paytables use particular coin and line-stake conventions, so their figures should not be treated automatically as multiples of the total stake.

Release the Kraken slot bonus features

Pragmatic Play names several Kraken wild features alongside the Sunken Treasure Bonus and Roaming Kraken Free Spins. The operational details below come from published game rules and archived rules for documented versions; check the information screen of any version you encounter for its own terms.

The features do different things. The random Kraken features change the role or placement of wilds during the base game. The other two begin when specific bonus symbols land on specified reels.

Random Kraken wild features

In the published rules, a choice of three tentacles can appear randomly during a base-game spin. The three named features have distinct effects:

• Kraken Locking Wilds: Subsequent chest choices can lead to additional wilds, continued spinning, a 2× win result or collection. Winning combinations are paid when the feature ends.
• Colossal Kraken Wilds: A 3×4 colossal wild lands on the reels.
• Infectious Kraken Wilds: At least one special wild appears and converts adjacent symbols into wilds.

Sunken Treasure Bonus

In the archived rules, the Sunken Treasure Bonus is triggered by Bonus symbols on reels 1 and 3 together with a Chest Bonus symbol on reel 5. The result is a chest-picking round.

Chest picks can reveal cash prizes. The round ends when a Collect symbol is found. The trigger positions describe the documented version, and the rules do not establish that a particular prize or number of picks should be expected.

The random wild features and the chest bonus have different triggers. A tentacle choice can appear randomly in the base game; the chest round uses the documented arrangement of special symbols. Neither gives a player a way to predict when a feature will appear.

Roaming Kraken Free Spins

The documented free-spins trigger is similar to the chest bonus, but with a different symbol on the final reel: Bonus symbols on reels 1 and 3 and a Free Spins symbol on reel 5.

Before the spins begin, chest picks reveal additions of one, two or three spins until Collect appears. The accumulated spins are then played on 40 paylines. These are defined paylines, not 40 ways to win.

The feature starts with a 1× win multiplier. Under the examined rules, each wild that lands increases the multiplier for the remaining spins by 1×. Landed wilds stay on screen and move randomly between spins, which is the basis of the roaming-wild feature.

The examined rules say the feature cannot retrigger. They do not clearly establish a universal maximum number of free spins or a multiplier ceiling, so those figures should not be assumed from a third-party listing.

Free spins are a feature within the game. The name does not establish whether the game itself was entered through a play-credit demo or a real-money wager.

RTP, volatility and maximum win

These three specifications describe different things. RTP concerns a theoretical average return, volatility concerns the spread of outcomes, and a maximum win concerns a possible limit under particular rules. None tells a player what their next spin or session will return.

A Romanian-language rules document lists Release the Kraken slot RTP configurations of 96.5%, 95.5% and 94.5%. Different figures in published sources are therefore not necessarily contradictory: they may refer to different settings. The document does not establish which setting applies to every version, so check the relevant game’s information screen.

Return to player is a theoretical average across a very large number of bets. As an illustration, a 96.5% RTP corresponds to an average of $96.50 returned per $100 wagered over that theoretical long run. It is not a promise that an individual will receive $96.50 back during a session, and actual short-term results can differ substantially.

Volatility describes the distribution and spread of outcomes. As a general comparison, a game with less frequent larger wins has a different pattern from one with more frequent smaller wins. Sources disagree about how to classify this title, and the available evidence does not establish a definitive provider classification.

Maximum-win claims also differ. Some reviews report 10,000 times the stake, while another reports a different, unconfirmed figure. The universal cap and its conditions have not been conclusively established; consult the applicable game rules rather than treating a review’s figure as either guaranteed or expected.

Australian availability and free play

The Australian Communications and Media Authority identifies online casino games, including online slots or pokies, as prohibited services when offered to people in Australia. A website may still be technically accessible even if its service is being offered illegally.

A working offshore site, a foreign licence or a site’s acceptance of Australian visitors is not proof that it may lawfully offer real-money online casino games to people in Australia. The restriction described here concerns provision of the service; it should not be read as a claim that simply playing is a criminal offence.

Release the Kraken slot free play is a separate question. A demo may use play credits instead of real-money wagers if its particular terms say so. The provider has a game page with an interface, and third parties advertise demos, but direct access from Australia and the applicable demo terms were not verified.

An embedded game or a search listing is not proof that a demo will launch for an Australian visitor. Nor does general guidance about games not played for real money settle the legal status of every particular demo or associated service. Check the offer’s terms, including whether it requires an account or involves real-money transactions.

If gambling is causing concern, Australia’s National Gambling Helpline is available on 1800 858 858. The service is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Gambling Help Online also offers support.

FAQ

Who made Release the Kraken?

The original covered in this guide was made by Pragmatic Play. Cadillac Jack has a separate game with the same name, so check the developer before relying on a game’s specifications.

Can I play Release the Kraken free in Australia?

The provider has a game-page interface and third-party sites advertise demos, but access from Australia and the relevant demo terms were not verified. A listing alone does not establish that a demo will launch or determine the legal status of a particular offer.

What is the game’s RTP?

One published rules document lists theoretical RTP configurations of 96.5%, 95.5% and 94.5%. Check the information screen for the setting that applies to the version in question; none of the figures guarantees an individual return.

Does Release the Kraken have free spins?

Yes. In the documented version, Bonus symbols on reels 1 and 3 and a Free Spins symbol on reel 5 trigger the Roaming Kraken Free Spins feature. The feature is separate from a play-credit demo.

Can the free-spins feature retrigger?

The examined rules say it cannot retrigger in that documented version. Check the rules displayed with a particular version rather than assuming every deployment is identical.

What is the maximum win?

Some reviews report 10,000 times the stake, but the cap and its conditions were not conclusively verified across versions. Other published claims differ, so check the applicable game rules and do not treat a reported maximum as an expected result.