Beat the Beast Krakens Lair Slot Review
Thunderkick have crafted an absolutely brilliant introduction to their new Beat the Beast series with Krakens Lair. Released in February 2020, this Norse mythology-themed slot drags you to the ocean floor where light barely reaches, where sunken ships rest amongst ancient treasures guarded by a mythical Kraken. The Swedish developer is well-known for quality and longevity, and those traits shine through immediately here. With high volatility action and described by Thunderkick themselves as “only for the brave,” this is a slot designed for players who understand the trade-off between patience and potential rewards.
Base Game & Features
This 5-reel, 3-row video slot operates on **9 traditional paylines**, giving it a classic structure that feels refreshingly straightforward. With 11 symbols in total, the gold **Kraken Emblem** sits proudly atop the symbol hierarchy, serving a triple duty as wild, scatter, and scatter pays symbol. The base game feels measured but purposeful—most spins won’t trigger features, which is precisely where the high volatility earns its classification.
The scatter system creates immediate win opportunities: land 3 Kraken symbols and you pocket 2x your stake, 4 symbols deliver 20x, and the elusive 5 symbols pay out a respectable 200x. These scatter pays provide tangible rewards during base play without needing to trigger the bonus round. The game balances around this mechanic nicely—frequent enough to keep sessions interesting, substantial enough to feel rewarding when they land.
Expanding Win Feature
When a payline win includes the Kraken Emblem scatter, all winning symbols expand to 3 high, dramatically increasing the potential of that spin. This mechanism is the standout feature during base gameplay. Any symbol involved in a win with the wild expands to fill a reel, creating excellent winning opportunities that can transform an otherwise modest spin into something meaningful. It’s a mechanic that rewards positioning and symbol alignment, adding a layer of strategy to what might otherwise feel like pure chance.
Beat the Beast Krakens Lair Free Spins
Free spins trigger when **3 or more Kraken Emblem symbols land anywhere on the reels**, awarding 10 free spins to start. Here’s where the game truly reveals its design philosophy: during the bonus round, you’re guaranteed to land a wild or scatter symbol on every single spin. This guarantee transforms the free spins from a simple win multiplier into something genuinely strategic and engaging.
Within the bonus, both scatter pays and expanding wins remain active, meaning symbol expansions happen frequently. Those expanding symbols create the opportunities for substantial multipliers and retriggering. And retriggering? Unlimited. Land 3 or more scatters during free spins and you gain an additional 10 spins. The free spins round is enhanced by an expanding symbols mechanism that guarantees a wild or scatter on every spin during the bonus, making symbol expansions and bonus retriggering much easier and more rewarding. This design keeps the excitement building—there’s genuine potential for sessions where you chain retriggered bonus rounds together and accumulate significant wins.
Our Honest Verdict
An absolutely brilliant introduction to this new series, Expanding Wins and an interesting Free Spins round will keep you excited and captivated. Beat the Beast Krakens Lair combines high volatility and fairly high rewards with Thunderkick fulfilling their objective to build a classic slot that possesses a modern twist. The 7,777x maximum win potential is solid, and with the expanding symbols during free spins, players can achieve substantial wins during the bonus rounds.
The style isn’t overly original and we’ve seen our fair share of Kraken-inspired slot games—the scatter and wild combination mechanics have appeared in other Thunderkick games before. However, the execution is solid. High volatility may put some off if you’re looking for more frequent wins. But for those seeking to recover an abundance of treasure from the lair of the beast, the high volatility will excite.
Rating: 7.5/10 — Thunderkick deliver a reliable Norse mythology slot that works particularly well for high volatility enthusiasts. The design philosophy is clear: classic structure with modern mechanics delivering genuine win potential. It won’t blow the doors off in terms of innovation, but the features it does have will keep you interested and engaged through sessions.
Beat the Beast Krakens Lair FAQs
What is the RTP of Beat the Beast Krakens Lair?
The RTP of Beat the Beast Krakens Lair is 96.12%. This is about standard in today’s online gaming market, as most online slots have RTPs that are 96% or more.
What is the maximum win on Beat the Beast Krakens Lair?
With the optimum combination of symbols, you can win 7,777x your total stake. If you play with the highest possible stake of £100, you can pocket up to £777,700 on a single spin.
Is Beat the Beast Krakens Lair high volatility?
Yes, Beat the Beast Krakens Lair is a high volatility game. You expect to see relatively long gaps between winning spins. The overall returns of 96.12% compensate for this. The game has a variance measurement of 12.17.
How do you trigger free spins in Beat the Beast Krakens Lair?
To trigger the Beat the Beast Krakens Lair free spins feature, land 3 or more Kraken Emblem scatter symbols anywhere on the reels. When this happens, you receive 10 free spins. You can retrigger this bonus by landing 3 more scatters to gain an additional 10 free spins, with unlimited retriggering possible.
Can I play Beat the Beast Krakens Lair on mobile?
Yes, Beat the Beast Krakens Lair is fully compatible with iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. The mobile version features touch-based controls optimised for a seamless mobile gaming experience. The game is available directly from your mobile browser without requiring any software downloads.
What are the expanding win features in Beat the Beast Krakens Lair?
Beat the Beast Krakens Lair features an Expanding Win mechanism. During the free spins round, you’re guaranteed to land a wild or scatter on every spin. The Kraken emblem creates scatter pays of up to 200x your win for 5 symbols of a kind, creating opportunities for bigger payouts.
Who developed Beat the Beast Krakens Lair?
Beat the Beast Krakens Lair was developed by Thunderkick, a well-known Swedish game developer. It is the first game in Thunderkick’s Beat the Beast series of five games, released on February 20, 2020.
What is the bet range for Beat the Beast Krakens Lair?
Players can wager between 0.20 coins and up to 100 coins per spin in Beat the Beast Krakens Lair. The flexible betting options accommodate different player preferences and bankroll sizes, though some casinos may cap the maximum at 40 coins depending on their implementation.
