Winterberries 2 Slot Review

January 3, 2023 Casino Slots

While berries are often associated with summer, some types can still be found and enjoyed during winter. Juniper and rowan berries are two options, although rowan berries can be pretty sour. Hawthorn berries can also be eaten raw or used to make jellies, wine, or ketchup. In addition, the online slot game Winterberries 2, created by Yggdrasil Gaming, features berries as the main theme. This game is a sequel to an earlier Yggrasil Gaming slot, but the two have some differences. So, if you’re a berry lover, you don’t have to miss out on your favorite fruit just because it’s winter. Instead, try exploring some berry options available during the colder months or play the fun and berry-filled Winterberries 2 online slot game.

Winterberries 2 has a more modern appearance than the original game and features a split screen that shows a winter scene on the left and a warmer, autumn-like scene on the right. The game grid is supported by a tree in the middle, with multipliers at the top and a sixth reel wrapped around vines. Some players may be reminded of ELK Studios’ Tropicool 2 due to the icy symbols in Winterberries 2, although the overall atmosphere of Winterberries 2 is not as vibrant as ELK Studios’ games.

Winterberries 2 is a more modern slot game than the original Winterberries, released in 2016. It has a higher level of volatility, with an RTP range of 86% to 96% depending on the market. Players can choose their base bet, which ranges from 10 p/c to £/€100, and can as well activate the Golden Bet, which increases the stake by 50% and unlocks the sixth reel. The Golden Bet doubles the chances of entering free spins, allows for 6-of-a-kind wins, and enables the use of the largest multipliers.

In Winterberries 2, players can land winning symbol combinations on the game’s six reels and 20 paylines. The low-paying symbols, naturally designed clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades, award 2x the bet for five matching symbols and 6x the bet for six-of-a-kind. The high-awarding symbols, represented by various berries, award 6x to 10x the bet. That’s for five matching symbols and 18-30x the stake for six-of-a-kind.

Quick Info

Title: Winterberries 2

Developer: Yggdrasil Gaming

Reels: 6

Rows: 3

Paylines: 20

RTP: 96% | 94% | 90.5% | 86%

Hit Freq: 25.73%

Max Win: 10,000x

Volatility: High

Min/Max Bet: 0.10/100

Release Date: February 28, 2023

Features

In Winterberries 2, respins are a vital mechanic triggered after each win. When a winning combination is formed, the symbols that made up the winning line are frozen in place, and the other characters respin. If new characters of the winning type land, they are frozen, and another respin is triggered. This process continues until no new symbols freeze when the total prize is paid. Scatters do not trigger respins on their own, but if there is a winning combination and three or more scatters, the scatters and the winning symbols are frozen.

Column Multiplier

In Winterberries 2, consecutively freezing entire columns from the left activates the multiplier above that column. The multipliers above the reels in the base game are 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x. For example, you must have reels one and two completely covered in frozen symbols to activate the multiplier on reel three.

Free Spins

To trigger the bonus round in Winterberries 2, players must land at least 3 scatter symbols on the reels. Landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters (6 when the Golden Bet is active) awards 10, 12, 15, or 20 free spins. During the free spins, the multipliers above the reels are doubled in value, becoming 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, 32x, and 64x. When scatter symbols land during the free spins round, they each add +1 extra free spin and increase the multiplier for their respective reel by +1-3 for the silver scatter and +4-8 for the gold or +10-15 for the diamond scatter.

Buy Bonus

In some jurisdictions, players can purchase one of four bonus buy options in Winterberries 2. These options include 10-15 free spins with five columns for 100x the bet, 10-20 free spins with six columns for 150x the bet, 15 free spins with five columns for 200x the stake, or 20 free spins with six columns for 300x the bet.

Verdict

Games featuring variations on the hold and respin mechanics for winning symbols were quite popular at its release. NetEnt’s Jack Hammer is credited with starting this trend. Other studios, such as Nolimit City, Pragmatic Play, and Thunderkick, contributed to it with games like Serial, Monster Superlanche, and Dionysus Golden Feast. These slots, which feature locked winning symbol respins, are becoming increasingly popular. Yggdrasil Gaming has stayed current with this trend by releasing Winterberries 2.

It seems that Yggdrasil Gaming may have made Winterberries 2 to capitalize on the popularity of respin mechanics in slots or to join the trend rather than simply as a sequel to Winterberries. However, it is difficult to confirm this assumption without knowing the company’s motivations. Regardless, Winterberries 2 is a well-made example of this type of slot game, with the added excitement of a multiplier reel. The multipliers can be very helpful in both the main game and free spins, where they are doubled and can even increase further when scatters land. One potential controversy in Winterberries 2 is that players may need to activate the Golden Bet to enjoy the game. The Golden Bet is a feature that has been included in other slots, but it rarely significantly impacts so many aspects of a game. The benefits of the Golden Bet are so numerous that it seems likely that players will make use of it when it is available.

Given that everything else in Winterberries 2 has been increased, it is not surprising that the maximum potential winnings have also been raised to a default value of 10,000x the bet. Therefore, players who are interested in the hold and respin mechanics and are not turned off by the Golden Bet concept should be pleased with the potential rewards that can be gained from playing Winterberries 2.