Jolly Roger Wild Kraken Slot by Play'n GO

The Kraken Joins the Crew

Play'n GO's Jolly Roger series started in 2014 with a basic pirate slot, evolved with Jolly Roger 2 in 2020, and now adds a sea monster for the third installment. Wild Kraken keeps the 5x3 grid and 20 paylines but introduces a two-stage bonus system built around a Walking Kraken Wild that absorbs cannonball multipliers. Released December 2024.

The base paytable runs standard pirate fare: card ranks (10 through A) in the low tier, then compass (5x), crossed daggers (6x), cannon (7.5x), and the pirate captain at 10x for five-of-a-kind. The Jolly Roger flag Wild pays 20x. These values work in coin units - actual bet multipliers depend on your wager. Wilds can carry multipliers up to 5x in the base game.

Instant Treasure: Simple Side Feature

A treasure chest appears exclusively on reel 1 and a key exclusively on reel 5. Land both on the same spin and you win an instant prize between 5x and 50x bet. No decision-making, no bonus rounds - just a direct payout. It triggers occasionally during base game sessions and adds a welcome surprise to what reviewers consistently describe as otherwise flat base game play.

Cannon Free Spins: The Kraken Awakens

Six or more cannonball scatters trigger Cannon Free Spins. That's a high threshold - most scatter-triggered bonuses need 3. Cannonballs carry multiplier values (2x, 3x, or 5x). The number of free spins equals the number of triggering scatters. New scatters landing during the bonus add +1 spin each, up to 49 total.

The Walking Kraken Wild appears stacked across the middle reels, shifting position each spin. When cannonball scatters land during free spins, the Kraken absorbs their multiplier values. Whenever the Kraken substitutes in a winning combination, the absorbed multiplier applies. The Kraken builds strength as the bonus progresses, making later spins more valuable than early ones.

Super Cannon: The Multiplier Ceiling

When the Walking Kraken Wild participates in 6 winning combinations during Cannon Free Spins, Super Cannon Free Spins triggers. Before the super phase begins, you pick from 4 Super Cannonballs to determine the multiplier: 10x, 15x, 25x, 50x, or 100x. The Walking Kraken continues its walk during super spins, and the selected multiplier applies to every win where the Kraken substitutes.

This is where the 20,000x ceiling lives. A 100x multiplier on the Walking Kraken Wild creating five-of-a-kind wins across multiple paylines produces the kind of single-spin explosion the game is built for. But reaching Super Cannon requires the Kraken to participate in exactly 6 wins during regular Cannon Free Spins - too few wins and you never upgrade, too many and the regular bonus ends before the target.

A Progression Problem

The two-stage design creates clear tension: regular free spins are the ramp, Super Cannon is the payoff. In practice, most Cannon Free Spins sessions end without reaching the 6-win target. The 6-scatter trigger threshold means bonuses arrive less frequently than typical 3-scatter games. And even when Super Cannon fires, the pick mechanic might hand you 10x instead of 100x.

Medium volatility with a 20,000x ceiling sounds balanced, but the max win probability (1 in 522 million) reveals where the math actually sits - closer to ultra-high variance for top-end results. Reviewers gave it mixed scores (AboutSlots 5.8/10, HideousSlots 6.8/10) and noted the series progression has stalled since Jolly Roger 2. The Kraken mechanic adds visual flair and a clear chase target, but the flat base game and demanding trigger conditions keep the excitement concentrated in a bonus you'll rarely see in full.