Print Studios have built a name for themselves as a studio that keep things interesting and quirky. With releases under their belt like Cash Defence, Reapers, Out of the Ice, Pine of Plinko and Holy Hand Grenade, there's plenty to set this team apart from the competition. No one game encompasses just how unique their mindset can be more than Royal Potato though, released at the end of 2021.
Now, it's time to head back to visit our favourite potatoes as Print Studios leave behind the Japanese atmosphere of Shinobi Spirit to bring us a sequel, in Royal Potato 2. According to the team, they've gone with the ethos of “change nothing, upgrade everything”, so if you were a fan of the original, you're in for a treat this time around.
With RTP options up to 96.26% (97.48% feature buy), this highly (5/5) volatile release can produce wins up to 40,000x bet.
Change nothing, upgrade everything applies to not only the mechanics in this release, but also the overall look and feel. Like the first time around we're down in the soil, with a potato to either side of the reels, which are encased in gold leaves.
Our symbols remain the same with the aforementioned upgrades, showcasing just how much artwork can be improved upon in as short a period of time as this. What has been changed is the soundtrack – keeping the same atmosphere but with a new twist. It all comes together to form something familiar but fresh, achieving the goal.
Royal Potato 2 Base Features
Taking place across 5 reels, wins are formed on Royal Potato 2 by matching at least 3 symbols on adjacent reels, beginning with the leftmost reel, across 1 of 30 fixed win lines. Symbols available begin with non premiums, with blue, green, orange and purple flowers, awarding wins between 0.30 and 0.40x bet for 3 of a kind matches, increasing to values between 1.50 and 3x bet for 5 of a kind wins.
At the premium end, we meet blue, green, orange and purple spuds, awarding wins between 0.75 and 1x bet for 3 of a kind matches, increasing to values between 6 and 12.50x bet for 5 of a kind wins.
Our two highest paying symbols are the intricately decorated queen and king potato. Land 3 of a kind of either to see wins of 2 and 3x bet, increasing to values of 25 and 50x bet for 5 of a kind matches.
Scatter Boost
Alright, the first thing to cover in Royal Potato 2 is the Feature Bet options. Alongside regular bonus buys, players have two Scatter Boost options.
Firstly, by betting an additional 50% players can activate regular Scatter Boost, increasing the chance of triggering the Spud Spins Bonus by a factor of 2.45. Alternatively, players can bet an additional 150% to activate the Enhanced Scatter Boost, which increases the chance of triggering the Spud Spins Bonus by a factor of 5.37.
In the 96.26% setting, RTP will increase to 96.37% when using Scatter Boost and or 96.47% when using Enhanced Scatter Boost.
SuperSpinners
SuperSpinners are next – something you'll recognise from many of this team's previous releases, like Huntress Wild Vengeance. There are 14 SuperSpinner positions on the reels – three between reels 1-2 and 3-4, and four between reels 2-3 and 5-6. On each spin, one or more SuperSpinners will activate, and take on a random value of 2 or more.
If a winline crosses a SuperSpinner that is active and the SuperSpinner is to the left of a winning symbol, the value will be applied to the winning combination as a multiplier. If a winning combination crosses through more than one SuperSpinner, multipliers are applied consecutively. SuperSpinners with no value are considered to be x1.
Royal Levy Feature
Next is the Royal Levy feature. If there are at least 2 King or Queen potato symbols present on the reels in the base game, this feature can be triggered randomly at the end of a spin. All currently active SuperSpinners will be added together, with the total value stored above the reels.
Any King or Queen symbols will then reveal a cash prize relative to the bet level, or a bonus prize. All cash prizes will have the total value stored above the reels applied to them. If a bonus prize is awarded, a Spud Spins Bonus with 10 spins will be awarded when the Royal Levy feature has ended.
Royal Potato 2 Bonus
Land 3, 4 or 5 Bonus symbols to trigger 10, 12 or 14 Free Spins in the Spud Spins Bonus respectively. When the bonus starts, a 2×1 Jumbo symbol will be locked into position on the top 2 rows of reel 3.
To the left of the reels players will see a selection of symbols that are currently activated. To increase the size of the Jumbo symbol, players need to achieve a win on all active symbols.
To assist with this, the Jumbo symbol will substitute for all active symbols. It is not, however, a Wild symbol that substitutes for all symbols.
If a win is achieved on all active symbols, the Jumbo symbol will grow in size, substituting for a new selection of active symbols. Alongside this, additional spins will be awarded.
- Stage 1 is a 2×1 Jumbo symbol (substituting for blue or green flowers).
- Stage 2 awards +3 spins and progression to 2×2 Jumbo symbol (substituting for blue, green and orange flowers).
- Stage 3 awards +3 spins and progression to 3×2 Jumbo symbol (substituting for all flowers and blue potato).
- Stage 4 awards +3 spins and progression to 3×3 Jumbo symbol (substituting for all flowers, blue and green potato).
- Stage 5 awards +3 spins and progression to 4×3 Jumbo symbol (substituting for all symbols except King and Queen).
- Stage 6 awards +1 spin and progression to 4×5 Jumbo symbol (substituting for King).
This means at stage 6 that the Jumbo symbol covers the entirety of the reels and pays as a King symbol.
Potato Sack
One new feature of this release is the Potato Sack, which can land during the bonus on reel 5. When the Potato Sack lands, one of these awards will be triggered.
- Golden Spinner – one SuperSpinner turns golden, giving it a value of at least 10x each spin.
- Extra Spins – awards 3-6 additional spins.
- Synced Reels (stage 1-3) – grants 1 extra spin where reels 1 and 2 are synchronised.
- Symbol Activation (stage 4-5) – grants 1 extra spin and activates a symbol in the panel.
Feature Bet
Players in appropriate regions can also take advantage of the following Feature Bet options.
- Royal Levy – 31.70x bet (96.67% RTP)
- Spud Spins Bonus (triggers the Spud Spins Bonus with 3, 4 or 5 Bonus symbols) – 100x bet (97.26% RTP)
- Super Spud Spins Bonus (triggers the Spud Spins Bonus with 3, 4 or 5 Bonus symbols, with a golden SuperSpinner awarded and a Potato Sack on spin 1) – 340x bet (97.48% RTP)
The maximum win available in Royal Potato 2 is 40,000x bet. If the sum of a single game round exceeds this, the game round will end and 40,000x bet will be awarded.
First Impression
Change nothing, upgrade everything. Well, it certainly worked didn't it? From audiovisuals to mechanics and everything in-between, Royal Potato 2 is the perfect follow on for fans of the original. No major changes, just enough improvements to keep things feeling fresh.
In the base game, this comes in the form of 2 Scatter Boost options to improve the chance of triggering Free Spins. For those in regions where bonus buys are possible, you can now buy your way into the Royal Levy feature too.
In Free Spins the Potato Sack does most of the heavy lifting in helping things to feel new, triggering additional spins, synced reels, golden SuperSpinners and even activating symbols. Apart from this things remain the same, with the same aim – grow your Jumbo symbol and watch the wins roll in.
When the right combinations occur, wins are possible up to 40,000x bet in Royal Potato 2 – another improvement from its predecessor, which had a maximum win of 30,000x bet.
Finally, maths is highly (5/5) volatile, and RTP options are available up to 96.26% (97.48% feature buy), so as always it's worth checking this. If you were a fan of Royal Potato, Royal Potato 2 is the perfect option for you. If you weren't a fan an improved maths model, more feature bet options and the new Potato Sack might be enough to convince you.
*The screenshots taken of games reviewed on this site are taken from Demo Play, as reviews are often written before games are released for real play.
