San Quentin 2: Death Row

If there’s one studio that has made waves in the industry, it’s Nolimit City. Taking on the boldest mechanics and the most daring themes, this team set themselves apart from the competition long ago.

It was in 2021, though, that players really started to see what Nolimit City were made of. Kicking off the year with San Quentin, they went on to release a number of flagship titles, including but not limited to Mental, xWays Hoarder and Das xBoot.

It’s San Quentin we’re revisiting today, as one of the most highly anticipated sequels to one of the most talked about releases finally hits our screens.

If you’re familiar with the original you’ll know that Beefy Dick, a well known debt collector, landed himself in prison for assault and torture.

Whether it was the case all along or whether he found it impossible not to make matters worse for himself (probably the latter since ‘assault on an officer’ has now been added to his rap sheet), Beefy now finds himself on Death Row.

Unfortunately we’re sharing a cell with him, so it’s time to embrace our new life as we leave behind the gnarly nature of Skate or Die and surrender to San Quentin 2: Death Row.

We’re never seeing the light of day again so all we can do is try to get along with our new cellmate, and definitely try not to drop the soap.

With RTP options available up to 96.13% (96.27% feature buy), this extremely (10) volatile release can produce wins up to 200,000x bet.

San Quentin 2: Death Row Base Game

It’s no surprise that we find ourselves back in San Quentin prison in this release, although things are noticeably different in San Quentin 2: Death Row compared to its predecessor. Rather than being in the prison yard we’re in a prison transport bus – which is probably taking us straight to Death Row.

Once inside we find that conditions are about as grim as you’d expect – dark, dank and dreary. Artwork is a different style – not just to the original but also to what we’re used to from this team – with some of the characters taking on a cartoonish, almost caricaturist sort of vibe. Things are just less gritty this time around, and instead are quite playful.

Our attention mostly goes to the reels, upon which we find a variety of returning characters and symbols, and some new – including casts, gloves and combs.

It’s all finished off with a bold soundtrack that is both reminiscent of the original and easy to listen to. All in all, an enticing image – just different enough to the original, but retaining most of what we know and love about it.

San Quentin 2: Death Row Offers Players a Minimum of 1,024 Ways to Win

San Quentin 2: Death Row Base Features

Taking place across 5 reels, wins are formed on San Quentin 2: Death Row by matching at least 3 symbols on adjacent reels, beginning with the leftmost reel.

Each reel holds 4 symbols, producing 1,024 ways to win, although as is normally the case with Nolimit City releases, there are a number of features and symbols that can increase this, like Split symbols and xWays.

Symbols begin with non premiums with casts, rubber gloves, dice, combs and soap, awarding wins between 0.05 and 0.25x bet for 3 of a kind matches, increasing to values between 0.20 and 1x bet for 5 of a kind wins.

At the premium end we have the same five characters we met in San Quentin originally – Crazy Joe, Biker Bill, Loco Luis, Heinrich the 3rd and Beefy Dick. Land 3 of a kind of any premium to see wins between 0.30 and 0.50x bet, increasing to values between 1.20 and 2x bet for 5 of a kind matches.

Finally, Wild symbols are available to substitute for all regular pay symbols.

Land Bonus Symbols on the Reels to Open the Enhancer Cells Above and Below

Nolimit Booster

As expected, there are a number of features to cover in San Quentin 2: Death Row, but we begin with Nolimit Boosters.

There are two Nolimit Boosters available in this release:

• xBet – for a cost of 2x bet players can guarantee 1 Bonus symbol (96.0% RTP)
• Double xBet – for a cost of 45x bet players can guarantee 2 Bonus symbols (96.22% RTP)

The above RTPs are based on the overall value of 96.13%.

Split Wild

Next up are Split Wilds.

Split Wilds can land on any reel, and will split all regular symbols in the reel they land upon in two.

Split Wilds do not split themselves.

Split Wilds Split all Regular Symbols in the Reel They Land Upon in Two

Enhancer Cells

Above and below the reels, there are locked Enhancer Cell positions – one position for each individual reel, totalling 10 positions.

When opened, they can reveal any of the following:

• High paying symbol
• Wild symbol
• Razor Split
• xWays symbol

Razor Split

Razor Split symbols will split all symbols on the regular reel positions in two.

If a Razor Split symbol lands on the top and bottom Enhancer Cell of the same reel it will split all symbols twice.

If a Razor Split symbol splits a Bonus symbol, it transforms into Wild symbols and splits all symbols in the row it is on in two.

Land an xWays Symbol in the Top and Bottom Enhancer Cell of a Reel to Turn the Reel into 10 Single Wild Symbols

xWays Symbols

xWays symbols will reveal a regular paying symbol stacked 5 high.

All xWays symbols in view will reveal the same symbol.

If an xWays symbol lands on the top and bottom Enhancer Cell of the same reel the entire reel will be replaced by 10 single Wild symbols.

Bonus Symbols

To open Enhancer Cell positions, Bonus symbols must land.

Land 1 or 2 Bonus symbols in view to turn them into Wild symbols and open the Enhancer Cells (top and bottom) on the reel they have landed upon.

Landing 3 or more Bonus symbols will trigger Green Mile Spins – more on this next.

Risk 5 Spins For a Chance to Win an Additional Jumping Wild, Starting With a x2 Multiplier

San Quentin 2: Death Row Bonus

Land 3 or more Bonus symbols to trigger Green Mile Spins:

• 3 Bonus symbols – 8 spins with 1 starting Jumping Wild
• 4 Bonus symbols – 8 spins with 2 starting Jumping Wilds
• 5 Bonus symbols – 8 spins with 3 starting Jumping Wilds

Before Green Mile Spins start players can collect the number of Jumping Wilds they have been awarded or risk losing 5 spins for a chance to win an additional Jumping Wild.

The maximum number of Jumping Wilds is 5.

If the fourth or fifth Jumping Wild is awarded, they start with a x2 multiplier.

If 5 Jumping Wilds are reached, players have the opportunity to risk losing 5 spins for a chance to win the maximum win of 200,000x bet.

Additionally, before Green Mile Spins start players will spin reels to reveal a chosen symbol that receives a multiplier for the duration of spins.

The number of symbols that land in view corresponds to the multiplier value applied.

Spin to Reveal a Chosen Symbol That Receives a Multiplier Before Green Mile Spins Start

Green Mile Spins Enhancer Cells

The number of Jumping Wilds determines the number of reels with active Enhancer Cells during Green Mile Spins:

• 1 Jumping Wild – 3 reels with active Enhancer Cells
• 2 Jumping Wilds – 4 reels with active Enhancer Cells
• 3, 4 or 5 Jumping Wilds – 5 reels with active Enhancer Cells

The reels with active Enhancer Cells are drawn randomly at the start of Green Mile Spins and will be persistent for the duration of spins.

Landing a Bonus symbol on a reel with a closed Enhancer Cell will transform the Bonus Symbol into a Wild symbol and open the Enhancer Cells on the reel it has landed on (top and bottom).

Land 2, 3, 4 or 5 Bonus symbols during Green Mile Spins to be awarded an additional +3, 4, 5 or 6 spins respectively.

San Quentin 2: Death Row Green Mile Spins With 1 Jumping Wild

Jumping Wilds

Jumping Wilds are only available during Green Mile Spins.

On every spin, the Jumping Wilds will jump to a random regular reel position.

If a Jumping Wild jumps onto a reel in which the Enhancer Cell reveals a Razor Split, the Jumping Wild multiplier is doubled, along with all other positions on the same row.

If a Jumping Wild is on a row affected by a Split Jumping Wild it will also double its multiplier.

Jumping Wild multipliers are counted as that number of Wild symbols in the position they land.

Jumping Wild multipliers do not reset for the duration of spins.

San Quentin 2: Death Row Green Mile Spins With 2 Jumping Wilds

Nolimit Bonus

Players in appropriate regions can skip straight to the action with the following Nolimit Bonus options:

• Green Mile Spins with 1 Jumping Wild – 100x bet (96.27% RTP)
• Green Mile Spins with 2 Jumping Wilds – 500x bet (96.18% RTP)
• Green Mile Spins with 3 Jumping Wilds – 2,500x bet (96.18% RTP)
• Lucky Draw (40%, 40%, 20%) – 580x bet (96.23% RTP)

The above RTPs are based on the overall setting of 96.13%.

The maximum win available in San Quentin 2: Death Row is 200,000x bet (No Escape). If the sum of a single game round exceeds this, the game round will end and 200,000x bet will be awarded.

San Quentin 2: Death Row Green Mile Spins With 4 Jumping Wilds

First Impression

There’s a lot that can be said about San Quentin 2: Death Row as a release in its own right, but let’s start with the obvious – how does it fare as a sequel?

It’s the opinion of the majority of players – including us – that sequels should be bigger and better, and boy did Nolimit City achieve that. From the maximum win increasing by a whopping 50,000x bet to the potential for 5 Jumping Wilds and new Nolimit Booster options, there’s no part of this game that hasn’t been made bolder.

In the base game, players will undoubtably marvel at the introduction of the xBet options. At the time San Quentin was released, Nolimit City didn’t offer this in any release, but since starting to incorporate these ante bet options it’s become blindingly obvious which of the older releases could really benefit from them – San Quentin included.

Other than xBet, it’s the expected lineup with Enhancer Cells working to reveal high paying symbols, Razor Split, and xWays, working alongside Split Wilds and Bonus symbols to help produce some really potent combinations.

Still, there’s no sense in lying – it’s Green Mile Spins where things really come to life. The big news in this release is the possibility of activating 5 Jumping Wilds – the fourth and fifth of which immediately start with a x2 multiplier. With every Enhancer Cell active and 5 Jumping Wilds roaming the reels, it’s easy to see how incredible wins are possible – to the tune of 200,000x bet, to be precise.

There will be players reading this review or browsing the game information thinking that this isn’t worth pointing out – ‘I’ll never land that bonus, it’s too rare, it’ll cost too much’; thankfully we have some new options going head to head with these complaints too.

Alongside the aforementioned xBets, a Lucky Draw bonus buy is now available, coming in at 580x bet for a 40/40/20 chance of landing 3, 4 or 5 Bonus symbols. Additionally, 5 Jumping Wilds can’t be bought – they’re gambled for.

Maybe it’ll only be the truly brave among us prepared to risk losing 5 spins for a chance to gain an additional Jumping Wild, but there’s no denying that anyone getting all the way on this is in for a treat – that is, if they don’t decide to just take the additional risk for the maximum win (another new feature).

There’s more to say and not enough characters to say it; this is really one you just have to experience for yourself.

Finally, maths is extremely (10) volatile and RTP options are available up to 96.13% (96.27% feature buy) so as always it’s worth checking this. If you’ve been looking for the perfect sequel, San Quentin 2: Death Row is up there with the best of the best – particularly if you liked its predecessor.

*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.