As winter rages on and many of us get excited to feel the warmth of spring again, us here at Yggdrasil thought that this was the perfect time to release a sequel to one of our popular games, Winterberries. The aptly named Winterberries 2 takes players to the transitional period between winter and spring but packs a few different features that are sure to send chills down their spine!

As with the original version, Winterberries 2 sees five reels packed with juicy berries. The warmer tones on the reels and the breakout of foliage reflect the changing of the seasons, but the reels still retain the icy element. Furthermore, a sixth reel has been added… but only those who are daring enough will manage to unlock it! This is because sixth reel is overrun by winter foliage and can only be unlocked when the succulent Golden Bet is activated for 1.5x the stake. The Golden Bet also doubles the chance to enter the luscious Free Spins mode, and trigger 6-of-a-kind wins!

Carved out of ice and placed at the top of each reel are six individual multipliers that are sure to add an extra layer of excitement to the gameplay. As players rack up their consecutive wins, the multipliers increase exponentially and may lead to wins that are out of this world! If the Golden Bet mode is activated, it places a multiplier at the top of the sixth reel as well. This therefore means that the highest multiplier range can only be unlocked via the Golden Bet, as the sixth reel always has the highest multiplier attached to it!

Since the multipliers multiply one another, the potential for wins in this game is like no other. As multipliers keep increasing with consecutive wins, prizes rise exponentially. During the Free Spins mode, multipliers can add up to insane amounts also!

If a player is lucky enough, some buzzing bees may also join in the gameplay in the form of scatters. Upon finding scatters, players may be able to trigger two different features, depending on the rarity of the bee. Landing three or more scatters during base gameplay awards Free Spins: 3 scatters award 10 Free Spins, 4 scatters award 12 Free Spins and those lucky enough to land 5 scatters are awarded 15 Free Spins. If a player chooses to activate the Golden Bet feature, six scatters can land, which award a grand twenty spins! Winterberries 2 steps up the Golden Bet feature to a new level beyond what is rarely seen in slots.

If a player lands the lucky scatter bees during the Free Spins mode, the icy multipliers at the top of the reels are all increased by a random amount, depending on either of the three levels of scatters that may land – either Silver, Gold, or Diamond in order of rarity. From the Silver scatter, the multiplier increases by +1, +2 or +3; from the Gold scatter it increases by +4, +6 or +8 and from the legendary Diamond scatter it can increase by +10 or +15!  Besides this, another chilling Free Spin is also added to the current number of Free Spins that are left.

If a player wants to make their chase for the elusive bees easier, they may opt to use the Buy Bonus feature, in which they immediately enter one of the four levels of the Free Spins mode. For 100x the stake, a player may be awarded 10-15 Free Spins on the 5 reels and for 150x the stake, the sixth reel is unlocked, and 10-20 Free Spins may be won. If a player wants to be sure of the number of Free Spins they’ll get, they may opt to bet 200x the stake and get 15 Free Spins on the 5 main reels or go a step further and bet 300x the stake to get 20 Free Spins and unlock the sixth reel from the foliage as well. In Winterberries 2, there truly are Buy Bonus options for every kind of player!

One unique characteristic to Winterberries 2 is the Freezing Symbols and Multiplier, where each winning combination instantly freezes and triggers a Respin. Landing more of the winning symbols freezes them too and also triggers another Respin. What’s more is that if entire reels are frozen consecutively from the left, a special icy multiplier specifically assigned to that reel will activate, maximising wins to their biggest potential.

Stuart McCarthy, Head of Product and Programs at Yggdrasil, said: “We are thrilled to be launching a sequel to our much-loved snow-capped slot Winterberries. The 2016 release was due for an overhaul, and we have taken feedback from our players over the years to keep on improving on our existing portfolio. We have therefore revisited the original game and added a more contemporary and exciting twist to it that is sure to have players excited for a journey on ice!

“We’re super excited to see what our players will think of the new and improved Winterberries 2. We hope that everyone who loved Winterberries will also love playing Winterberries 2!”

Winterberries 2 launches on the 28th of February 2023.