Carnival Queen 2 Slot Review

At first glance, it looks like Carnival Queen 2 is the party of the century, but UK players (and regions with similar regulations) will not be able to make use of the bonus buy feature(s), which limits the field to Exploding Wilds, multipliers, and a free spins bonus.

Exploding Wilds

Wilds may replace any symbol except scatters to form winning combinations. When they do, they will explosively exit the reels, destroying all the symbols on their own reel and one random symbol on each of the other reels, unless they are prevented. The exploded reel becomes taller by 1 row when it explodes, extending the reels to up to 7 symbols high, thus increasing the number of winning ways. Do note, however, that there may only be two wilds on the reel at any time.

Avalanche Multiplier

A common feature of Megaways games, Carnival Queen 2 starts with a 1x multiplier, each avalanche (cascade) adds +1 to the global multiplier (i.e, 3 cascades = 3x multiplier). During the base game, this multiplier will reset to 1x when a winning combination is not achieved. During free spins, however, the multiplier does not reset, and there is no limit to how high the multiplier can go.

Free Spins

When 3 or more scatter symbols land on the reels in any position, players will be granted 12 free spins; any extra scatter symbols will add 4 more free spins to the tally. The multiplier from the spin that started the free spins stays the same and does not reset. 2 scatters during the round give you +3 spins, and each additional scatter gives you +2 spins.

Bet+ Bonus Buy (Non-UK)

Bet+ and Feature Buy Choices. The Bet+ menu offers the following options to eligible players:

• Bonus Boost (costs 1.5x stake): 2 times more likely to get a bonus
• Bonus Boost Plus (costs 3x stake): 5 times more likely
• Bonus Boost Extreme (costs 10x stake): On average, it gives you a bonus every 10 spins.
• Firework Frenzy (costs 5x stake): Guarantees one exploding wild on the initial drop.
• Start the free spins bonus for 100x the total bet.
• Start free spins bonus with at least 10,000 opportunities to win in exchange for 175x the total stake.

Is Carnival Queen 2 the best party in town? If you ask me, it is a resounding no. There is no denying that the game looks great and certainly captures the essence of Mardi Gras and other Latin American celebrations. The payout potential is not anything sensational, but it is enticing. 

That is about as far as my compliments go. In my opinion, this slot has hit the proverbial post, offering plenty of tantalising elements such as its visual appeal and features like limitless multipliers, whilst having possibly the most unappealing math model I have recently seen. It does not matter how good all the bells and whistles are when you have the choice between an extremely high volatility slot with a 94.18% RTP and one with high volatility and a 96%+ RTP. Yes, the top prize of 25,000x is nice, but let’s be honest, players who see a number anywhere near this are few and far between.

In such a competitive market, there are a slew of other carnival-themed slots with similar features, but with better statistics, so I would suggest looking elsewhere. Overall, Carnival Queen 2 is nothing to write home about and certainly not FOMO-worthy. I rate it 4/10.

Rating: 4.0