Esqueleto Explosivo 2 (Thunderkick): Overview

It’s surprising to think it’s been five years since Thunderkick launched the original Esqueleto Explosivo slot. Built around Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, it became one of Thunderkick’s standout hits. The Mexican festival runs across several days in November and gives people a chance to honour relatives and friends who have died. In Mexico it’s treated as a celebration rather than a mournful occasion. Instead of viewing death as a final stop, it’s seen as a natural stage of a spiritual journey. Either way, players who loved the first game now get the chance to revisit the theme in a sequel. Since the original was such a huge success, following it up was never going to be easy. So how does the second entry compare?

On the surface, it doesn’t seem drastically changed. Still, you won’t mix up the two versions: if the top of the reels doesn’t read ‘Esqueleto Explosivo 2’, then you’re playing the first game. The core ingredients return, but Thunderkick has adjusted the underlying mechanics enough that the sequel feels like a different animal. The layout stays familiar with 5 reels and 3 rows, plus the Mucho Multiplier sitting underneath. One of the biggest updates is the expansion of win ways from 17 to 99 paylines. Winning combinations are created by 3-5 matching symbols connecting diagonally or horizontally on neighbouring reels, starting from the first reel.

The playful vibe from the original is here too, complete with cheering, singing, and guitar music. To join the party, players can select stakes from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin, using manual play or autoplay. This time, Thunderkick is clearly targeting a different kind of player. The low volatility of the first game has been turned up to a high level. Even the RTP has nudged upward to 96.13%. With solid potential on offer, the Day of the Dead festivities feel much more intense in this sequel.

Most of the symbols in part 2 mirror the original, with a couple of additions. The skull heads still drop onto the musician bodies, including cyan, orange, blue, green, and pink skulls. A new purple lady skull joins the lineup and pays the most at 5 times the stake. That isn’t a massive payout on its own, but the Gonzo-style mechanics help push returns higher, especially when the extra features kick in.

Esqueleto Explosivo 2 (Thunderkick): Features

The best part about the feature set is that Thunderkick has retained what worked in the original, while introducing a couple of additions that really shift the gameplay. The Dropping Symbols mechanic returns. This cascading wins system blasts winning symbols off the reels so new ones can fall in, potentially creating strings of consecutive wins. Winnings are enhanced by the Mucho Multiplier, which begins at x1 and doubles after each drop win in this sequence – x1, x2, x4, x8, x16, with x32 as the base-game maximum.

The Mucho Multiplier also climbs whenever the Explosivo Wild lands. This wild can appear on reels 2, 3, and 4, and it substitutes for every symbol except the scatter. It also detonates to remove 3 – 8 symbols in its surrounding area. The only symbols it won’t destroy are scatters and the high pay symbol.

Players will be especially pleased to see a Free Spins feature added, something the original notably lacked. The purple wind up skull acts as the scatter. Hitting 3, 4, or 5 scatters in the base game awards 10, 12, or 14 free spins, respectively. Scatters can also land during free spins, and 2, 3, 4, and 5 scatters grant an extra 3, 7, 10, and 12 free spins. In addition, every scatter beyond 5 adds 2 more free spins to the total.

Free spins also introduce a couple of smart twists. One is wild collection. Every third Explosivo Wild collected awards an extra spin, and more importantly, it removes the lowest multiplier currently shown on the Mucho Multiplier meter. So the first set of 3 removes x1, the second set removes x2, and so one. In the bonus, x64 is also added to the meter, but it only becomes active once x32 has become the base multiplier.

Esqueleto Explosivo 2 (Thunderkick): Verdict

Esqueleto Explosivo 2 is a clear step up from the original and is likely to suit a very different kind of gambler. The cheerful low variance feel with frequent smaller wins is no longer the focus. Thunderkick has pushed almost every dial from the first game higher. RTP has increased, and volatility now sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. The potential is also far more tempting, with wins up to 5,000 times the stake versus 700x in the first game.

The sequel’s features are also more compelling. Thunderkick deserves credit for preserving the personality of the first Esqueleto Explosivo while adding the things many players look for: larger multipliers and a dedicated free spins round. The bonus mode is strong too. It starts with a decent batch of free spins, and with the right momentum it can deliver some hefty multiplier action.

With all these upgrades, it’s no surprise the ride is less gentle than before. The singing Mariachis are still present, but the tone is more serious now. There’s no time for taking it easy at this Dia de Muertos—spin and see what happens. With energetic features, a boosted engine, and solid potential, this powered-up sequel offers plenty to enjoy.