Money Jar 2: Slot Overview

Sequels tend to spark all sorts of reactions. Will it be larger in scope? Will it improve on what came before? Did the original already use up the best ideas? Is it just a quick cash grab, or a genuine upgrade? Still, when the follow-up comes from games designer Slotmill, expectations are usually upbeat, as the studio often manages to refine an already solid concept. That leads us to Money Jar 2, the successor to Money Jar which, as the developer puts it, ‘takes everything you loved about the original and amplifies it to new heights.’

What hasn’t changed is Slotmill sticking with the 1930s Charlie Chance, ‘Betty Boop’ inspired look that gave the first game so much character. Money Jar 2 is every bit as cartoonish and jazzy, set in a universe where everyday objects come alive simply by being given a face. This time the vibe leans more aquatic, swapping the original’s land-based, backroom members-only casino setting for something that feels like we’re aboard a ship. Trigger free spins and players now get to pick between two bonus rounds instead of only one, with each bonus taking place in a different area of the boat. Once again, Slotmill excels at making the world feel lively, packing it with charming characters and upbeat music that helps blur the boundary between slot machine and animated show.

Even with all that style, Money Jar 2 doesn’t forget it’s a gambling game, and it comes loaded with features plus multiple ways to approach play. The standard approach is choosing a stake of 20 p/c to $/€40 and pressing spin. That sets the 6-reel, 5-row grid in motion, offering 15,625 ways to win. In regular mode, Money Jar 2 has an RTP of 95.8%, slightly below the original, though the exact figure can change depending on the bonus buy. With highly volatile math, wins land when matching symbols connect on adjacent reels, beginning from the leftmost reel.

There are twelve paying symbols on the grid: J-A card ranks, club, diamond, heart, and spade casino chips, plus four character symbols at the top end. Land a 6-of-a-kind and the payout is 0.4-0.5x for the royals, 0.6-0.7x for the chips, and 1.5-3.5x for the character symbols. Wild symbols substitute for any standard paying symbol. Some wilds can also display numbers, known as Countdown Wilds. The number indicates how many wins the wild can contribute to. Each Respin win that includes a wild reduces its number by 1.

Money Jar 2: Slot Features

Money Jar 2 maintains a fast pace thanks to a long list of mechanics, including Win Respins, Power Up symbols, Extra Chance, two Money Jar Bonus Games – the Coin Bonus Game and the Countdown Wild Bonus Game, Fast Track feature buys, and Burst Mode.

Win Respin

Any symbols part of a win will individually respin. On each respin, a reel can land the same symbol, a wild symbol, a Power Up symbol, or a Money Jar. The Win Respin feature keeps going for as long as fresh wins continue to appear.

Power Up Symbols

In the base game, special Power Up symbols can drop onto the reels. These include:

• Wild Magnet – changes into a Countdown Wild with a count determined by the number of wilds on the reel.
• Wild Payer – increases all wilds by +1 before converting into a wild symbol.
• Mystery Symbol Dealer – adds mystery symbols and then turns into a wild symbol. All mystery symbols reveal the same symbol.

Extra Chance

Once the respins finish and there are no more wins, if 2 Money Jars in view, the Extra Chance triggers. Symbols next to each Money Jar respin, and only coins or extra Money Jars land. Coins pay out when they are collected by a Money Jar. Adjacent Money Jars also collect from each other. Landing a third Money Jar activates the Money Jar Bonus Game picker.

Money Jar Bonus Games

Hitting 3 Money Jar symbols awards the Money Jar Bonus Game picker, where players choose between the Coin Bonus Game and the Countdown Wild Bonus Game.

Coin Bonus Game

The round begins with 6 lives, and each spin reduces the meter by 1 life. It ends when there are no more lives left, although an Extra Life symbol increases the meter by one life. When a spin finishes, any Money Jars on the screen will collect all adjacent coins, Money Jars, Magnets, Portal Pills, or Payers. After every spin, the Money Jars jump to an adjacent position. The special symbols that can appear are:

• Doubler – doubles the value of all visible symbols.
• Payer – adds its value to all other visible symbols.
• Magnet – collects all visible coins and values from other Magnets present once. Stays on the reels until it is collected.
• Coin Dealer – places coins with random values onto the grid, then turns into a coin.
• Portal Pill – remains on the reels until collected by a Money Jar. When collected, a Portal opens to another Money Jar, letting it take that Money Jar’s value.
• Persistent Payer – adds its value to all other visible symbols on every spin.
• Persistent Magnet – collects all visible coins and values from other Magnets at the start of each spin. It can be collected by a Money Jar more than once.

Countdown Wild Bonus Game

This mode starts with 8 spins. Landing the Extra Life symbol adds +1 spin to the counter. Any unused wilds or Countdown Wilds stay on the reels until used in a win or until the feature ends. After a wild is used, it is added to the Wild Collect meter. Every 2 used wilds raise the Multiplier Meter by +1. Power Up symbols can also appear during this feature.

Super Mode

Super Mode is randomly activated after selecting a Bonus Game. While Super Mode is active, a feature symbol is guaranteed to land on each spin.

Fast Track and Burst Mode

The Fast Track provides instant entry to features for a price. The available choices are:

• 2+ Countdown Wilds – guarantees a game round triggering 2+ Countdown wilds for 8x the bet. (Highly volatile with an RTP of 96.02%).
• 3+ Countdown Wilds – guarantees a game round triggering 3+ Countdown wilds for 20x the bet. (Highly volatile with an RTP of 96.04%).
• 2 Jars – guarantees a game round triggering 2 Money Jars for 25x the bet. (Very highly volatile with an RTP of 96.10%).
• Bonus – a game round that triggers the bonus for 100x the bet. (Very highly volatile with an RTP of 96.13%).
• Super Mode – a game round that triggers the Super Mode Bonus for 500x the bet. (Highly volatile with an RTP of 96.22%)

Burst Mode lets players choose a bet and a set number of spins, then run them at a faster pace while showing the total win for the game round. It can be halted whenever you like.

Money Jar 2: Slot Verdict

Money Jar 2 largely delivers what you’d hope for from a follow-up. It retains plenty of what made the first game fun, while adding a solid batch of fresh elements. There are also rule tweaks that should suit returning fans. A key change is in the Coin Bonus Game, which now starts with 6 spins instead of 3. Because this isn’t a hold ‘n win style feature that refreshes the spin count when extra spins land, 3 spins could disappear in no time. They could be three high-pressure spins, and heart symbols might reset the counter, but nothing was assured. Starting with 6 arguably gives the feature more breathing room so it can properly develop. The addition of several new special symbols is another plus, pushing Money Jar 2 further into Money Train rival territory—only here it’s cheerful jars hopping around instead of trains and a stockpile of weapons.

Also new is the Countdown Wild Bonus Game, which is a strong extra, even if it doesn’t necessarily have the same standout appeal as the Coin Bonus Game. That’s down to taste, of course, and some players may well favour the Countdown Wild Bonus Game. The important part is that you can pick the bonus you prefer rather than being forced into whichever one triggers. Super Mode is another add-on to make the package more tempting. It would be useful to know how frequently Super Mode appears compared to a standard bonus, since purchasing Super Mode via the Fast Track costs far more than the more budget-friendly Bonus option. It does come with the higher RTP, though. Another number that’s gone up is the maximum win, with Money Jar 2 now topping out at 25,000x the bet versus Money Jar’s 20,000x.

It’s unclear whether player feedback helped shape Money Jar 2, but it certainly comes across as the ‘enhanced gaming experience’ Slotmill promotes. Respins have been broadened thanks to the added Power Up symbols, the Coin Bonus Game has been reworked, and there’s an entirely new bonus round to dig into. For that reason, fans of the original should absolutely give Money Jar 2 a spin, and it’s also likely to suit anyone after a beautifully produced slot packed with features and character.