Rainbow Ryan 2: Slot Overview

Ever stop to think what leprechauns get up to when they’re not leaving pots of gold around to send hopeful humans on a pointless hunt? If they’re anything like Yggdrasil Gaming’s impish Ryan, they mutha frickin crank the volume. The game is Rainbow Ryan 2, a follow-up to 2017’s Rainbow Ryan, and it brings back plenty of what made the original tick while bolting on a few new bits. Rainbow Ryan 2 also trims a couple of things away, but we’ll circle back to that later. For now, take a seat, crack open a soda, and enjoy the gig.

While the first game played out outdoors among towering speaker stacks so the music could supposedly be heard across the country, Rainbow Ryan 2 shifts indoors to the local pub (an Irish pub, of course). Here, the resident leprechauns can kick back, unwind, and sink a pint or two while Ryan lets rip. Ryan stands to the left of the gaming grid, hands dancing over the fretboard as he plays. You don’t really catch much of the rest of the band—if there even is one—so he may be a solo act, but the vibe is still a freewheeling, Celtic-tinged party.

Less cheerful is Rainbow Ryan 2’s RTP, which peaks at 94%, and there’s an even lower-return version available too. The max win is sizeable, if that helps balance things out, but still. Volatility is also high, and the hit rate sits at 33.98%. Bet selection matters, because the jackpot collection meter is stored per bet level, and stakes range from 10 c to $/€10 per spin.

Rainbow Ryan 2’s main play uses a 6-reel, 4-row layout with 4,096 ways to win from left to right. There are 4 premium symbols—a beer mug, a liquor bottle, a green top hat, and a keg—paying 2.5x to 6x the bet for a 6 OAK hit, while 10 to A card ranks act as the low pays, awarding 0.6 to 1 times the bet for 6-of-a-kind. Wilds can land on any reel. They substitute for standard paying symbols, or they can pay up to 10 times the bet for a 6 wild winning way.

Rainbow Ryan 2: Slot Features

Rainbow Ryan 2 builds on the feature set of Rainbow Ryan 1 and piles on more to make the sequel feel larger. The feature list includes synced reels, Encore, Louder, free spins, a jackpot collection, a jackpot wheel, and bonus buys.

Synced Reels & Encore

On any base game spin, 2 to 6 reels can synchronise, showing the same set of symbols. In addition, the Encore event can happen on any spin. When it triggers, the reels respin with a guaranteed additional synced reel. There’s also a chance Encore can randomly trigger again.

Louder

The Louder event can trigger on any base game-winning spin. When it does, a random multiplier of x2 and up (no limit) is applied to that spin. If multiple Louders are triggered through Encore respins, they stack for that spin and all following respins (if they happen). Louder can carry into an Encore as well, with the multiplier still in effect.

Free Spins

Hitting 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters in the base game awards 8, 12, 16, or 20 free spins, respectively. Throughout the round, 2 reels are guaranteed to synchronise on every free spin. If an Encore symbol lands, it awards an additional synched reel and +1 free spin. When the Louder symbol appears, it adds +1 to the win multiplier, which persists until the free spins round finishes. Free spins cannot be retriggered.

Jackpot Collection

During the base game, jackpot collection symbols can land on top of regular symbols. They award 1, 2 or 3 points toward the jackpot collection meter. Once collected, they reveal the regular symbols underneath. Filling the jackpot collection meter with 400 points grants a spin on the jackpot wheel, which always pays a prize – the 15x Mini, the 40x Minor, the 100x Major, or the 2,000x Maxi.

Buy Bonus

Players can access the free spins feature with 8-20 free spins for 75x the bet, 12-20 free spins for 150x the bet, 16-20 free spins for 250x the bet or 20 free spins for 350x the bet.

Rainbow Ryan 2: Slot Verdict

It’s a little strange when sequels arrive years after the original—7 years, in the case of Rainbow Ryan 2. Strange might not be the perfect word; maybe it’s more of a “makes you think” situation. Either way, Rainbow Ryan 2 brings to mind that slightly awkward feeling of meeting someone you haven’t seen in ages, where you’re not quite sure what the relationship is anymore, and you’re trying to figure out whether you’re still mates—and if you are, how you’re meant to carry on from where you left off. Putting that aside, one of the main sticking points with Rainbow Ryan 2’s return is the notably low (for Yggdrasil) RTP of 94%. Is the studio taking cues from ELK in a race to the bottom, or is Rainbow Ryan 2 just an outlier? It’s not as if Rainbow Ryan 2 is a huge progressive jackpot title, given the Maxi caps out at a modest 2,000x. We’ll have to keep an eye on how this trend develops. As said, Rainbow Ryan 2 may simply be a one-off—time will tell.

On the plus side, Rainbow Ryan 2 is a strong sequel in almost every other way. The pub interior, packed with leprechaun punters, feels energetic, and Ryan is still as cheeky as ever—in a good way. There’s also a bigger selection of features for the game to throw at you. Thanks to that, the max win climbs well beyond the first title to 20,000 times the bet, boosted by the addition of a multiplier that increases and remains active during the free spins round. Free spins can’t be retriggered, so you’ll want Ryan firing on all cylinders the moment the feature starts—like a lead guitarist trying to wow the crowd the instant the spotlight hits during a solo.

When the dust settles, Rainbow Ryan 2 offers a solid feature package with some nice overlap between mechanics, plus an appealing max win. The RTP can leave a slightly bitter aftertaste—like someone forgot to chill the drinks and you’re stuck with warm beer—but if that doesn’t bother you, Rainbow Ryan 2 still delivers a decent performance.