Winterberries 2: Slot Overview

When people think about berries, winter usually isn’t the first season that springs to mind. Summer tends to take that spot, with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and plenty more. Still, fans of berries don’t necessarily have to go without when temperatures drop. A quick online search suggests juniper berries can be gathered in winter, along with rowan berries (on the tart side), or hawthorn, which can be eaten raw or turned into jellies, wine, or even ketchup. Feeling peckish yet? Berries also take centre stage in Winterberries 2, an online slot from casino game Yggdrasil Gaming. The “2” signals that Winterberries 2 follows an earlier Yggdrasil Gaming slot, sharing certain traits while introducing some changes. So, grab a bowl of your favourite berries and see what’s new.

To begin with, Winterberries 2 looks more up-to-date than the original, and rather than sticking to a single season, it appears to divide the display: snowy winter on the left and a warmer, almost autumn-like setting on the right. That split may reflect the game’s blend of old and new. At the centre stands a Whomping Willow-style tree, mostly leafless, supporting the reels with multipliers across the top and a vine-wrapped sixth reel. Besides the first Winterberry slot, ELK Studios’ Tropicool 2 also came to mind because of the frosty symbols, although Winterberries 2 doesn’t feel quite as vibrant as ELK Studios’ titles.

Winterberries is an older release from 2016, from before ultra-extreme volatility and jaw-dropping max wins became standard. Winterberries 2, on the other hand, is modern in almost every way. In practical terms, that means a math model rated ‘Super High‘ for volatility, with RTP versions of 86%, 90.5%, 94%, and 96% depending on the market. When setting a stake, players make two choices. The first is the base bet, which ranges from 10 p/c to $/€100; the second is whether to enable the Golden Bet. The Golden Bet increases the bet by 50% to unlock the sixth reel, doubles the chance of reaching free spins, makes 6-of-a-kind wins achievable, and allows the highest multipliers to come into play.

Across Winterberries 2’s 6 reel grid, there are 20 paylines available for forming winning combinations. The lower-value symbols are natural-looking clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades, paying 2x the bet for five of a kind or 6x the bet for six. Above those are four premium symbols shown as different berries, paying 6x to 10x for five-of-a-kind, or 18-30x the bet for six.

Winterberries 2: Slot Features

Respins are a key mechanic in Winterberries 2 and they activate after every win. The process is simple: when a winning line lands, the symbols that created it are frozen into position, while the remaining symbols respin. If additional symbols of the same winning type appear, they freeze too, and another respin happens. This continues until no further symbols lock, after which the combined payout is awarded. Scatters alone won’t start respins, but if a winning combination lands and 3 or more scatters are present, the scatters freeze along with the winning tiles.

Column Multiplier

On top of that, locking full columns in a row from the left triggers the multiplier shown above that column. In the base game, the multipliers above reels are 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x. For instance, you must have reels 1 and 2 covered with frozen symbols before the reel three multiplier can be activated.

Free Spins

Switching from the base game into the bonus round happens when at least 3 scatter symbols appear. Hitting 3, 4, 5, or 6 (six when the Golden Bet is active) awards 10, 12, 15, or 20 free spins. During free spins, the multipliers above the reels are doubled in value – 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, 32x, and 64x. When scatter symbols land in the feature, each one grants +1 extra free spin while increasing the respective reel multiplier by +1-3 for the silver scatter, +4-8 for the gold scatter, or +10-15 for the diamond scatter.

Buy Bonus

Subject to jurisdiction, players may be able to purchase one of four bonus buy options. These are 10-15 free spins with 5 columns for 100x the bet, 10-20 free spins with 6 columns for 150x the bet, 15 free spins with 5 columns for 200x the bet, or 20 free spins with 6 columns for 300x the bet.

Winterberries 2: Slot Verdict

Different takes on locked-symbol hold and respin gameplay were seriously popular around the time Winterberries 2 was reviewed. NetEnt arguably helped kick off the trend with Jack Hammer, while Nolimit City turned the temperature back up later with Serial, and plenty of other studios added their own spins through titles like Monster Superlanche from Pragmatic Play or Dionysus Golden Feast from Thunderkick, among others. The point is that respin slots built around locked winning symbols have been gaining momentum, and Yggdrasil Gaming has stayed on track by launching Winterberries 2.

It did feel, just a little, as if Yggdrasil Gaming created Winterberries 2 to capitalise on the respin wave, or at least to join the growing crowd rather than purely to continue Winterberries part one. Of course, without being able to read minds, that’s impossible to prove. Regardless, Winterberries 2 delivers a strong version of this format, with an engaging multiplier-column twist that helps it stand out. The multipliers can make a real difference in both the base game and free spins – where they start doubled and can climb even higher when scatters land. The main talking point may be that the Golden Bet needs to be enabled to truly experience the game at its fullest. The Golden Bet has appeared in various other slots, but it rarely affects so many parts of the gameplay so directly. In fact, The Golden Bet adds so many advantages that it’s difficult to imagine players ignoring it when it’s offered.

As for top-end returns, with everything else dialled up, it’s unsurprising that the win potential has been boosted too, reaching a maximum default of 10,000x the bet. So, unless the Golden Bet idea is a deal-breaker, anyone who enjoys hold and respin mechanics should be pleased while collecting – or trying to collect – Winterberries 2’s particular brand of fun.