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Kingfisher Rising Review
The original game was an ambitious attempt to breathe new life into the popular fish slot genre. It aimed to break the mold with innovative mechanics, but its complexity overshadowed the charming simplicity that typically defines these games. Unfortunately, the reception was lukewarm, with players seemingly finding it overwhelming rather than engaging. At least that’s our impression.
The developers return with Kingfisher Rising, a sequel released just a few months after the original. The visual style and symbols remain familiar, but the serene lakeside backdrop has been replaced with a denser forest setting. While the sunset visuals still stand out, the atmosphere feels less tranquil and more claustrophobic. Like before, the Wild symbol not only substitutes for pay symbols but it’s also the top-paying symbol, awarding 10x the stake for 5-of-a-kind wins.
The premium symbols, including a frog, dragonfly, worm, and ladybug, offer payouts ranging from 2x to 5x the stake for the same. Landing 5 Kingfisher symbols in view on the same spin grants the game's slightly upgraded 6,000x max win instantly. This adds a layer of excitement to the base game that was absent in the original, but the core experience remains focused on cracking the eggs above the reels to trigger the bonus round with different combinations of modifiers.
Each egg still represents the same bonus round modifier, and cracking the Golden Egg on reel 3 activates all 4 modifiers in a bonus round with 19 free spins. A new addition is the chance to upgrade these modifiers before the bonus round begins, but only when triggered by the Golden Egg. Eligible players can now also purchase the Golden Egg bonus round directly. While the top-tier RTP of 96.25 % is a tad higher, along with the medium-high volatility and max win, Kingfisher Rising is too similar to its predecessor to come across as a fully-fledged sequel.
Kingfisher Rising Features
As in the original game, Kingfisher Rising slot does not offer any base game features except Wild symbols substituting to complete regular line wins. The base game is mostly about pecking at those bonus round-triggering enhancer eggs, so let’s dive in to see how it all works!
Kingfisher Rising Free Spins
Each time a Kingfisher symbol lands, it attempts to crack the egg above the reel it appeared on. This triggers the game’s Bonus Round at random times when the egg cracks, and each reel has an egg that offers a unique bonus round feature. You can land multiple Kingfisher symbols at once, and crack multiple eggs on the same spin. This combines the relevant features for the bonus round, awarding 10 free spins either way.
Cracking the Golden Egg above reel 3 awards 19 free spins with all 4 egg features active, and you also get the chance to further enhance these egg features before the bonus round starts. During either of the bonus rounds, cash fish symbols will appear in abundance. These fish prizes are collected by the Kingfisher symbol. Eggs that are not activated for the current feature can be cracked and activated during the feature, which also awards +3 extra free spins each time.
Here’s an overview of the 4 Enhancer Egg features:
- Reel 1 Multiplier Egg - starts at x2 and increases by +1 for each 'X' symbol until it reaches x5. Boosts all collected fish prizes.
- Reel 2 Adder Egg - starts at 1x your stake and adds +1x your stake for each '+' symbol up to 5x your stake. This value is then added to all fish prizes.
- Reel 4 Symbol Upgrade Egg - upgrades the value of royal symbols in chronological order per Arrow-Up symbol that lands, adding the upgrade value during Kingfisher prize collections.
- Reel 5 Respin Egg - heart symbols are added to increase your streak respins feature life tally. The Kingfisher symbol initiates the streak respins, with sticky fish prize symbols accumulating. The total win is collected when you run out of hearts or fill the grid with fish prize symbols.
Kingfisher Rising Max Win Instant Jackpot
Landing 5 Kingfisher symbols on the same spin awards the game’s 6,000x win cap.
Kingfisher Rising Bonus Buy (not UK)
Eligible players can pay 300x the stake to crack the Golden Egg, awarding 19 free spins with all 4 Egg Enhancer features active.
Pros and Cons of Kingfisher Rising
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| High-value wild symbols in the base game | Wilds is the only base game feature |
| Crack up to 4 enhancer eggs for FS features | Beware of customizable RTP ranges |
| FS w/ 1 to 4 enhancer features active | |
| Crack Golden Egg to get 19 FS w/ all 4 features | |
| Win up to 6,000x your stake |
Our Verdict
In a rather surprising move, the developers have released Kingfisher Rising slot, a closely related follow-up to the original Kingfisher which came out only 4-5 months ago. The original failed to make a significant impact, making this hasty sequel feel like a desperate attempt to revive the concept. It's almost as if the developer is pleading with players, saying, "How can you not like this? It's got all these enhancer eggs and everything. Give it another chance!
For some inexplicable reason, the tranquil lake setting from the original has been swapped for a more obscure forest backdrop, though the unique visual style remains. Personally, I found the calming atmosphere of the first game's setting far more appealing. The gameplay itself hasn't seen much change, leading us to question what the developer is thinking with this release. Adding some base game features could have been a smart move, but it remains as barebones as its predecessor. Imagine if each egg pecking triggered a modifier, for example. This would've added balance and excitement to the base game, making the endless wait for a decent bonus round less tedious.
As it stands, it's challenging to activate more than one enhancer egg in most cases. Even with 2 active modifiers, it feels like you're going in half-cocked, though the ability to activate more eggs during the feature helps a bit. The most significant changes lie in the math model, but even these are relatively minor. The volatility has increased from medium to medium-high, and the top-tier RTP is slightly higher at 96.25 %. The 6,000x max win is a small improvement over the original's 5,300x, but hardly enough to make much of a difference.
The option to buy the Golden Egg Bonus Round is a welcome addition for eligible players, but we expect more significant changes from a follow-up release so hot on the heels of the original game. In essence, Kingfisher Rising is the same game with minor enhancements, rather than the radical overhaul needed to address the original's lack of popularity. It feels like a pointless endeavor, and considering the less appealing backdrop, I probably wouldn’t even choose this enhanced version over the original if I had to play either of them.
