Holy Hand Grenade 2: Slot Overview
Merriam-Webster defines ‘holy’ as ‘exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness’ and ‘grenade’ as ‘a small missile that contains an explosive or a chemical agent … that is thrown by hand or projected.’ How these two concepts came to be conjoined in the same gambling game is anyone’s guess, but it took the creative minds at Print Studios to bring them together in the explosively surreal online slot Holy Hand Grenade. Well, fire in the hole, because grenades, goats, and blasphemy are back in Holy Hand Grenade 2, available in both Dream Drop and regular versions (which, at the end of the day, are both two very different games).
Released in 2023, the original game was quite a looker, and if anything, Holy Hand Grenade 2 is even easier on the eyes, where the level of detail in the background image is quite extraordinary. Print Studios has a real talent for designing medieval/royal family type slots from Royal Potato to Tarasque, and Holy Hand Grenade 2 is another stunner. The home page serves as a warning for things to come, though, as the quaint village and houses on the hill are in the process of being obliterated, most likely from grenades. The bonus round sees play move inside a religious building, and the accompanying soundtrack is equally excellent. Factor in goats, yes, the goats are back, and Holy Hand Grenade 2 is every bit the Monty Python mind fudge on the reels part one was.
During the base game, Holy Hand Grenade 2 is played on a 5×4 gaming area with 26 paylines, which grows larger when free spins trigger. Its highly volatile math model has an RTP of 96.01% (including 12% Jackpot contribution) or 92.86% for the Dream Drop jackpot edition. Bet choice counts because the higher the bet, the bigger the chance of triggering a jackpot win, and the options are 20c to $/€30.
One appreciated thing Print Studios does is name its pay symbols. In Holy Hand Grenade 2, we come across the Faithful Fig, Papal Pomegranate, Adams Apple, Godly Grapes, Holy Horn, Sacrilegious Scroll, Crooked Commoner, Sly Sister, and Barmy Bishop. Payouts when landing 6 matching symbols range from 2x to 50x the bet.
Holy Hand Grenade 2: Slot Features
Explosions are on the way courtesy of the Holy Hand Grenade feature, firing alongside SuperSpinners, free spins, the Dream Drop Goat feature, and Feature Bets.
SuperSpinners
SuperSpinners sit between reels. If a winning line passes through a SuperSpinner with a number on it, the number multiplies the win. When more than one SuperSpinner is part of the same win, the numbers multiply the winning line in succession.
Holy Hand Grenade Feature
When a Holy Hand Grenade lands, it explodes after wins and turns a random number of symbols around it into a single random symbol. After this happens, a new win evaluation occurs.
Free Spins
Hitting 3, 4, or 5 scatters awards 7, 9, or 11 free spins, respectively. Free spins are played on a 6×5 grid with 52 paylines. When a Holy Hand Grenade lands, it awards +1-5 extra free spins, triggers the Holy Hand Grenade feature and highlights its position with a frame for the rest of the round. Any Holy Hand Grenade feature that affects a highlighted position will trigger an additional Holy Hand Grenade feature from that position. If a Holy Hand Grenade lands in a frame, it triggers a larger explosion. Also, the colour of the Holy Hand Grenade or the frame gives these additional effects:
- Green – the explosion does not reveal low-paying symbols.
- Purple – increases values on SuperSpinners.
- Blue – winlines are evaluated both ways.
Dream Drop Goat Feature
If you’re playing the Dream Drop version, getting 3 or more DD overlay icons in view triggers the Dream Drop Goat feature. Pressing the drop button lobs a grenade at a building. When grenades explode, they can reveal parts of goats. When a goat is completely revealed, its Jackpot Prize is awarded and the feature ends. Jackpots and their starting values are the Rapid, Midi, Maxi, Daily, Major, and Mega at €1, €5, €100, €700, €37,500, and €1,500,000, respectively.
Feature Bet
The Feature Bet section has Adjustable Scatter Boost for various costs, Blasphemous Spins at 125x, which triggers free spins, and Final Judgement Spins at 585x, which triggers free spins starting with a Green Frame, Purple Frame, and Blue Frame from the start of the round.
Holy Hand Grenade 2 Dream Drop: Slot Verdict
Have to say it’s a breath of fresh air reviewing such a handsome slot that deals in one-of-a-kind subject matter, the way Holy Hand Grenade 2 does. Okay, maybe two of a kind since it’s a sequel, but Print Studios has tightened up the artwork to produce an even more exquisite game. The soundtrack gets as ludicrous as the goats and grenades theme, in a good way, and everything fits neatly together like an elegant stained glass window or an intricately manufactured explosive device.
If there’s any sort of critique, it’s that maybe some players would have been hoping for more new mechanics. Maybe something extra in the base game. Take away the Dream Drop, and the major innovations consist of new types of grenades and frames, the green, purple, and blue. Maybe so, but these new effects are able to dramatically amplify the way a free spin unfolds when the Holy Hand Grenade feature is detonating multiple times across the reels. The feature was an absolute treat in the original release and is so again in the sequel. In fact, the extra powder means the game can produce wins outside the Dream Drop of up to 30,000x. One thing to note is that the non-Dream Drop version retains a Goat bonus feature, but one which awards a monetary prize rather than a specific jackpot.
Print Studios is not one of those developers that fires off a new slot every week, and an attention to detail really shows in its work. Holy Hand Grenade 2 is superb to behold, is as enjoyably surreally incendiary as ever, and elevates the gameplay to a next level that fans of the first should be thrilled to experience.
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