Jack and the Beanstalk 2 review
NetEnt
Back in the year 2011, a younger NetEnt released Jack and the Beanstalk, a charming slot based on the classic fairytale of the same name. Through a combination of storytelling and growing, walking, wild symbols, it became one of NetEnt's classic titles; some might even call it legendary, and it underwent a remastering process in 2023, adding a feature buy. Fast forward to the present day, and as the game docs describe it, Jack has 'climbed the beanstalk. Now he's climbing the corporate ladder', in the online slot Jack and the Beanstalk 2.
For the sequel, Jack has left the countryside to take on the corporate world, operating from an office that sees him up amongst the clouds, but from a skyscraper's upper floor rather than dangling precariously from a giant beanstalk. His boss, Goaty McGoatface, populates the main game, tapping away on a keyboard, and while the precise nature of their business, GOAT Enterprise, is not fully explained, Jack has traded magic beans for crypto gains apparently, so something along blockchain lines is the assumption.
However this unusual pair has decided to make money; generating profit and dominating the business world seems to be their current priority. It's very different to Jack and the Beanstalk's more customary take on the fairytale, with a brand new art style employed to tell the new story, though some of the original slot's gameplay seeps into the sequel, alongside a number of newer elements.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2 divides its time between a 5x5, 25 payline slot in the base game and sticky coin action in the bonus rounds. The math model is highly volatile, and three RTP variants have been designed, 96.32% being the greatest value, while the stake range is $/€0.20 to $/€50.
Four bean symbols sit at the bottom of the paytable, joined by mugs, trophies, laptops, satellites, Goaty, and Jack. Landing a winning combination of 5 matching symbols pays 1x to 25x the bet. Wilds substitute for all of these regular paying symbols, and a line of 5 wilds pays 25x the bet, as well.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2's features are Walking Wild Respins, mystery wilds, free spins, super free spins, and Elevate feature buys.
Wild symbols are present on all reels in the main game except the leftmost reel. Wilds cannot land on a reel that has a wild. They can come in stacks of 2-5 wilds high depending on the level. Wilds also have an x3 multiplier, which is summed together when more than one wild is part of the same win. A respin is activated when a wild lands, and the wild moves one reel to the left at the start of each respin. Wilds that land on a respin are of a higher level and have a larger stack than the previous wild, up to the max stack size. Stacks can land fully or partly in view. Respins end when there are no more wilds left on the reels.
Mystery wilds activate randomly at the start of the initial spin, selecting a wild level of 2-5, and wilds may land on the reels.
Scatters are collected in the main game when they land, and when 3 are collected, 5 free spins are awarded. If one of the scatters is a super scatter, then 5 super free spins are awarded. At the start of the regular free spins round, 3 Golden Bean Coins worth 1x-10x are placed on the grid. During the bonus, Golden Bean Coins, Walking Rockets, Upgrade, Collector, Sharer, and Spreader symbols may land.
In super free spins, all Walking Wilds are 5 stacked, and at the start of the round the three initial Golden Bean Coins have values of 10x. At the end of both features, all Golden Beans are tallied up and awarded.
The four feature buys are the Bonus Hunt costing 1.5x, to have 2x the chance of triggering a bonus or super bonus, or Bonus Hunt Extreme costing 10x, to have 20x the chance. Free spins can be bought for 75x or super free spins for 250x the bet.
It's been a while since the original was released, so a sequel was always likely to look and act quite differently. The online gambling scene has shifted considerably in the intervening years, with high-volatility games, more elaborate features, and bigger win potential becoming increasingly prominent. Jack and the Beanstalk 2 reflects that shift, offering a much more feature-heavy experience while still clinging to some of the mechanics that made the original so memorable. There is also a fair amount of Nolimit City DNA running through the sequel, which isn't particularly surprising given the studios now sit under the same Evolution umbrella. That influence arguably serves the gameplay well and brings Jack and the Beanstalk firmly into the modern era, but it comes at a cost. At times, the sequel strays a little too far from the distinctive NetEnt feel of the original and starts to feel more like a modern Nolimit-style interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk than a natural continuation of it. Still, this is certainly no cheap remake. NetEnt has completely redesigned the look and feel while pushing the gameplay in substantially different directions.
Walking wilds were one of Jack and the Beanstalk's key selling points, and bringing them over to part two was an astute move. The walking, respinning multiplier effect is alive and kicking in the base game, but it has also been adapted to augment the sticky coin bonus rounds as well. Keeping in mind, this is not a hold 'n' win round that resets the spin count, but a free spins event that starts with 5 spins, which could end up being short, sharp and intensely thrilling, over in an empty blink of the eye, or something in between. Collecting all 12 Upgrade symbols to get the full 5 high Walking Rockets with just 5 initial free spins seems like a tough task. No one is saying it can't be done, but there is a relatively small window of opportunity for doing so. You do get an extra free spin at each upgrade level, but still, not easy.
Super free spins cut out the need to collect any Upgrade symbols at all, though, making it the far more advantageous place to be. Even then, there is no guarantee a Walking Rocket will appear in a useful position, or appear fully in view, though when they do, their respin function brings some much-needed extra longevity to the round, as well as the lift which the x3 multiplier applies to coins.
That brings us to winning potential, tipping the scales at 20,000x the bet, which is a lot larger than the original's figure, and gives Jack and the Beanstalk 2 a much bigger carrot to chase. The chase itself has been expanded beyond walking wild respins, though those are still there, with Walking Rockets taking on a similar role to add fuel to the new coin-based bonus round. Jack and the Beanstalk 2 may not end up as beloved as the first, lacking its predecessor's simplistic charm and identity, yet it remains a strong sequel that modernises almost every aspect of the original from theme to features. It may not recapture the same magic of the first game, but it gives Jack a bigger, bolder corporate world to climb.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2 might not match the magic of its predecessor, but it is a fitting sequel that updates a NetEnt classic for a more volatile, feature-hungry crowd.
For the sequel, Jack has left the countryside to take on the corporate world, operating from an office that sees him up amongst the clouds, but from a skyscraper's upper floor rather than dangling precariously from a giant beanstalk. His boss, Goaty McGoatface, populates the main game, tapping away on a keyboard, and while the precise nature of their business, GOAT Enterprise, is not fully explained, Jack has traded magic beans for crypto gains apparently, so something along blockchain lines is the assumption.
However this unusual pair has decided to make money; generating profit and dominating the business world seems to be their current priority. It's very different to Jack and the Beanstalk's more customary take on the fairytale, with a brand new art style employed to tell the new story, though some of the original slot's gameplay seeps into the sequel, alongside a number of newer elements.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2 divides its time between a 5x5, 25 payline slot in the base game and sticky coin action in the bonus rounds. The math model is highly volatile, and three RTP variants have been designed, 96.32% being the greatest value, while the stake range is $/€0.20 to $/€50.
Four bean symbols sit at the bottom of the paytable, joined by mugs, trophies, laptops, satellites, Goaty, and Jack. Landing a winning combination of 5 matching symbols pays 1x to 25x the bet. Wilds substitute for all of these regular paying symbols, and a line of 5 wilds pays 25x the bet, as well.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2's features are Walking Wild Respins, mystery wilds, free spins, super free spins, and Elevate feature buys.
Wild symbols are present on all reels in the main game except the leftmost reel. Wilds cannot land on a reel that has a wild. They can come in stacks of 2-5 wilds high depending on the level. Wilds also have an x3 multiplier, which is summed together when more than one wild is part of the same win. A respin is activated when a wild lands, and the wild moves one reel to the left at the start of each respin. Wilds that land on a respin are of a higher level and have a larger stack than the previous wild, up to the max stack size. Stacks can land fully or partly in view. Respins end when there are no more wilds left on the reels.
Mystery wilds activate randomly at the start of the initial spin, selecting a wild level of 2-5, and wilds may land on the reels.
Scatters are collected in the main game when they land, and when 3 are collected, 5 free spins are awarded. If one of the scatters is a super scatter, then 5 super free spins are awarded. At the start of the regular free spins round, 3 Golden Bean Coins worth 1x-10x are placed on the grid. During the bonus, Golden Bean Coins, Walking Rockets, Upgrade, Collector, Sharer, and Spreader symbols may land.
In super free spins, all Walking Wilds are 5 stacked, and at the start of the round the three initial Golden Bean Coins have values of 10x. At the end of both features, all Golden Beans are tallied up and awarded.
The four feature buys are the Bonus Hunt costing 1.5x, to have 2x the chance of triggering a bonus or super bonus, or Bonus Hunt Extreme costing 10x, to have 20x the chance. Free spins can be bought for 75x or super free spins for 250x the bet.
It's been a while since the original was released, so a sequel was always likely to look and act quite differently. The online gambling scene has shifted considerably in the intervening years, with high-volatility games, more elaborate features, and bigger win potential becoming increasingly prominent. Jack and the Beanstalk 2 reflects that shift, offering a much more feature-heavy experience while still clinging to some of the mechanics that made the original so memorable. There is also a fair amount of Nolimit City DNA running through the sequel, which isn't particularly surprising given the studios now sit under the same Evolution umbrella. That influence arguably serves the gameplay well and brings Jack and the Beanstalk firmly into the modern era, but it comes at a cost. At times, the sequel strays a little too far from the distinctive NetEnt feel of the original and starts to feel more like a modern Nolimit-style interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk than a natural continuation of it. Still, this is certainly no cheap remake. NetEnt has completely redesigned the look and feel while pushing the gameplay in substantially different directions.
Walking wilds were one of Jack and the Beanstalk's key selling points, and bringing them over to part two was an astute move. The walking, respinning multiplier effect is alive and kicking in the base game, but it has also been adapted to augment the sticky coin bonus rounds as well. Keeping in mind, this is not a hold 'n' win round that resets the spin count, but a free spins event that starts with 5 spins, which could end up being short, sharp and intensely thrilling, over in an empty blink of the eye, or something in between. Collecting all 12 Upgrade symbols to get the full 5 high Walking Rockets with just 5 initial free spins seems like a tough task. No one is saying it can't be done, but there is a relatively small window of opportunity for doing so. You do get an extra free spin at each upgrade level, but still, not easy.
Super free spins cut out the need to collect any Upgrade symbols at all, though, making it the far more advantageous place to be. Even then, there is no guarantee a Walking Rocket will appear in a useful position, or appear fully in view, though when they do, their respin function brings some much-needed extra longevity to the round, as well as the lift which the x3 multiplier applies to coins.
That brings us to winning potential, tipping the scales at 20,000x the bet, which is a lot larger than the original's figure, and gives Jack and the Beanstalk 2 a much bigger carrot to chase. The chase itself has been expanded beyond walking wild respins, though those are still there, with Walking Rockets taking on a similar role to add fuel to the new coin-based bonus round. Jack and the Beanstalk 2 may not end up as beloved as the first, lacking its predecessor's simplistic charm and identity, yet it remains a strong sequel that modernises almost every aspect of the original from theme to features. It may not recapture the same magic of the first game, but it gives Jack a bigger, bolder corporate world to climb.
Jack and the Beanstalk 2 might not match the magic of its predecessor, but it is a fitting sequel that updates a NetEnt classic for a more volatile, feature-hungry crowd.