Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules Review
One of the most important aspects of the first Sparky and Shortz slot was the free spins bonus that toyed with your emotions and had the potential to bring 100 free games your way. Unfortunately, they don't appear in the latest version and a few other things seem to have been downgraded slightly as well such as the boost meter, which now only goes up to +5 instead of the original plus 10.
Looking on the bright side, the stacked symbols have been upgraded to Mega Symbols but they still effectively do the same job of increasing the win multiplier by +1.
Design
This slot looks and feels very similar to the last but it has received a mathematical boost with the introduction of this 7x7 grid which replaces reels and pay lines. There are some fun animations taking place when the wins land and our favourite always was and still is watching Sparky going nuts and creating all kinds of big wins across the screen.
The soundtrack is suitably futuristic and if you're lucky enough to have a decent mobile device, then you'll get a lot of enjoyment from this production on both Android and Apple devices.
Game Play
The lack of a free spins bonus it's a shame as it means simply watching out for the modifiers to take place the whole way through. If you can land enough wild symbols to send Sparky over the edge, then you will get to experience the adventure to its fullest.
Win Potential
We mentioned before that a couple of elements of this game had been downgraded from the first version and the max payout is one of those things. It now stands at 6,000x compared to 10,000x previously. The volatility is less intense sitting around the medium-high mark so perhaps this is compensation. RTP levels will vary quite considerably with 96.20% being the maximum available.
Our Verdict
There is a lot to enjoy throughout this intergalactic journey accompanying Sparky and Shortz in the quest for extra energy but it does feel like somewhat of a downgrade from the original—but not in the audio-visual department, these are still top-notch. It is a slightly different concept and it will come down to whether or not you'd like to try a grid slot with slightly lower volatility compared to the previous 5 reels with a higher payout but higher volatility as well. Check out the original Sparky and Shortz if you'd like to give that a try too.
Paul spent plenty of time in arcades up and down the UK discovering all of the best fruit machines and watching them grow into the incredible online slots we see today. He still loves the basic format but also has a soft spot for games with big bonus rounds that progress as you play. Immortal Romance is one of his favourite slots of all time.
Learn more about Paul here