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Sparky and Shortz Review
You’re taken to the planet Alpha Labori in Sparky and Shortz, which just happens to be on the brink of extinction. The two robots from the game title are there to save the planet, and this release certainly comes with an impressive animated intro. Overall, the visuals are highly polished, and it’s always fun with a bit of backstory to make for a more immersive and engaging experience.
Shortz is a multi-purpose life-saving robot, and the 5x3 reels play out in this giant robot's torso. His small friend, Sparky, is a hovering repair robot, and he mostly hangs out on the right-hand side. The gameplay is all about landing stacked reels to increase the win multiplier, with occasional help from the Boost Meter. The latter is active on every bonus round spin, and the 10,000x potential can only be cracked during the feature.
Sparky and Shortz Features
The ‘galaxy in a glass tube’ Wild symbol steps in for all regular pay symbols to help you complete winning combinations, and it’s also the most valuable symbol in the game. Land 5 on a payline, and you’ll win 20x your stake, while the premiums pay between 6 and 10 x your stake for the same.
Whenever you land reels with 3 matching symbols stacked on top of each other, the win multiplier increases by +1. You can keep track of the multiplier at all times, as the value is on display on the right shoulder of the giant robot ironically named Shortz. The multiplier resets to x1 between base game spins.
On the left-hand side you’ll see a Boost Meter, and it becomes active at random times. The boost meter contains the following multiplier increments: +2, +3, +4, +5 and +10. A random multiplier will be chosen when it activates, and each stacked reel will increase the win multiplier by the randomly chosen increment.
You need 3 Power Cell scatters on reels 1, 3 and 5 to trigger the Bonus Round, and this awards 10 free spins for starters. The Boost Meter is active on every free spin, and the win multiplier you build up doesn’t reset between spins. You get +5 free spins added to your tally if you land 3 scatters during the feature, and up to 100 free spins can be won this way.
The 200 Spins Sparky and Shortz Experience
Nothing too exciting happens in the first minute or so, but you get to see some smaller base game wins here and there. The bonus round is triggered at 1:06 into the 2:35-minute highlights video, and you can see for yourself how we fared by hitting the play button below.
Review Summary
The backstory gives Sparky and Shortz some extra depth, not least since the message is highly relevant to our own planet. The visuals and animations gave us a solid first impression, but the gameplay itself is very simple and straightforward stuff. The two robots are almost as charming as R2-D2 and C-3PO in Star Wars, although Sparky is mostly floating there on the right-hand side while Shortz remains static between feature triggers.
Landing stacks of symbols to build a multiplier keeps you warm in the base game, and it can lead to payouts up to 5,000x your stake with maximum luck. Cracking the solid 10,000x potential is therefore only possible in the bonus round, where the multiplier always increases by more than +1 due to the always active Boost Meter. Overall, a visually impressive experience that offers familiar gameplay done in a somewhat innovative way.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Stacks of matching symbols increase multiplier by +1 | Beware of customizable RTP ranges |
| Random Boost Meter multiplier increments up to +10 | |
| FS w/ Boost Meter active on all spins | |
| Win up to 10,000x your stake |
If you love Sparky and Shortz you should also try:
Wild Robo Factory - is a robot-themed release that takes you into the factory where these charming machines are produced. You get respins with robo wilds at random times, and the bonus round offers more of the same. The volatility is a casual medium, and you can win up to 2,878x your stake.
Wild-O-Tron 3000 - is a robot release that plays out on 5x3 reels with 20 paylines. You can look forward to stacked symbols, wilds, and the Wild-O-Tron feature. All instances of a symbol can thus turn wild, and this can lead to payouts up to 500x your stake.
Volts and Bolts - takes you into the lab of the eccentric Dr Volts, and you need to land 6+ robot symbols to trigger the Robot Lock It Link bonus round. You start with 5 spins, and robots lock in place and reset the spin tally. Fixed jackpots up to 750x your stake are up for grabs, and the Mad Scientist free spins feature can lead to decent payouts as well.
