ZapLab

ZapLab: Slot Overview

Those who haven't had the chance to read the associated game docs might not have heard of the 'mad Dr Mayhem', who conducted controversial experiments in the 20th century to try to harness souls of the past using electricity. One result of these experiments is Zappy, an electric being who holds a personal vendetta against the experimental doctor. The arena for this showdown is ZapLab, a cluster pays online slot from Light & Wonder owned studio ELK Studios.

Dr Mayhem might be doing weird things with electricity and souls, but his lab, as seen in the game, looks pretty normal. Apart from a brain in a vat bubbling by the window, it looks like a respectable place to dabble in science, though a green glow in the floor might be an ominous sign of things to come. Littering the gaming grid in the middle of the room is a gaggle of staring Reactoonz-type entities, and as is often the case in an ELK Studios slot, the slot's audio makes an excellent accompaniment to the visuals.

ZapLab is a cluster pays slot played on a 7x7 matrix. Winning clusters are created when 5 or more matching pay symbols are connected in vertical and/or horizontal directions. All symbols part of a cluster win are collected and removed (Zappy and feature symbols are not removed). Remaining symbols, except Zappy, Dr Mayhem, and feature symbols, drop vertically, while new symbols drop from above to fill the empty positions. The avalanche mechanic continues till no new cluster wins appear. To play the game, players are able to stake 20 c to $/€100 per spin or activate five modes from the X-iter feature buy menu - all have an RTP of 94%, and the math model is highly volatile (7/10).

Four eyeballed liquid bottles are the lower-paying symbols while 4 eyeballed monsters are the high pays. Five-of-a-kind wins are worth 0.1x-0.5x, and 25+ clusters are worth 20x to 1,000x. Four identical pay or wild symbols in a square form a 2x2 symbol, and any empty spaces below a big symbol are filled with 1x1 symbols of the same type. Wilds in the game substitute for any regular pay symbol. Wild only wins have the same value as the highest-paying symbol.

ZapLab: Slot Features

The avalanche feature is joined by Monster features, feature symbols, Shockwaves, Zappy, and X-iter bonus buys.

Monster Meter

The Monster Meter counts the number of winning pay symbols collected. When full, the Monster Meter awards a random Monster modifier or a random feature symbol. Modifiers awarded by the Monster Meter are held pending till there are no more wins. The pending modifier is activated, and the game round is played till there are no more wins before the next feature is activated. Potential Monster modifiers are:

• Monster Reload - awards a symbol redrop. Potential Zappy symbols remain during the redrop.
• Wild Flip - chooses a random symbol and replaces all instances of it with wild symbols.
• Monster Chunks - chooses a random number of pay symbols or wilds and replaces them with 2x2 symbols.
• Monstrous - chooses a random pay symbol or wild and expands it to 3x3, 4x4, or 5x5.
• Zapocalypse - a random number of Dr Mayhem symbols drop in and get zapped by Zappy.

Feature Symbols

Feature symbols can land on any symbol drop or be awarded from the Monster Meter. Feature symbols are wild when they drop onto the grid as part of a symbol drop. Feature symbols immediately trigger when awarded from the Monster Meter or are triggered when part of a winning cluster otherwise, activating after the symbol refill.

• Omniblast - explodes and replaces regular pay symbols in an x-shape, including itself, with a randomly chosen symbol. Feature symbols are activated when hit by the beam. Wild, Zappy and Dr Mayhem are not affected.
• Electroshift - selects a random symbol type and upgrades all instances of it, including itself, to a more valuable symbol.
• Twilight Twirl - randomly selects a payout symbol type, converts itself to the same type, and removes all other regular pay symbols.

Shockwaves

The fifth full Monster Meter activates Shockwaves, which awards all Monster modifiers in this order - Monster Reload, Wild Flip, Monster Chunks, Monstrous, and Zapocalypse. The cycle repeats if the Monster Meter is filled again during Shockwaves.

Zappy

Zappy is wild, which can land on any symbol drop and substitutes all paying symbols. He jumps to a new random position when part of a winning cluster, leaving a wild symbol behind. Zappy zap attacks Dr Mayhem symbols in view off the grid, increasing his multiplier. Zappy may expand to 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4 during the final zap attack before a win evaluation. Dr Mayhem symbols are blocker symbols. They increase the Monster Meter when zapped off the grid.

X-iter

The X-tier is where players can flip to bonus modes and get Shockwaves Hunt, where each drop costs 3x the bet and has more than 3 times the chance of triggering Shockwaves, Zappy's Turf, where each drop guarantees Zappy for 5x the bet, or Amplifier which has a pending feature from the Monster Meter and the Monster Meter only awards Monster features for 25x the bet. A game round guaranteeing Shockwaves costs 100x, while a Maxed Monsters drop with a Monstrous 5x5, and where the Monster Meter only awards Monster Chunks and Monstrous features until Shockwaves is triggered costs 500x the bet.

ZapLab: Slot Verdict

It might be said that ZapLab's unusual backstory is attached to a less than unusual game, as it bears several resemblances to Play'n GO's Reactoonz range. From the eyeballed populace to the way winning symbols are collected by a meter which then goes on to unleash features when it hits certain levels, it does feel very familiar. Maybe cheekily familiar. ELK Studios has picked a very entertaining recipe, though, where players are tasked with filling the Monster Meter in order to trigger those modifiers or feature symbols, and if really lucky, fill the meter five times in a row in order to generate Shockwaves. This is probably not going to be the easiest of tasks to achieve, but the end result could turn out to be quite thrilling if ever it is managed.

The star of the ZapLab show has to be Zappy. When he gets going, which generally occurred during Maxed Monster buys, he could be a real hoot. Jumping about the place, defeating the doctor, expanding, multiplying, he's a little bit Jammin' Jars, a little bit his own chaotic critter, and absolutely instrumental in achieving the best results during the test session. The highest achieved win was larger than they often are in an ELK Studios demo, which is interesting because it occurred in a slot with no set-aside bonus round, free spins, or respins, though others may, of course, have the opposite experience. Just consecutive win after consecutive win, feature triggering, and Zappy magic, in a slot that climaxes with a 10,000x win cap.

It might take a while to get going (if it happens at all), or a substantial outlay of cash to buy the upper X-iter bonuses might do the trick, but get Zaplab rolling, and it's a well-put-together cluster pays, collect symbols to trigger features type of slot. It might have ripped off some of Play'n GO's ideas, but put aside the possible 'inspiration' aspect for a moment, not to mention ELK Studios' standard low RTP, and Zaplab is an option for fans of the Reactoonz style of entertainment to consider taking for a spin.