Sew

Sew: Slot Overview

Software provider Shady Lady has broken out the needle and thread to design an online slot going by the name of Sew. You might be thinking sewing is an unusual choice for a studio that has previously spawned slots about brain-washed cults and deadly pathogens. But, rest assured, Sew is by no means as virtuous as it may initially appear. Nasty secrets lie in wait for curious gamblers who choose to engage with this particular sewing machine, but potentially good ones too, via a base game Hot Zone feature, and a Hold 'n Win bonus round that may just deliver as much financial reward as it does patches of skin…

Generally speaking, sewing's a wholesome pastime, right? Patching a torn hole here, sewing together an outfit there. And yet, there was something about Sew that was off from the very beginning. Many players will likely think of Nolimit City's Mental 2 when they fire up this game. It undoubtedly gives off the same creepy vibes. The music is eerie, creepy, and definitely not the sort of tune grandma would listen to while mending a hole in little Johny's new pair of trousers. The base game remains quite subdued, however, before the full horror is unleashed in the bonus round, where… Well, let's not spoil the surprise and just say that's where Sew delivers a menagerie of monstrosities which are so grotesque they might upset the tummies of sensitive gamblers.

The sewing action occurs on a 5-reel gaming area, with symbols landing in a 4-5-4-5-4 pattern. Sew provides 1,600 ways to win, occurring when matching symbols appear on three or more adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel. At minimum, players may stake $/€0.10 per spin, and are able to increase the base stake up to $/€100, though there are many boosters and buys for sale. With a theoretical RTP of 96.3%, Sew is a highly volatile slot.

Four sewn items are Sew's lower paying symbols, worth 0.4x to 0.5x for a 5 OAK, while a winning way of 5 tea cups, false teeth, canes, or puddings, is worth 1x to 1.5x the bet. When wild teddy bear symbols are on the reels, they substitute all paying symbols. Wilds also have the same payout value as the highest pay symbol.

Sew: Slot Features

Sew stitches together a Hot Zone feature in the base game, before unleashing a Hold 'n Win bonus round, a super bonus round, and a variety of feature buys.

Hot Zones

The Hot Zone feature can randomly trigger in the base game. When it activates, a random number of Hot Zones are placed on the game area. Each Hot Zone may be empty, contain a multiplier, a wild symbol, or a wild symbol with a multiplier. Any winning way which includes a multiplier has that multiplier value applied to the symbol count for that position when evaluating wins.

Bonus

Landing 3 scatters triggers the bonus game, awarding players 3 Hold 'n Win respins. Only blanks, Body Part symbols, and special symbols may land. When at least one non-blank symbol lands, the respins count resets to 3, and the feature continues until no respins remain. Body Part symbols carry a coin value of 0.5x to 10x, which is awarded immediately upon landing. In addition, each position where a Body Part symbol landed is upgraded. It starts empty, then the first upgrade adds a skin patch with a multiplier of x2. Each additional upgrade increases the multiplier by +1, up to a maximum of x999. When a Body Part symbol lands on an upgraded position, its coin value is multiplied by the position multiplier. The 5 special symbols in the bonus round are:

• Ripper - fills an entire column with skin patches, each with a multiplier of x2 to x100. If placed on an existing skin patch, the new value is added to the current multiplier.
• Doppelganger - picks a random number of existing skin patches and doubles their multiplier values. The same patch may be chosen more than once.
• Finger Face - collects the values of all skin patches and adds the total to the multiplier value of the position where it landed.
• Sphincter & Bones - spawns a random number of Body Part symbols in the play area.
• Great Grandmother - persistently transforms Body Part symbols into higher value ones for the rest of the bonus. The first activation upgrades the lowest to the second lowest, the second activation upgrades the two lowest to the third lowest, and so forth.

Super Bonus

Hitting 4 scatters triggers the super bonus game. It plays the same as the regular bonus, except before the first spin, a random position is upgraded to a Super Skin Patch with a starting multiplier of x111, x222… to x999.

Store

A number of items may be bought from the store: boosters, bonus buys, highlight reels, and loot boxes. In the booster section, the Bonus Boost and Big Bonus Boost cost 1.5x and 5x the bet, respectively, to increase the chance of triggering the bonus, while 20x per spin ensures the Hot Zone feature is triggered on every spin. Players may trigger the respins bonus for 73x, the super bonus for 412x the bet, or an enhanced bonus of bronze, silver, or gold tier for 128x, 347x, or 1,595x the bet, respectively. Highlight reels deliver the top 3 results from 100, 300, or 500 spins costing 71x, 168x, or 249x the bet, respectively, while the three loot boxes cost 186x to 571x to buy.

Sew: Slot Verdict

After playing Sew, you get the feeling absolutely any theme could be flung at the deviants at Shady Lady and they'd be able to warp it into something odd, amusing, even a touch upsetting. And we say this in the most positive manner possible, because the online slot scene really benefits from studios like Shady Lady, who aren't afraid to shun normal slot themes to explore more original ideas. Not only does the studio pick left-field topics, it utilises them in extremely creative, and in the case of Sew, unsettling ways. As mentioned, you get hints of madness during the base game, expressed through music and the dark, foreboding artwork. Gameplay-wise, the base phase benefits from the Hot Zone feature, but is otherwise quite low-key. Having said that, the store provides numerous ways to spice up the action, for a fee.

The Hold 'n Win is where the mask drops and Sew shows its true colours. Fortunately, the game's not all about shocking skin, but the bonus round mechanics are well thought out as well. For instance, it's clever how Body Part symbols don't lock in place like a regular hold 'n' win feature, but immediately award their value and upgrade the multiplier on their position, boosting any that land there again in the round. Body Part base values aren't huge in themselves, but the possibility, and the goal, is to jack position multipliers as high as possible. Since Body Parts only raise a position's multiplier value by +1, special symbols are vital for incrementing them further. Not only do special symbols' mechanical effects vary, but so does their appearance, reflecting Shady Lady's ability to paint startling imagery. The combined effect creates quite an impact, with the weirdness factor further cemented during big win count-ups.

The biggest count up in Sew would occur if/when hitting its full 20,000x the bet potential. Seeing as position multis in the Hold 'n Win can theoretically reach x999, and Body Party symbols are upgradeable, it's possible to visualise how this could technically eventuate. All told, Sew is a deviously twisted, artistically bold slot that displays Shady Lady's ability to first dream up the bizarre, then turn it into something both memorable and playable.