Brainwashed

Brainwashed: Slot Overview

Brainwashed, the sophomore release from software provider Shady Lady, is a study in belief, tuning out, and the search for meaning. This is no uplifting 'Chicken Soup of the Soul' slot, though, where players enter as empty vessels and leave filled with the golden light of knowledge. Instead, Brainwashed hones in on charismatic individuals who offer the 'one true way' to poor saps who soak up their particular brand of dogma, giving up everything of themselves in the process. Cults, cult leaders, and followers are on the menu, in other words, colouring another creatively put-together gambling experience.

Way out the backside of nowhere lies the Brainwashed compound. At a glance, it doesn't seem like such a bad place to chill out, take a breather, learn about life, tend crops, worship the local guru or whatever. But, it doesn't take long for warning bells to start ringing that something ain't right, and maybe your friends and family were correct about this being a cult… 'Never Leave', 'Free Candy', reverse audio, all scream false prophet wants to sire children with your partner, so get the fudge out before the Feds send in tanks and tear gas. It gives off some light xWays Hoarder 2 vibes, and like the studios' debut release, Devil's Finger, Shady Lady has mixed humour with gambling when designing Brainwashed. The result is another one-of-a-kind game.

Nailed to the entrance of 'Heavens Temple' is Brainwashed's 5-reel gaming grid which utilises 30 paylines do the job of evaluating winning combinations. A medium-high volatile math model resides in, let's say, that welcome hut in the background, producing an RTP of 96.3% when betting 10 c to $/€50 on each spin.

Brainwashed's lowest value symbols are a badge, pills, poison, and bloody knife, while 3 uneasy-looking hippies and a psycho are the high pays. Lines of 5 matching low-pay symbols are worth 2 times the bet, while lines of 5 identical character symbols award 6 to 20 times the bet. Wilds hit anywhere, substituting regular pay symbols and having the same value as the highest pay symbol.

Brainwashed: Slot Features

Brainwashed drops Helter Skelter, Cyan-Aid and Space Heads in the base game, as well as Brain Stacks and Brain Collectors, which also show up in the bonus round. A list of bonus buys finishes the feature list off.

Transforming Features

• Helter Skelter - Helter Skelter randomly triggers in the base game when the Helter Skelter symbol appears on the TV screen. This causes 3-15 random positions on the reels to turn wild via a stabbing action.
• Cyan-Aid - This feature also randomly triggers in the base game. When the Cyan-Aid symbol appears on the TV screen, any Brain symbols on the reels are transformed into wilds.
• Space Heads - In the base game, when the Space Heads symbol appears on the TV screen, all character symbols are transformed into the highest-paying character symbol.

Brain Stacks

Brain symbols appear on all of the reels in stacks of different sizes, displaying a multiplier of 1x to 666x. During free spins, a Golden Brain may appear in the stack. Golden Brains can only be collected once, and they double the win amount (the number of followers) at the end of the spin.

Brain Collectors

One or more Brain Collectors may appear on any base game spin, highlighting the position they are on. Green Collectors collect the values of Brains that land on them. Blue Collectors collect the values of Brains which land on them plus all Brains above the first collected Brain on the same reel. Red Collectors collect and multiply the values of any Brains that land on them and all Brains above, with the multiplier increasing by +1 for each collected Brain.

Free Spins

Hitting 3 scatters in the main game awards 6 free spins. The scatter positions are converted into random Brain Collectors. During the round, additional Brain Collectors may randomly appear. All Brain Collector positions, and all Red Brain Collector multipliers persist till the round ends. Brain collection wins appear on the TV screen and are awarded after free spins end. Extra Days symbols award +1 free spin each.

Buy Features

• Bonus Boosters & Bonus Buy - Activating the Bonus Boost makes each spin cost 1.5x the bet, boosting the chance of triggering the feature. At 5x the bet, the chance of triggering the feature is increased further with the Big Bonus Boost. At 84x the bet, players can guarantee free spins on the next spin.
• Highlight Reels - Highlight Reels lets players buy the best 3 spins from a batch of 100 spins for 73x the bet, the best 3 spins from a batch of 300 spins for 182x the bet, or the best 3 spins from a batch of 500 spins for 275x the bet. The 3 spins are presented in ascending win order and may include any feature.
• Loot Boxes - Next is Loot Boxes. Each Loot Box awards 1 random prize from 9 Enhanced Bonuses in Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers. Rare Loot Boxes cost 150x the bet, Epic Loot Boxes cost 307x the bet, and Legendary Loot Boxes cost 508x the bet.

Brainwashed: Slot Verdict

One of the concerns around being brainwashed, like properly brainwashed, is how does one actually know they're brainwashed? Maybe we're all brainwashed to a certain extent, believing what authority figures tell us, playing our role as dutiful consumers, slotting ourselves like cogs into the mechanical octopus of modern life as it wraps its tentacles tight around the world, crushing anyone who dares pop a question. Anyhoo, like Devil's Finger, Shady Lady has turned its back on conventional slot themes and chosen a far more unique topic to give its game personality. The exploration of cult behaviour is accompanied by a humorous tone and some infamous faces, so if you're into rabbit holes, then a trip into the stories of Brainwashed's assumed characters Charles Manson, Jim Jones, and Marshall Applewhite is about as rabbity as a hole gets.

Shady Lady has done a good job of bringing weirdness to the reels without getting overly sinister while also coming through on the gameplay side. It's up for discussion whether Brainwashed's features dazzle as brightly as Devil's Finger's did, but there are smart extras here for gamblers to explore. The three base game only features keep that part of the game kicking along, and collecting Brain symbols can be done at any time. Red Brain Collectors are the cult leader you want to see here since they're able to multiply the values they collect. As before, winning potential is capped at 20,000x the bet, but it was a little bit harder to picture that occurring, given the tools on hand. Then again, Red Collector multipliers can boost collected Brain values, which can be worth up to 666x each, and there's the Golden Brain doubler, so hopefully, the game can convince a crowd of them to become followers.

After an excellent debut, Shady Lady has followed up by keeping its foot firmly planted on the unconventional gas to produce another unique slot both in terms of weirdly entertaining theme and features, particularly its money symbol collect action.