Spark of Genius

Spark of Genius: Slot Overview

If a human being from the distant past happened upon a time warp and ended up in the present day, it's possible they'd be shocked by the way we live. Much of what we take for granted would probably seem like magic to our far-distant ancestors. Take electricity, for example. With the flick of a switch, we can light our homes up as if bathed in daylight. No more bumping into the furniture in the dark or straining to read by the flickering light of a candle. Nowadays, electrons flow all around us like it's no big deal. It makes you wonder how humans might be powering the planet in the next few hundred years.

Till then, why not accompany us as we fire up Play'n GO's online slot Spark of Genius? In this game, the clock has been rewound to the early days of electricity, where two pioneers compete for a lucrative contract to light up the Grand Centralised Power Network in Paris, as the neat broadcast of yesteryear intro animation lays the scene. When moving into the game, a sparking contraption covered in pipe-like circuit symbols sits centre stage while the two pioneers - Maynard Woodrow and Tess Jacova, get ready to showcase their technologies. Obviously, the two are very different games, but the intro and the feel of Spark of Genius brought Play'n GO's Fortune Rewind to mind. However, Spark of Genius brings more of a steampunk, 'futuristic for its time' atmosphere and a densely enjoyable atmosphere it is, too. It's not an unusual approach to this theme as seen in games like Rabcat's Nikola Tesla's Incredible Machine, to name on example.

A highly volatile slot, literally rated 10 out of 10, Spark of Genius is as volatile as it gets from Play'n GO, according to the game stats. It comes shipped with a default RTP of 96.3%, which is slightly higher than usual from this developer, though lower configurations are available as well, while the stake range is 10 c to $/€100.

Spark of Genius' gaming grid has 6-columns, 6 rows and does not have an orthodox set of paying symbols. Instead, it has circuit symbols with various connection points on them. Wins in Spark of Genius are achieved when circuit symbols create a closed circuit. The bigger the closed circuit, the larger the payout and at least 4 circuit symbols are needed to make a winner. Winning circuit symbols are removed by a cascading mechanic, then symbols fall to fill the gaps. Cascades end when no new win appears. Closed circuits consisting of 4 circuit symbols pay 0.3x the bet, up to 300x the bet for a 25+ sized closed circuit.

Spark of Genius: Slot Features

Spark of Genius' Energy Charger has two types - Manifest Energy and Resonant Energy. The energies are triggered by randomly chosen characters. Maynard Woodrow is linked to Manifest Energy, while Tess Jacova is linked to Resonant Energy. Collecting winning circuits charges the Energy Charger. When reaching certain thresholds, its corresponding modifier triggers.

Manifest Energy

Manifest Energy is on the left side of the Energy Charger and has 3 charge levels, storing up to 35 charges.

• Relay - 15 winning circuits trigger this, randomly removing 7 to 11 circuit symbols.
• Overload - 25 winning circuits trigger this, adding 2 to 6 destroy symbols that remove random adjacent circuit symbols on the grid.
• Empire Energy Spin - 35 winning circuits trigger this free spin. For it, a 2x2 inactivated Transformer symbol with an x3 multiplier is placed in the centre of the grid, acting as 4 connecting circuit symbols. It activates when a closed circuit is connected to it. When activating, its multiplier increases by 1, up to x20. The multiplier applies to all wins during the feature. On non-winning cascades, Relay and Overload apply sequentially.

Resonant Energy

Resonant Energy is on the right side of the Energy Charger and has 3 charge levels, storing up to 35 charges.

• Gyrota - 15 winning circuits trigger this, randomly rotating 3 to 7 circuit symbols.
• Dynamo - 25 winning circuits trigger this, adding 2 to 6 special circuit symbols on the grid. Special circuit symbols have 4 connection points.
• Free Energy Spin - 35 winning circuits trigger this, awarding 1 free spin. With each win in the spin, the multiplier increases through x1, x4, x8, x12, x16, and x20. The multiplier applies to all wins. On non-winning cascades, Gyrota (rotates 4-8 circuit symbols) and Dynamo (adds 4-8 special circuit symbols) features apply sequentially.

Spark of Genius: Slot Verdict

Play'n GO certainly knows a thing or two about making slots that fill charge meters with winning symbols then dropping features at set collection levels. The Reactoonz range is a classic example, and the Moon Princess line of related releases is another one which has found favour amongst a large number of online gamblers. Spark of Genius is another good one, which functions in a unique way that may be of interest to cluster paying/charge meter enthusiasts.

One possible issue is that since the symbols look very similar, it's a little trickier to spot winning clusters compared to when having a set of totally different pay symbols land on the grid. The game does highlight winning clusters orange or blue when they hit, so they're easy to spot after the fact, meaning the symbol similarity is not a deal-breaking event as such. Other than that, some players might not be too stoked with the fact a fully charged meter grants just 1 free spin rather than a full-on bonus round of them. In Spark of Genius' defence, each win increases the win multiplier, and two modifiers provide a possible lifeline. In addition, 'only' 35 winning circuit symbols are needed to trigger the free spin, which isn't a massive amount. The free spins did activate quite frequently during the test session, effectively lessening any potential grinding boredom had the wait time between them been significantly longer.

Adding spark to the allure, Spark of Genius posts a max win figure of 10,000x the bet. Since players essentially have 1 free spin to work with at a time, you can see why Spark of Genius might live up to its highly volatile rating. Maybe too volatile for some, maybe just right for others; either way, Play'n GO has designed a unique game that differs electrifyingly from others in its extensive charge meter slot portfolio even though conservative players might feel it's a tad too unorthodox.