Mad Labs Slot Review
The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab ☢️ - which was made for kids in the Fifties, I must point out - came with a working Geiger counter, a cloud chamber, and 4 little jars of radioactive ore.
The manual even told kids how to go prospecting for uranium. It was off the shelves within about a year, but the manufacturer blamed the overeager price 💸, not the radiation (of course).
Mad Labs slot from Popiplay puts the radiation sign back in business. I wonder if Gilbert was a consultant for this game. 🤔
Gameplay
We find ourselves in the lab with radiation warning signs and interesting switches and machines running in the background. Is that a rat I see behind the glass to the left-hand side?
The 5x6 grid has 50 paylines, the RTPRTP stands for “Return to Player.” The RTP describes the total bet amount that a game returns to players over millions of spins, and that figure is represented by a percentage. Table games, such as Roulette, typically have higher RTPs than many slots.
RTP needs to be considered in conjunction with a game’s volatility rate. is 97.12%, volatility is high, and the max multiplier is 30,000x. The max win is $435,000, with bets ranging from $0.20 to $14.50.
The A, K, Q, and J symbols share one rate: 0.1x for 3, 0.2x for 4, and 0.4x for 5. The Ray Gun pays 0.3x, 1.2x, and 12x for 3, 4, and 5. The Detonator bumps that to 0.4x, 1.6x, and 16x, and the Computer pays 0.5x, 2x, and 20x.
The Mad Scientist is the only symbol that pays for 2 (0.5x), then 2x for 3, 10x for 4, and 150x for a full line of 5.
The Wild substitutes for all symbols except the Mystery Reveal Symbol, the Scatter, the Gamble Scatter, and the symbols that only show up in the Golden Reveal Feature.
Features
MYSTERY REVEAL FEATURE:
The Mystery Reveal Symbol lands anywhere on the reels, in both the main game and Free Spins. Once the reels stop, every one of them opens to reveal the same randomly selected thing: a paying symbol, a Wild, or a Golden Reveal Symbol.
The Golden Reveal Symbol can't land on its own. It only turns up behind a Mystery Reveal, and revealing at least 1 of them triggers the Golden Reveal Feature. Every Coin and Multiplier in the game starts with these boxes popping open.
GOLDEN REVEAL FEATURE:
This round triggers whenever at least 1 Mystery Reveal Symbol reveals a Golden Reveal Symbol, and it awards a single respin.
In the main game, Coin, Collector, Multiplier, Scatter, and Gamble Scatter symbols can land during that respin.
Triggered inside Free Spins, the Gamble Scatter swaps out for Bonus Spins symbols. Scatters, and in the main game Gamble Scatters, may appear on any position that's active during the feature.
Coins only exist in this feature and act as instant prizes. There are 4 types: Bronze awards 1x, 2x, or 5x, Silver awards 10x, 25x, or 50x, Dark Golden awards 100x, 250x, or 500x, and Bright Golden awards 1,000x, 2,500x, or 5,000x.
When a Collector lands, it grabs the values of every Coin and Collector on the grid. The collected Coins get removed, the empty spots respin with the same feature prizes, and the Collector stays put.
The Multiplier symbol multiplies the values of all Coins and Collectors on the reels by 2x, 3x, 5x, or 10x.
Then it leaves, and its spot respins with the same feature prizes. One respin sounds stingy until you realize the Collectors and Multipliers keep reopening holes.
FREE SPINS:
Free Spins come from the Gamble Scatter, which appears in the main game and the Golden Reveal Feature on reels 2, 3, and 4.
Regular Scatters can only land on those same 3 reels in the main game, and a maximum of 3 Scatters and Gamble Scatters combined can show up at once.
When 2 Scatters are already on the reels, there's a possibility the Gamble Scatter lands as the third. It then either reveals a blank and gives you nothing, or transforms into 1 of 3 symbols.
A Purple symbol awards 4 to 9 Free Spins at Level 0. A Red one awards 7 to 9 at Level 2, and a Gold one awards 8 to 10 at Level 4.
So the trade is a smaller pile of spins at the bottom versus a few more spins starting further up the ladder. Free Spins don't start automatically, either.
Gamble
Before the spins start, you get a choice. Keep the award and Free Spins begin with the current number of spins and Level, or gamble it for a chance to reach a higher Level.
The screen gives you a ladder with RISK and COLLECT buttons. Hit RISK and you might climb, or you might lose the awarded Free Spins completely, in which case the round ends and you're back in the main game with nothing.
Levels
Free Spins has Levels 0 to 4.
Level 0 excludes none of the low symbols, and the Golden Reveal multiplier is 1x the bet. Level 1 drops L4 and sets the Golden Reveal multiplier at 2x the bet.
Level 2 drops L4 and L3 at 3x, Level 3 drops L4, L3, and L2 at 5x, and Level 4 drops every low symbol and runs the Golden Reveal at 10x the bet.
You climb by collecting Scatter and Bonus Spins symbols, and each Level needs 4 of them. Scatters aren't available at Level 4, and Bonus Spins don't count toward reaching Level 4.
Bonus Spins symbols only land in a Golden Reveal triggered inside Free Spins. They carry values of 1, 2, or 3, award that many extra Free Spins, and count toward Level Progress.
Reaching a new Level also pays out spins: 4 more at Level 1, 3 at Level 2, 3 at Level 3, and 2 at Level 4. Both the Mystery Reveal and Golden Reveal keep working the whole time, so higher Levels mean a cleaner grid and a fatter Golden Reveal multiplier.
BUY BONUS:
Free Spins - Low Level costs 100x and gives you 7, 8, or 9 Free Spins from Level 0. Mid Level costs 190x for 7, 8, or 9 spins from Level 2, and High Level costs 610x for 8, 9, or 10 spins from Level 4.
Mystery Free Spins costs 300x and triggers 1 of the other 3 options at random. Bought spins still go through the Gamble step, so you can keep them or risk them like any others.
Performance
Mad scientists are known for two things and that's creating devices that tend to work, and that sometimes do spectacular things.
In this instance, I was happy that the game just did what it was supposed to do because I wasn't expecting miracles, given my luck (or lack thereof).
Maximum Win
Take the top bet of $14.50, run it through the max multiplier of 30,000x, and the max win comes out at $435,000. The smallest bet you can place is $0.20.
Conclusion
The slot's money lives in the Golden Reveal Feature. The biggest Coins, Multipliers stacked on top, and inside Free Spins a Level multiplier that tops out at Level 4.
The road to 30,000x (the max multiplier) runs through Free Spins at Level 4. All the low symbols are gone, the Golden Reveal multiplier is maxed out, and you need a Mystery Reveal to turn Golden while Bright Golden Coins land with Multipliers and a Collector.
Now for the buy bonuses, and which one(s) I’d recommend. The High Level buy is the max-multiplier route bought outright. Getting to Level 4 in play takes 16 qualifying symbols, so its price is the cost of skipping that climb.
Mystery Free Spins is the sneaky one. Add up the other 3 prices, divide by 3, and you get exactly the Mystery price. You pay the average to get a random tier, so there's no discount for the gamble at all. I'd skip it and pick my own tier.
And remember, bought spins still face the Gamble step, where pressing RISK may cost you the whole round. Paying for the Mid Level buy and then flipping it on the ladder is a move I wouldn't make. I'd take the Low Level buy and hit COLLECT.
Slot Details
Game Provider: Popiplay
Game Type: Video Slots
PaylinesPaylines are preset lines that run across the reels, and when you land matching symbols on them, that will result in a payout. The more paylines, the more ways you can win, but also the higher your bet per spin.: 50
RTPRTP stands for “Return to Player.” The RTP describes the total bet amount that a game returns to players over millions of spins, and that figure is represented by a percentage. Table games, such as Roulette, typically have higher RTPs than many slots.
RTP needs to be considered in conjunction with a game’s volatility rate.: 97.12%
Volatility RateSlot games can have low, medium, high, or extremely high volatility rates (or a combination thereof).
The less volatile the game, the more often it should pay out, but the lower the amount, the less the payout, as this is in keeping with the risk you’re taking. Volatility rate should be considered in conjunction with a game’s RTP.: High
Bonus Round: No
Progressive: No
Free Rounds: Free Spins, Re-spins
Max Multiplier: 30,000x
Max Win: $435,000
Published by
BitStarz, award-winning Bitcoin Casino
