New life for forgotten feature
A Hacksaw Gaming subsidiary has revived a classic mechanic that once wowed players until the likes of cluster pays and megaways consigned it to memory lane.
taken the 2010-era synched reel mechanic and radically reinvented it
Bullshark Games rolled out Gearlab Genius on Tuesday, a captivating narrative-driven slot that has taken the 2010-era synched reel mechanic and radically reinvented it via layered multipliers, Wild transformations, and over 1,000 ways to win.
The steampunk-infused theme of invention is a gripping enough narrative for casual and serious players to appreciate. What they might not know is how perfectly it matches the lab-like inventiveness of the slot’s developers, mathematicians, and designers at Bullshark, which took to X to announce the “workshop doors are officially open”:
Let’s step inside and have a closer look.
Inner workings
Firing up Gearlab Genius will bring players face to face with the slot’s red-haired inventor in her opulent lab, a workplace steampunk Tony Stark would approve of.
Along with the stars shining through the observatory-like window and pitch-perfect grand discovery afoot soundtrack, Bullshark sets the tone of a universe where talent and drive makes dreams come true.
And then unleashes its Synced Reels feature on the 5×4 grid, where reels don’t just sync, they also multiply and transform. Even before every spin, reels can become synced to show identical symbols and create new patterns across the iron-clad grid.
Synced Reels can also turn into Super Reels, a mechanic that transforms the randomly chosen reel entirely into Wild symbols. The third of the standout features is Reel Multipliers, which activate wins passing through a reel with a multiplier from 2x to 100x, with the win multiplied by that value.
players will soon see why the slot comes with 1,024 ways to win
With combinations kicking off from the top left reel and linking across adjacent reels, players will soon see why the slot comes with 1,024 ways to win.
If a win happens to find its way through multiple reels with Reel Multipliers, the values are added together before applying to the win, which can reach up to a maximum 10,000x your stake, which ranges from a minimum $0.10 to a maximum $100 per spin.
Balanced brilliance
Gearlab Genius somehow manages to modernize the synched reel system via its three mechanics, which are available in the base game and the two bonus rounds, while delivering razor-sharp moments of winning potential.
Bullshark has also achieved this feat without making things overly complex to get in the way of the feature-rich gameplay and overall captivating reel experience.
Packaged with medium volatility, 96.28% RTP, four feature buys, and two bonus games, Gearlab Genius showcases how far a big narrative idea can take a classic mechanic that’s given a fresh, modern twist and still retain a dynamic and unique personality all of its own.
