Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules Slot Review

Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules Slot RTP, Details & Wager Limits

The Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules slot takes place on a 7×7 grid and uses a Cluster Pays mechanic. Winning combinations, like with all grid slots, are created when 5 or more matching symbols appear touching, either horizontally and/or vertically without any gaps.

In terms of betting options, you can play Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules from 10p to £100 a spin. With 5 preset bet options appearing below the grid (on the desktop version), click/press the minus/plus buttons to change your stake. For mobile/tablet players, press the 3 lines icon. Non UK players can opt for Autoplay which allows up to 100 autospins with balance/single win limits. Turbo Mode (lightning bolt icon) allows faster spins.

The Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules RTP is 96.2%. Standard for Play ‘n GO slots and above the industry’s 96% average, there are 94.2% and 91.2% RTP versions which may be used at even the best slot sites. The Paytable will reveal the RTP rate you’re playing with basically.

Volatility wise, the Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules slot is in the medium to high bracket (7/10). When it comes to payout potential, you can win up to 6,000 x your total bet. This will be achieved (max win probability/exposure) every 15 million spins (on average).

Theme: join quirky droids rescue exotic creatures + preserve precious metals

With a robot/alien theme, the Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules slot is the sequel the Sparky and Shortz slot which was released in October 2021. 2 of the galaxy’s most dedicated and charismatic droids are back in action as their embark on a daring and electrifying mission.

The story sees you join Sparky and Shortz rescue exotic creatures and preserve precious materials from another distant planet on the brink of a cataclysmic event. Vibrant and colourful, it looks similar to the original game but has much more going on due to the 7×7 grid (as opposed to the 5×3 setup). Aesthetically, it does remind me of the 2008 WALL-E film.

On the grid, you will come across 5 colourful crystals and 3 aliens. The red alien is the most rewarding symbol with 5 to 25+ awarding 0.5 to 250 x your total bet. Crystals pays up to 25 x bet (for 25+ in a cluster) whilst the blue and green aliens pays 100 and 200 x bet respectively.

There is an standard Wild symbol that substitutes for all symbols. As described below in the Bonus Features section, you’ll encounter Mega symbols, Special Wilds and 2×2 Mega Sparky Wilds. Finally, there is no Scatter or Bonus symbol.

Symbol	Payouts/Info
Blue Crystal	5-25+ pays 0.1 to 15 x bet
Green Crystal	5-25+ pays 0.1 to 15 x bet
Purple Crystal	5-25+ pays 0.1 to 15 x bet
Red Crystal	5-25+ pays 0.2 to 25 x bet
Yellow Crystal	5-25+ pays 0.2 to 25 x bet
Blue Alien	5-25+ pays 0.3 to 100 x bet
Green Alien	5-25+ pays 0.4 to 200 x bet
Red Alien	5-25+ pays 0.5 to 250 x bet
Standard Wild	Substitutes for all symbols
2x2 Mega Sparky Wild	Appears when 4 Special Wilds are collected

Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules Mobile

Released on the 29^th of June 2023, Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules is available to play on mobile, tablet and desktop devices. Detecting whatever device you opt for, mobile players can play this Play ‘n GO release on iOS, Android and Windows smartphones. The 7×7 grid works perfectly on mobile devices too.

Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules Bonus Features

The Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules slot has 4 bonus features. Cascades give you successive wins and fill the Boost Meter for sees the Win Multiplier increase by up to 5, up to 25x. Win Multipliers increase when Mega symbols are created. Look out for Special Wilds which award Mega symbols, remove low value symbols, add wilds and destroy patterns of symbols. Collect 4 Special Wilds to bring in the 2×2 Mega Sparky Wild into play.

Cascades feature

When a winning cluster is created, the Cascades feature will be activated. All winning symbols/clusters disappear from the grid with new symbols falling into the new vacated spaces. This allows the opportunity to form another winning cluster which continues until no more new winning clusters are created.

Win Multiplier feature

Look out for alien or crystal symbols that can appear 2×2, 4×1 or 1×4 in size. When they land, they transform into Mega Symbols. Every transformation increase the Win Multiplier by 1. Furthermore, each transformation remains are 4 symbols for the purpose of creating winning clusters. Now, the Win Multiplier can increase up to 25x.

Boost Meter feature

When winning clusters are created, Cascades come into play. They also fill the Boost Meter to the left of the grid. With 4 stages (+2, +3, +4 and +5), you need 25, 60, 110 and 200 symbols respectively to fill the stages.

The Boost Meter feature modifies how much transformations increase the Win Multiplier by. For example, transformations at the highest level will see the Win Multiplier increase by 5, up to 25x. Once it reaches the top Win Multiplier figure, the Boost Meter deactivates and resets.

Special Wilds feature

The Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules slot comes with 6 wild symbols. When a Special Wild is part of a winning cluster, it’s collected, the Special Wild will trigger 1 of 4 extras when there are no more cascades:

Randomly on a non-winning spin, a Special Wild can be created which will trigger 1 of the extras described above if part of a winning cluster.

If you collect 4 Special Wilds, the 2×2 Mega Sparky Wild symbol is added to the grid when there are no more cascades. This can occur up to 3 times by collecting 4 Special Wilds:

• 1^st Trigger: 2×2 Mega Sparky Wild is added with a Special Wild
• 2^nd Trigger: 2×2 Mega Sparky Wild is added with a Special or Standard Wild
• 3^rd Trigger: 2×2 Mega Sparky Wild is added with a Standard Wild

Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules Review Summary: lower win potential than original slot

With the original Sparky & Shortz game being quite popular, Play ‘n GO went in a different direction with the Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules slot as it’s a cluster pays game as opposed to standard reels and paylines.

Using similar graphics and symbols, the gameplay is more like some of Play ‘n GO’s other grid slots with Reactoonz coming to mind. Winning clusters award cascades which fills the Boost Meter. Mega Symbols also increase the multiplier up to 25x. The various levels of the Boost Meter see the Win Multiplier rising faster, up to 5 each time.

The other element revolves around the Special Wilds which leads to Mega Symbols, low value crystals being remove, standard Wilds being added and patterns of symbols destroyed (which leads to a new symbol being added/created). Collecting 4 Special Wilds will lead to the 2×2 Mega Sparky Wild being added to the grid. This, in theory, will lead to more winning clusters and an increase in the Win Multiplier.

Offering 6,000 x bet max payouts, the Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules slot comes with lower win potential compared to the original game (10,000 x bet wins). The RTP of 96.2% is also lower than the 96.28% offered in its predecessor. Finally, the original game also comes with free spins which the sequel doesn’t.

In summary, Sparky & Shortz Hidden Joules is a decent game but is nothing like the original Sparky & Shortz slot. If you want grid slots with more going on, Viking Runecraft: Apocalypse (by Play ‘n GO) is a better option.