Gold Lab Slots
Of all the game manufacturers out there in the market, there are very few that get us really excited when they release a new game. One of the few, and a recent addition to the list, is Quickspin, who are very much up there with the likes of NetEnt for the quality of games they are producing and the unique themes they are offering players.
Gold Lab is their latest online slot game and it looks set to be just as much of a success as other titles such as the ‘Starburst’ competitor ‘Jewel Blast’ and the fabulously quirky ‘Spinions’ slot game. Mad Scientists, alchemy and cartoon graphics is a novel little theme mix and with wild re-spins on offer, the game play and pay-outs should be interesting too.
Theme & Graphics
Those of us raised in a certain era probably had our own favourite cartoon scientist, most of them usually up to no good. The resident genius in this game seems to be of the more benevolent kind, he’s aiming ‘only’ to create a magic formula which produces gold coins. As slot gamers this is something we can very much understand and approve of, question is, can he do it?
The game takes place in a clean modern lab, with the crazy scientist enthusiastically awaiting the results of his experiments with each spin of the reels. There are four different coloured gem stones on the slot and four coloured beakers of chemical potions to match. The game is really well produced with an excellent selection of animations, sound effects and suitable engaging cartoon visuals to keep you entertained. It’s also extremely simple in its layout.
Features
With 25 fixed pay-lines on the 5x3 reel grid Gold Lab isn’t setting any new standards for crazy game structures or novel playstyles. At heart it is an entertaining, simple design with a fun theme which is easy for all players to grasp. The bet range runs from 0.10 to 100.00 credits so there is enough width to suit the bankrolls of most slots fans, whilst the medium variance likewise will appeal to many.
The bonus feature on the game involves the yellow wild symbol and reel re-spins, the latter is becoming a very popular mechanic across a number of games and it’s easy to see why. Although it’s only been in use fairly recently online, when you think about it, a re-spin mechanic is not so different than the old hold function on one armed bandits.
With three or more bonus scatters you get 4 re-spins, each bonus beaker symbol which you get will turn wild and remain for the other re-spins. So, although the number of effectively free spins on offer might seem small, if you get those wilds on the 1st spin or 2nd – it doesn’t take a lot for the last two spins to be worth some very decent coin wins.
Summary
Gold Lab is either going to be loved for it’s pure simplicity, or become an abandoned science experiment for exactly the same reason. The max win may not be high enough, or the game detailed enough to keep players spinning when the novelty has worn off. This game has to go head to head with the latest releases from the likes of NetEnt & BetSoft, whilst it’s well produced enough, we aren’t sure it has enough substance. That said the design is engaging and the theme is fun, will simple be the answer to slot gaming alchemy? Only time will tell!