At online casinos you’ll find the blockbuster hits like Gonzo’s Quest, Starburst and Immortal Romance as well as titles that are packed to the brim with features like Wheel of Fortune On Tour.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you’d find nice and light games like Sparks.
Games like Sparks are for the slower nights, when your account balance is slightly bare and you’re collapsed on the couch in exhaustion.
At times like these, you seek slots to relax rather than to hunt down big wins and suspense-filled entertainment. That’s when you turn to Sparks.
Video Slot Sparks Gameplay Screenshots
Sparks Mobile Slot Game Mechanics
- Software: NetEnt
- Reel structure: 5×3
- RTP: 96.54% – 96.56%
- Min bet per spin: 20p
- Max bet per spin: £400
- Paylines: 20
- Features: Expanding Cloning Wild and Win Both Ways
Sparks slot is a 5-reel, 20-line video slot. It’s a lighter game than most other NetEnt titles. For one, the top prize on the paytable is only 200x.
It’s quite a low risk, small bet game that’s perfect for super casual nights.
Sparks slot adopts the usual NetEnt’s wagering system. The size of your wager is a combination of two separate controls: the bet level (1 to 10) and the coin values (1p to £2). Essentially, the minimum bet is £0.20 and the maximum bet is £400. Your wagers and wins are then displayed in coins.
It’s a little confusing to think in coins, so always keep an eye on your real money balance on the thin bar at the bottom of the screen.
By separating the currency in the game with real money currency, NetEnt distances players from playing with actual cash, tricking some players to play for longer or with more money than they had initially planned. It’s like shopping with a plastic card, instead of cash.
Expanding Cloning Wild and Bonus Features
There are two totally unique and captivating features in Sparks slot, namely the Expanding Cloning Wild and a Win Both Ways mode. I’ll walk you through both features in detail.
The Expanding Cloning Wild is a wonderful one. It clones the adjacent symbols from the reel on its left onto the reel to its right. It is the game’s “copy-paste” function that automatically creates a winning payline.
Well, that’s the cloning part of the symbol. The expanding comes in when the symbol randomly expands vertically either to the top or bottom. The result of that is a reel that’s almost entirely covered with Wild symbols.
Have I also mentioned that all wins that contain Wild symbols generate the highest possible wins on the entire paytable?
The Expanding Cloning Wild is the ultimate recipe for fortune. The Expanding Cloning Wild can appear on the second or fourth reel only. It appears randomly, about once in every 10 spins. Sit tight and don’t leave the game until you experience it for yourself.
You can choose to play in either Win One Way mode or Win Both Ways mode. The former mode is the usual slot game setup, where winning combinations are formed from the utmost left hand side of the reels.
However, Sparks provides the option of paying in Win Both Ways mode, where wins can start from both the left and right hand side of the reels. Needless to say, this mode offers twice the number of chances at winning.
Take note that you would also double your stake in each spin. If nothing else, this mode offers faster and more engaging gameplay.
User Interface And Gaming Experience
Sparks symbols look like those light paintings that are made by drawing with sparklers and capturing it in a long-exposure shot.
Like those pretty photographs that are all over Instagram on the 4th of July, these symbols are almost ethereal.
The dark backgrounds and delicate colour overlays along with the mesmerizing sounds as the reels spin makes for an impressive display. Indeed, it’s almost as if the slot was actually buzzing with energy.
Also note that Sparks slot is playable on both desktop and mobile platforms.
What's Great About Sparks Video Slot?
I’d recommend playing Sparks in quick play mode and Pay Both Ways mode, so that you maximize the game’s pace. Otherwise, you’d spend 50% of your time just watching reels spin and waiting for the Expanding Cloning Wilds to appear.
It’s easy to switch between Pay One Way or Pay Both Ways mode during the game, so you could even try both to see which works for you.
So, What's Our Take on the Game?
If you looked up the word “spark” in the dictionary, it’d read: “a trace of a specified quality or intense feeling”. This game couldn’t be more aptly named.
Spark hints at NetEnt’s fabulous game-making prowess. They’ve kept the game light, slightly uneventful even, so that you could enjoy it on any casual evening.
Yet, at the same time, the graphics are simply dazzling. The few features in it are very well-designed indeed. The 20p bets don’t hurt either. It’s like the appetizer course to a lavish dinner, a trailer to a blockbuster movie or a sample to a full-size bottle.
I’ll stop rambling now, so that you can head off and play Sparks for yourself.