Sparks
In July 2015, the Swedish game developer NetEnt released the neon-themed Sparks video slot. The game offers players a mesmerising time with its sizzling electric looking graphics and sounds making for a captivating and thrilling time whilst playing this slot.
Sparks by NetEnt is a 5-reel, 3-row, 20-line video slot which features both Win One Way and Win Both Ways modes along with Wild substitutions and an Expanding Cloning Wild! Although not offering as big a jackpot as many other NetEnt video slots there is still the opportunity to win 80,000 coins.
How to play Sparks Video Slot
You will initially see a brief splash screen when the game loads showing the key features of the game along with an option to choose whether you want to play the game where you can win one way or both ways. Once you have made your choice you can then select continue to load the game fully.
Before you start getting into the game you should adjust the bet level and coin value to reflect the cost per spin you are comfortable with. You will see on the game screen two options. One is for setting the ‘Coin Value’ and the other is the ‘Bet Level’. Coin value ranges from 1p up to £2 and bet levels 1-10. Adjusting these options allows you to set the cost per spin to as little as 20p up to a maximum of £400 if you fancy playing as a high roller.
The game screen itself is not animated like many of NetEnts other games and the reels just sit on a glowing background of purples and pinks. The symbols are all like a stream of electricity or reminiscent of when you draw letters in the air with a sparkler. The symbols include your standard card symbols of 10, J, Q, K and A along with various different looking swirls of light and a wild symbol easily recognised with an electrifying ‘W’ in its middle.
Click or tap the blue button with the rotating arrows in the lower centre of the game screen to spin. Clicking ‘Max Bet’ will spin the reels at level 10, so be sure to check your coin value. Clicking ‘Auto Play’ allows you to play from 10 up to 1000 automatic spins.
One thing you will notice is that Sparks online slot is not a feature rich game such as KOI Princess which has 8 features. Here you are playing to hopefully have the cloning Wild Symbols appear on reels 2 and 4 or both. If a cloning wild appears, then it will substitute for other symbols and clone itself by expanding either up or down the reel or both. At the same time, it will clone whatever symbol is on its left to the same symbol on its right, generating a win. You also have standard wild symbols and these can substitute for all other symbols apart from the cloning wild symbol.
At any time during your play, you can switch between winning win one way or both ways using the button on the bottom right of the game screen. Depending which you choose will make only a very slight difference in the RTP of the game.
Sparks Video Slot Tips
Click the blue ‘i’ symbol in the bottom-left to view a series of 6 information screens. This will show you the coin payout levels for the number of matching symbols on a pay line and the bet line mappings. Underneath this are various preferences such as volume, keyboard controls, quick spin options and a help menu.
If the Sparks video slot is a new game to you then why not try it out in Freeplay mode first? This is a great way of getting used to how this video slot plays and see the cloning wilds in action. Then, once you are confident with the game you can then switch to real cash mode at any time. If you would like to visit an online casino and play Sparks Video Slot for free then you can at Hello Casino or GUTS Casino.
Is Sparks the right video slot for you?
Sparks has a theoretical RTP (return to player) of 96.56% in one way win mode and 96.54% in both ways win mode. This gives a house edge of 3.44% and 3.46% respectively. As you can see not much difference whichever mode you prefer to play. We tested the game over 100 spins at a cost per spin of £1.00 and we found that Sparks produced plenty of lower value wins during the base game. We never went more than 5 spins without some form of a win.
The cloning wild would land often creating slightly larger wins and although we managed to turnover £100 at a cost of £24.05 we would look at this slot as a low to medium variance game. Even though the total jackpot prize is only 80,000 coins and the difference between coin wins from say 4 to 5 symbols is only on average 3 times more, we could never seem to hit a biggish win.
Overall, the Sparks video slot is a very sedate game and with the lack of features can be a bit too simplistic to offer any real excitement during play. If you were looking to meet wagering requirements of a free casino bonus then other games such as The Invisible Man may better suit.
