To be perfectly honest, we never thought someone would try to make germs cute. These dastardly things make us sneeze, cough and feel awful! How could you possibly pull it off? We thought it was impossible, but Microgaming very clearly proved us wrong with Germinator! In it, we blow up as many evil viruses and bacteria as possible. The more we win, the better this game pays! It offers two special features to assist you in your quest: cascading reels and the Medi-bonus!
This is an older slot that launched back in 2011. As a result, we did not expect any sort of visual spectacle from it. Indeed, the release primarily leans into its cute symbol designs to charm you. Well, as cute as you can make disgusting germs! The background image is an odd red-purple colour split into smaller shapes. We believe this is supposed to represent a cell inside your body. At the very bottom of the playing field, we see the left and right corners covered in snot. The germs lurk behind them, just waiting for an opportunity to strike! Because it has so few icons on the reels, the paytable is always visible, displaying how much you win per symbol. Let’s delve into all the details in this new Labslots review.
Short Summary
- RTP: 96,85%
- Betting Range: £0.60 – £24.00
- Max Win: £2,880.00
- Similar Slots: Mustang Gold, Energoonz, Cyrus the Virus
Germinator Slot Features
You play Germinator on a six-reel board with twelve fixed paylines. That means you cannot turn individual paylines on or off unlike in a lot of the modern online slots. Instead, the only way to change your total bet is to adjust how much you wager per payline. You need at least three matching germs to appear next to one another to grant a cash prize. Winning combinations can only be formed on horizontal and vertical lines. Germs appearing diagonally do not create any wins. The user interface in this slot meshes with the theme, though we are not too fond of the letter colours. Using this control panel, you can spin the reels, change your total bet and take a more detailed look at the paytable. You can wager between £0.60 and £24.00 on each spin.
Icon designs are what truly sells this game. Each virus has its own unique design and colour that helps it stand out. Furthermore, this release opts to have only five symbols available in the paytable. There are no bonus icons either! This leads to very frequent wins, which meshes well with the medium variance it offers. The orange germ is the lowest value symbol that pays 0.2x per germ, while the smiling yellow germ pays 10x per germ.
Germinator Bonus Rounds
Every time a winning combination occurs, the symbols that were part of that win explode! Like with all annoying germs, new ones are always just around the corner. Fortunately, this just serves as a benefit to cascading reels. There is nothing stopping you from chaining several wins together for the price of a single spin. It all comes down to how lucky you can get with the bonus! We think it works out wonderfully in Germinator. Really, the only way it could be better was if that slot used proper cluster pays instead of the current payline-based system.
Another available special feature is the Medi-Bonus! This is activated by finding three or more capsules on the playing field after all wins are awarded and all cascading reels are played. They appear alongside existing icons, but do not increase payout or serve any other function. You need at least three or more to activate the special feature! Once active, you will be able to pick one of the five germ symbols. The selected germ will be blown up and made to disappear from the reels. This germ will not grant any cash reward for being removed in this manner. Other icons will fill in the empty positions and award cash prizes if any valid winning combinations are formed. Cascading reels are in effect even during this bonus, so make sure to take full advantage of it!
Verdict
If you make a great game, its quality will shine through years after its pretty visuals fade. Germinator is a great example of this in action. Despite the release being as old as it is, it still remains super fun to play. It offers frequent wins and an above average RTP, as well. The downside of this is the top payment. If you are looking for big jackpots, this slot will not be able to provide that. However, if you want a lot of fun with cascading reels and exploding symbols, then you will definitely love this game! Check out our list of slot sites to see where you can try it out!
