Reapers by Print Studios - Online Slot Review

We land on the planet and find ourselves standing in front of the first barrier, the force field buzzing above and the Critters swarming everywhere. They come in different forms resembling all kinds of various alien monsters you might have seen in movies or video games, and each breed has its unique color indicating which Reaper is the best suited to deal with them. The first-person view of the wielded weapon, straight from shooters like the good old Doom, creates an immersive feeling that it's us doing the dirty deed, especially when landing qualifying clusters and ejecting the drones onto the reels. 

Even though the mission is serious, the setting carries an energetic and lighthearted vibe, especially thanks to an uplifting electronic techno playing in the background. Other sounds accompanying wins, feature triggers, and special events intensify the arcade feel, making it one of the few slots worth playing with audio.

When it comes to graphic design, animations, and all the VFX, there's just nothing to pick on. The background conveys a proper atmosphere of the surroundings, a desolate beige desert with a single facility in sight. At the same time, the symbols and features are distinctive thanks to vibrant colors separating them into apparent pairs. The tutorials at the beginning, coming as instructions from the fellow Reaper handler, are a fantastic idea that instantly draws us into the action knowing that we have a skilled companion at our side. Now that we know where we are and our task, let the operation begin.

How To Win On Reapers Slot - Features & Mechanics

We're not going to lie, it takes some time to get used to the mechanics, so it's a good idea to give it a go in demo mode first if you care about following the gameplay. The base wins form as clusters of 5 or more matching symbols connected horizontally and vertically, but it's also possible to secure payouts even from a single instance, provided it got collected by a Reaper. We'll explain that in a moment, so for now, let's just say that a reward is guaranteed whenever you land a set of at least 5.

Barriers

The main game consists of 15 barriers (divided into sets of grids: 1 + 2 + 3 +4 + 5) that must be shut down by destroying their force field with Charges, and the further you advance, the more power is required for each closure. Charges accumulate in Reapers from winning symbols, where every 5 generate 1 Charge. The grids are generated as you progress to the next set, which creates an entertaining anticipation effect where you can catch a glimpse of the symbol distribution of the grid you're about to progress to.

Reapers

There are five of them, each of a different color (matching one of the Critters) and with a unique function that needs activating. Once a cluster is scored, a corresponding Reaper will be shot onto the screen and land on one of the intersections of that set. From that point on, when progressing through subsequent grids, it will expand to cover a 2x2 area and collect any matching symbols from within. Even a single instance has a payout assigned, and if you catch at least one part of a whole cluster, it will pay in full. The special abilities can be activated by collecting a Power Core (multicolored orb), and will grant the following features:

• Energizer (Blue) - after all wins on the current grid are counted, it increases the symbol count of each visible Reaper by 1.
• Linker (Green) - connects with other Reapers on the grid, allowing to collect symbols in range between each other.
• Transformer (Purple) - after collecting all matching symbols, it transforms the remaining purple instances into another color.
• Expander (Orange) - increases its collection area from 2x2 to 4x4.
• Erupter (Red) - applies a random multiplier value (between x2 and x10) to the collected wins on the current grid.

Reapers Bonus Game

Once the last 15th barrier powers down, we're clear to enter the facility and bring our mission to a successful conclusion. This one is a doozy, so don't expect you'll be able to track the entire progress, as it's more about focusing on the meter and visualizing as many Critters as possible. Once the Juggernaut Reaper is deployed, it starts ripping through the tunnels, disintegrating any hostiles in its way. The goal of each level is to fly through 75 grids and catch as many Critters as possible in a 4x4 area (either single or parts of clusters) and enough to progress to the next stage. Additionally, every next part after the first has one monster type removed, starting from the bottom of the paytable. You'll need 430 (level 2), 520 (level 3), 590 (level 4), and 790 (level 5) symbols collected, respectively, to clear the entire facility.

Feature Buy

It's not possible to buy direct access to the bonus round, but instead, you can trigger an enhanced spin with a guaranteed number of Reapers for the following prices:

• 3.40x - 1 Reaper
• 18.40x - 2 Reapers
• 50x - 3 Reapers
• 130x - 4 Reapers
• 425x - 5 Reapers

Reapers On Mobile

By the time that takes place in the game, mobile phones are likely already an ancient relict, substituted by much more advanced technology. Nevertheless, we, the Earth's inhabitants, still rely on them greatly, so it's good to know that the slot is available in the latest HTML5 technology on smartphones and tablets. If you had the pleasure of playing the game on a desktop, the landscape view wouldn't hold any surprises. The portrait orientation intensifies the first-person perspective but removes much of the view of the barriers, giving as much space to the sizeable 8x8 grid.

Final Thoughts

Do you know how they say that "it's all about the journey, not the destination"? In the case of Reapers, you can tick both boxes because while in most slots, you tolerate the base game while chasing the free spins, here, the road to the bonus round is as engaging as the final stage. To our surprise, we caught ourselves numerous times not even focusing on how much we were winning, but only tracking the number of Charges, making sure we've got enough to defeat another barrier. That's an uncanny feeling we can't compare to anything else in the online slot world. Of course, always pay attention to your balance when playing for real money, and if you're just looking for entertainment, have a go in the demo mode without any risks. Unlike other games, Reapers is super-fun to play, even if you remove the gambling element.

Print Studios didn't hold back at all in producing this masterpiece, as, in our opinion, it has everything an innovative and ambitious slot should. Starting from a meticulously-crafted mathematical profile based on ingenious features delivering loads of excitement, then balanced and neat graphics accompanied by perfectly matching sounds, finishing on immersive storytelling and ultimate coherence between mechanics and the theme. There's nothing else to say other than it's a must-play for any slots enthusiast looking for dynamic gameplay filled with unique features and solid win potential.