Gearlab Genius

Gearlab Genius Review

Gearlab Genius is a steampunk style online slot presented by Bullshark Games and scheduled for release in the last days of May. The game offers a Multiway payout system and a number of features available in all stages. They become more frequent and lavish during the bonus modes, which are accessible in several ways. So, if you are into designing and crafting things, using only your brain, hands, and several tools, this virtual workshop might be worth a look!

Bullshark Games is still a relatively new game-developing studio, although it already has more than 30 released or scheduled slots. It operates within the Hacksaw Gaming ecosystem, powered by the provider’s tech and software. In 2025, Bullshark Games won a “Game Provider Award” in the “Bonus Buy” category. It was also shortlisted for SlotCatalog’s “Rookie of the Year” at the SBC Awards Europe 2025 and was nominated across other events in categories like “Best New Slot”, “Best Bonus Buy Slot”, and “Rising Star Game Developer”.

Gearlab Genius comes with a 5x4 grid set in a clever mechanical lab and the Multiway engine generates 1,024 ways to win. Combinations must start from the leftmost side of the board and continue to the right on adjacent reels. Bullshark has added several intriguing features, like Synced Reels, Super Reels, and Reel Multipliers. You can test them all in the Gearlab Genius demo, thanks to the Buy Bonus options.

Gearlab Genius Slot - Reels Screen

Gearlab Genius is packed with several regular symbols with theme-related designs, and they all pay for 3 to 5 of a kind. Goggles stay on top with 2x to 3x, followed by Top Hats - 1.50x to 2.50x, Mechanical Watches - 1x to 2x, Mechanical Hands - 0.70x to 1.50x, and Spanners - 0.50x to 1x. The low-valued regulars are card royalties from A to 10, paying between 0.10x and 0.70x the bet.

The red-haired female scientist plays the role of a wild symbol and substitutes for all the regulars. Thus, she helps you collect payouts more frequently, and she even pays 5x the bet, if you line up 5 wilds on a winning way. In short, these are not the highest symbol payouts I've ever seen, but a few spins will convince you that they are just fine! Bets range from €0.10 up to €100 per spin.

The Gearlab Genius RTP ranges, and Bullshark Gaming plans to release two versions with rates of 96.28% and 94.31%. Both will feature medium levels of volatility - 3 out of 5 on the meter. You’ll experience a rather average hit frequency of 25.01% - 25.22%, and will have the chance to win a sweet Gearlab Genius max win of 10,000x the bet.

Gearlab Genius Features

As I already mentioned, Gearlab Genius offers Synched Reels, Reel Multipliers, and Super Reels in the base game. They are also enhanced in the Free Spins bonus minigames. As usual with mechanical things, the effect is greater if you manage to combine 2 or ideally, all 3 of the features. Let’s check on their blueprints and see how they work:

Reel Multiplier & Synched Reels

Synched Reels is the mechanic under the spotlight in Gearlab Genius, but it works as usual. On any spin, base or bonus, a draw determines whether any reels will be synced. It is completely random, and if any become such, they will display exactly the same symbols. You can have 2, 3, 4, or 5 synchronized reels on each spin, with no need for them to be adjacent. Scatter symbols do not land on synced columns!

A multiplier field is available at the top of each reel, and during a spin, these fields may display a multiplier or not. The possible values are x2, x3, x4, x5, x10, x15, x20, x25, x50, and x100. The reel multipliers are additive and multiply the winning combinations that pass through them. There can be from 0 to 5 reels with multipliers per spin.

Super Reel

Each reel can become a Super Reel, regardless of whether it’s synched or not. If that happens, the respective column will be entirely covered by a stacked wild. If a synced reel is secreted to become a Super Reel, the feature will not pass to the other synced reels. There can be up to 5 Super Reels on a single spin!

Spark of Genius

Spark of Genius is the 1st bonus level in the Gearlab Genius slot and it requires 3 or 4 scatter symbols. They award 8 or 10 free spins, respectively, and each new scatter during the bonus adds an extra round. Spark of Genius keeps the base game mechanics, but every free spin is guaranteed to provide at least 2 synched reels.

Perfect Sync

Perfect Sync is the 2nd bonus level, and it activates with 12 free spins if 5 scatter symbols hit the grid. Scatters continue to add extra rounds as usual, and this mode keeps the Spark of Genius mechanics. In addition, at least 2 Reel Multipliers will be awarded on every spin.

Gearlab Genius Slot – Bonus Game Win Screen

Buy Bonus

The Buy Bonus menu provides a total of 4 ante bets and bonus buys at fixed prices. They all increase the slot’s volatility to High and Very High levels. The RTP rate mau also slightly change as shown below. Keep in mind that if the Bonus Buy features are not restricted in your region, they can be a vital part of a betting strategy. Here is what’s on the table:

• BonusHunt FeatureSpins - 3x the bet - it is 5 times more likely to trigger a Free Spins bonus (96.30%)
• Quick Fix FeatureSpins - 50x the bet - at least 3 reels will be synced, and you’ll get at least 2 Reel Multipliers (96.29%)
• Spark of Genius - 100x the bet - 3 or 4 scatter symbols are guaranteed to land (96.32%)
• Perfect Sync - 250x the bet - 5 scatter symbols are guaranteed to land (96.30%)

Theme & Graphics

Gearlab Genius has an intriguing theme as steampunk slots are not so common in the field. For example, this is the first for Bullshark, and Hacksaw actually has only one in its huge portfolio - Steamrunners. The studio has selected a heroine for this one and has packed her with mechanical arms and a few other gadgets. The crisp mechanics and premium visual effects add extra value to the game.

Same with the audio, which aims to enhance the player’s curiosity and take off the tension. The setting looks like a library, but it should be a workshop according to the intro. Our genius protagonist is holding a time piece and is perhaps working on a more sophisticated time device. In any case, the slot does build a relaxing atmosphere while triggering the multiply, sync, and transform features one after another.

Gearlab Genius Free Play

Have a demo session via the Gearlab Genius free play link at SlotCatalog and reveal all the secrets of the game yourself. You can practice whenever you want and with no limits whatsoever. Test betting techniques and your skills, and why not learn a trick or two? Once the game is officially released and you wish to make a few real spins, take a look at the verified Bullshark Games casino sites!

Pros And Cons Of Gearlab Genius Slot

Our Verdict

Gearlab Genius turned out to be quite a fascinating slot, despite its seemingly simple features. The game makes a wonderful first impression due to the steampunk design, clear visual performance, and smooth gameplay. Bullshark has selected an effective payout system with 1,024 ways but has excluded the stage 2 - cascades. Still, even with the slightly decreased symbol payouts, the slot is more than generous.

In terms of bonus features, the selection is also interesting. Synched Reels are far from being innovative, as they have a long history as part of online slots. If I narrow the search just to those two studios, I can rewind to 2022 and games like Buffalo Stack 'n' Sync and Alpha Eagle. The combination with Reel Multipliers and Super Reels is what makes the mechanic stand out and builds on its potential.

Bullshark Games has been standard for the Free Spins modes without adding anything new. While I like the final result, some fans might feel disappointed about that. Spark of Genius adds guaranteed synced reels per spin, while Perfect Sync adds guaranteed reel multipliers to them. It’s fun, especially when you realize that you can hit the win cap of a mouth-watering 10,000x in any game stage!