Item: Brainwashed Pokie Review
Rating: 8.3
Author: Noah Williams

Noah Williams Updated on:November 20, 2025

Brainwashed by Shady Lady isn’t just another pokie game; it plunges into the unsettling depths of America in the 60s & 70s, before the days of MTV. Beyond the surface of peace and psychedelic music, it delivers a sharp and often disturbing state of mind control, and cult influence.

But apart from that, it’s tons of fun! Like many free pokies in Australia, it mixes eerie humour with punchy mechanics, delivering a unique gameplay loop that’s as chaotic as it is clever. Expect brain-bending bonuses and disturbing charm that’ll either reel you in or freak you out.

Quick Facts

Max Payout up to 20.000

Slot Type
5-Reel

Payout %
96.3

Min/Max Bet
0.10/100 credit

Pokie Volatility
High

No. of Paylines
30

Software Developer
Shady Lady

Jackpot Type
In House

Android

iOS

Browser

Play For Real Money

Table of Contents

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Editor's Verdict of Brainwashed

Pros

Truly original cult-themed concept
Low minimum bet suits all bankrolls
Brain Collector feature is both fun and tactical
Stackable Multipliers up to 666x
Smart Bonus game layering

Cons

High volatility won’t suit cautious players
Theme may be a bit full-on for some

Brainwashed is a rare beast. Strange, strategic, and relentlessly entertaining. Shady Lady dials up the weirdness with a cult-themed pokie that doesn’t just look unique, it plays like nothing else. The Brain Collector system is clever, especially when it builds across spins, and the Free Spins round is proper chaos in all the best ways. If you’re tired of rinse-and-repeat pokies, this one hits different.

Ratings Breakdown

Jackpots & Bonus Games

Graphics & Audio

Ease-of-Use & Gameplay

Payout

Mobile Compatibility

Fun

Gameplay and Design

Brainwashed takes place in a drab cult town stuck in a time warp. The 5×4 reel setup uses 30 fixed paylines, triggering wins from left to right. The interface is tight, mobile-friendly, and visually arresting in all the right ways. Symbols range from darkly comical to downright unsettling: think “I’m in a Cult” pins, poisoned mugs, syringes, and deranged cult leaders. The leader is the top-paying symbol, coughing up 20x your stake for five on a line. It’s wild, but never messy, every spin feels deliberate.

Brainwashed online pokie by Shady Lady bonus features

Jackpots and Bonus Games

This pokie doesn’t coast on visuals. It backs up the style with six separate features: three base-game modifiers and three Bonus Rounds.

Brain Collectors:
Special Collectors appear on reels in three types:

Green Collector: Collects Brain values on its marked position.
Blue Collector: Does the same, but adds values of all Brains above it on the reel.
Red Collector: Collects and multiplies all Brains on and above its marked position (+1x per Brain).

Brain Stacks:
Brains can appear stacked across all reels, holding Multipliers from 1x up to a monstrous 666x. In Free Spins mode, snagging the Golden Brain (only once per session) doubles your follower count instantly. It’s a brutal burst of win potential.

Free Spins:
Land 3 Scatters to get 6 Free Spins. The triggering symbols transform into Brain Collectors, and new ones can drop randomly. Red Collectors keep their Multipliers across all spins, creating exponential win potential. Wins are tallied on an in-game TV screen for a satisfying final payout. Bonus: “Extra Days” symbols = +1 Free Spin each.

RTP & Volatility

At 96.3% RTP, Brainwashed sits solidly in the fair-return range. But this is a high-volatility beast. Wins can feel few and far between, but when they hit, they hit hard. This one’s for punters who live for the long game and love chasing the big one. Looking for other options with serious payout power? You might want to explore our picks for the best paying online pokies.

Mobile Play

Shady Lady delivers a slick mobile experience. Built with HTML5, Brainwashed loads fast and plays smooth on both Android and iOS devices. Touch controls are responsive, and all features function without compromise on smaller screens.

Software Provider

Few developers have entered the pokie scene with a voice as distinct as Shady Lady. From the jump, their style has leaned toward the strange, the subversive, and the mechanical, favouring games that challenge genre norms. While most new studios chase broad appeal with glossy fruit themes or ancient Egypt clones, Shady Lady leans into niche design, building titles around tension, humour, and unpredictability. Their earlier release, Devil’s Finger, hinted at a studio unafraid to push boundaries. But Brainwashed cements their design philosophy: feature-first pokies that are layered, unpredictable, and thematically bold. If it’s a taste of what’s to come, then Shady Lady is shaping up to be one of the most interesting new developers in the Aussie-facing pokie space.

Conclusion

Brainwashed is a bold, brash, and brilliant pokie. Between its twisted theme, six core features, and huge 20,000x potential, it’s a ride worth taking, if you can stomach the weirdness. High-volatility thrill-seekers will love it. Casuals might want to warm up with something gentler, but for those chasing something truly different? Brainwashed is unmissable.

Brainwashed FAQs

While the setting echoes infamous cult imagery from the '60s and '70s, Brainwashed is a fictional creation. Its exaggerated tone and satirical edge are purely designed for entertainment.