Starburst Slot
The Starburst slot has long been a popular title in NetEnt’s catalog, its space-themed aesthetic having remained popular ever since it was introduced in November 2013. Despite being one of the developer’s older online casino slots, it still holds up impressively today, partially down to the colorful, timeless visuals it presents. The vibrant visuals and gemstone symbols are just one element behind the popularity of the Starburst slot, though, as the expanding wilds and their accompanying respins bonus feature are what defined this release early on.
Starburst Game Design
The dark cosmos of outer space is the setting for the Starburst slot, something that is implied by the name alone. A single planet can be seen in the distance, its atmosphere glowing bright pink. Across the purple vacuum above, though, are a number of twinkling yellow stars, all of which brighten and dim as the reels are spun.
At the top of the playscreen, the shooting star-backed logo is visible, its purple lettering matching the color of the backdrop. Games like Space Wars Megaways XXXTreme and Hyper Nova Megaways also feature space-inspired aesthetics; however, the Starburst slot at hand was one of the first to popularize the genre.
Starburst Mechanics
In terms of the style of gameplay in the Starburst slot, this takes place across a fairly standard 5x3 set of reels that are divided by neon purple lines. NetEnt has spread 10 fixed paylines across the playtable here, with their unique routes being overlaid onto the reels when hovering over the numbers on either side of the screen.
All play buttons are on a separate purple meter beneath play here, and when pressing the spin button, 3 or more matching symbols need to land on the same payline to potentially trigger a return. All combinations must move across consecutive reels and have no gaps to be valid. NetEnt has also made sure that the Starburst slot doesn't lose any quality on computers, smartphones, or tablets either, with the HTML5 software supporting cross-device play at PlayStar Casino.
Starburst Slot Symbols
No playing card imagery from online table games has been used for the symbols in the Starburst slot. Instead, the entirety of the paytable consists of shining gemstones and a series of planets that have fruit machine icons displayed on top of them. By adhering to the space aesthetic, these symbols further reinforce the theme in play.
The multicolored star is the only bonus symbol that NetEnt has added to the Starburst slot. This is a wild; however, it is slightly more nuanced than the ones found in most regular casino releases and Slingo games.
Starburst Bonus Features
Before actually getting into the properties of the wild in the Starburst slot, we must first break down how the payline system works slightly differently from many titles. The 10 set paylines in this game not only work from left to right like most slot games do, but also in the opposite direction across the playtable. This is because of the ‘both ways’ engine that NetEnt has integrated, adding some more depth to the base and bonus gameplay.
Starburst Wilds
Moving onto the multicolored star wilds in the Starburst slot, these are able to substitute in place of any gemstone or planet symbols in the case they land in a position to do so. It is worth noting that these can only appear on the central 2nd, 3rd, and 4th reels of play, though. If one of these appears following a spin, this could see it expand and fill a full column, like the wilds seen in Cleopatra Gold. Following this, the expanded star wild locks in place, whilst all other reels on the playgrid are spun again. If any further multicolored stars are landed in this respin, this could retrigger the feature.
There are no out-and-out free spins rounds in the Starburst slot; however, the inclusion of this respin feature and the nuanced wilds make up for this fact.
Play Starburst at PlayStar Casino
The vibrant visuals of the cosmos pair flawlessly with the creative respin bonus mechanic and expanding wilds in the Starburst slot, showcasing NetEnt's renowned game craft. As the experience provided by this title is such a refined one, it is clear to see why it has remained a staple ever since making its debut back in 2013.
NetEnt has also been behind some other highly popular casino releases, such as the original Gonzo’s Quest and Twin Spin Megaways, if you are impressed by this innovative Starburst slot.
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