Starburst

In a day and age where online slots are graded based on the availability of complicated formats and extensive bonus features, the Starburst video slot from Netent wraps its charm around the game's simplicity.

Introduced in 2012, this game remains a popular video slot throughout many parts of the world. Some of the game's popularity comes from the 500 coin payout a player can earn with a wager of only 1 coin. With a maximum of wager of €/$100, players could land a jackpot of an impressive €/$ 50,000.

How It Works

With the theme built around bursting stars and precious gems, Starburst is an attractive, simplistic video slot. The game format comes with 5 reels, 3 rows and 10 pay lines. Oh, pay lines actually pay in both directions (left and right), a new feature that was offered by Netent at the time this slot first came to market. With pay lines paying in both directions, it increases the total number of possible pay lines to 20.

According to recent game audits, this slot has a Return to Player (RTP) percentage of just over 96% with a volatility/variance rating of low. The RTP percentage represents the percentage of each €/$ 1 the game will return to players over any extended period of time. Volatility represents the risk level the game offers.

Players are able to designate coin value with a available range of between 1c up to €/$ 1 per coin. They are also permitted to select the number of coins to be wagered on each spin. The minimum wager is 1 coin per pay line up to a maximum wager of 10 coins per pay line. Based on calculations, the minimum wager allowed would be 10p with a maximum wager of the aforementioned €/$ 100.

Symbols and Special Features

Given the game's simplicity, the number of game symbols is very limited. The lowest paying symbols are represented by colored gems (yellow, blue, green, orange and purple violets. The Lucky 7 symbol would be next highest paying symbol followed by the Gold Bar Planet symbol, which represents the game's highest paying symbol (250 coins per 1 for 5 consecutive symbols, 200 coins per 1 for 4 consecutive symbols and 50 coins per 1 for 3 consecutive symbols).

The game's wild symbol is represented by a multicolored bursting star, which only appears on reels 2, 3 and 4. The wild symbol will act as a substitute for any of the game's other symbols. It's noteworthy this slot does not have a scatter symbol, which is traditional for games that offer special bonus features. That translates to a game with no free spins and no bonus spins.

The game's only bonus feature is the "Expanding Wild Re-Spin Feature." When the multi-color star wild appears, it immediately expands to cover the entire reel. For each reel upon which the wild symbol appears, the player will get one free re-spin. If the wild symbol appears on all three middle reels, the player will be rewarded with the maximum of three free re-spins.

Conclusion

Given it's legendary status within the online casino industry, one would think that Starburst is a modern day video slot with amazing bonus features and big payouts. In fact, this is a very simple video slot. With limited visual and audio effects, this game is ideally suited for slot players who just want to sit back, relax and spin the reels. With a maximum payout of €/$ 50,000, the game does have some appeal to high rollers. With that said, it's clear that Netent designed this game specifically with recreational slot players in mind. Even without bonus spins and free spins, this game is worthy of consideration.