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Walk into almost any casino and you’ll see rows of brightly colored, noisy slot machines with players piling in a constant stream of coins in the hopes of the reels aligning for a big jackpot win.
Slot machines are simple to play, fun to look at, and offer instant excitement, which has made them a popular casino staple. This popularity has transferred to the online gambling space and now online casinos hold hundreds of virtual slot machines where people can play to win real money.
One of the most well-known and loved online games is Starburst, which has been around since 2012. The game features prominently on the majority of “best virtuals slots” lists and roundups.
But what makes Starburst so popular and is it worth playing? Continuing reading to find out with our Starburst online slot machine review.
Starburst Overview
Starburst was released by NetEnt back in 2012 and quickly became popular among the virtual slots community. The game features a vivid, colorful design with a modern-looking space theme, which has been achieved with sharp graphics that still hold up very well today.
To go along with the pleasing aesthetic, the background music adds to the space vibe of the game and helps to keep the player engaged. All of the additional sound effects are crisp and also align well with the game’s theme.
A huge reason for the popularity of Starburst is the simplicity of the game. There are 5 reels that aren’t crowded with confusing graphics or features. All of which makes the game easy to play and fast-paced so it is suited to players of all levels.
Winning on Starburst
As mentioned, Starburst is a 5-reel slot game and each of the 5 reels has 3 rows. The reels display 5 colored gem symbols in addition to the traditional Bar and Lucky 7 symbols.
The game has 10 fixed pay lines where you can win by matching 3, 4, or 5 symbols. Starburst also features “win both ways” technology, which means you can match symbols on adjacent reels from both left-to-right and right-to-left.
The minimum and maximum wagers are 1 and 10 coins per line respectively.
The jackpot win is 250X your stake, which is achieved by lining up 5 golden Bar symbols. Initially, a 250X jackpot seems much lower than many other slot machines but the win-both-ways technology means this can be doubled to 500X.
Starburst Payouts Overview
Bar
3 symbols = x50, 4 symbols = x200, 5 symbols = x250
7
3 symbols = x25, 4 symbols = x60, 5 symbols = x120
Yellow Gem
3 symbols = x10, 4 symbols = x25, 5 symbols = x60
Green Gem
3 symbols = x8, 4 symbols = x20, 5 symbols = x50
Orange Gem
3 symbols = x7, 4 symbols = x15, 5 symbols = x40
Blue Gem
3 symbols = x5, 4 symbols = x10, 5 symbols = x25
Purple Gem
3 symbols = x5, 4 symbols = x10, 5 symbols = x25
Aside from the symbols discussed above, there is one more symbol on the Starburst reels known as the Wild symbol, which represents the game’s bonus feature.
Starburst Bonus Features
Most virtual slot machines come with a variety of bonuses, free spins, or “mega spins” that are handed to the player throughout the game. However, Starburst is slightly different on this front since it only offers a single bonus feature.
The bonus feature is the Starburst Wilds, which can land on reels 2,3, or 4. These Wilds act like standard Wild symbols by substituting the standard symbols and giving their corresponding payouts. As an example, 3 Lucky 7s and a Wild would payout the same x60 as 4 Lucky 7s.
In addition to this, the Starburst Wilds have bonus properties. They expand to fill the reel, lock the reel in place, and trigger a re-spin. On the respin, if another wild lands, it will also expand and trigger another re-spin. You can get a maximum number of 3 re-spins.
Although the Starburst Wilds is the only bonus feature, it can be very powerful and is a kind of combination feature since it awards both free spins and you get the bonus of the Wilds, which makes it easier to match up high-paying symbols on the reels.
Starburst RTP and Hit Frequency
The RTP (return to player) is the standard way players judge the potential profitability of a slot machine. The RTP is a theoretical percentage of the money wagered that is paid out as winnings.
Starburst’s RTP is 96.09%. So, in theory, for every $100 that is wagered, $96.09 is paid out to the player as winnings. The RTP of some slot machines can be as low as 75% while others reach 99%.
The hit frequency of Starburst is 22.65% so you’ll get a win every 5 spins.
Starburst Final Verdict
Starburst is an attractive, easy to play game that will appeal to a huge range of players. This simplicity makes it ideal for beginners who could be confused or overwhelmed by the busy screens of more complex games.
The generous RTP couple with a high hit frequency makes for fast-paced, gratifying gameplay that entertains and mesmerizes.
Finally, Starburst is available on desktop and multiple mobile platforms so it is extremely accessible.