Starburst Review and Demo

Starburst Slot Review

Created by NetEnt, the Starburst slot exploded onto the iGaming scene in 2012. The slot enjoys consistent praise for its easy-to-understand gameplay and rewarding expanding wilds feature.

Starburst is among the top-rated NetEnt games, along with titles such as Dead or Alive and Gonzo’s Quest. These boast high RTP rates (96.8% and 95.97%) and solidify NetEnt’s reputation for producing visually polished and highly engaging slot games.

Category	Detail
Game Title	Starburst
Software provider	NetEnt
RTP	96.08%
Volatility	Low
Max Win	800x
Theme	Cosmic
Key Mechanics	Expanding Wilds, Starburst Wild Symbols, Respin Mechanic and Win Both Ways

Starburst Gameplay

As a low volatility slot, Starburst rewards players with low to moderate winnings every few spins. Combined with the straightforward gameplay, this makes the slot well-suited to players who want to preserve their bankroll for extended periods of time. Thanks to the somewhat regular payouts and fast-paced action, Starburst is suited to shorter gaming sessions.

The game has 10 fixed paylines and through the win both ways mechanic, the winning combinations can be scored in both directions. The maximum prize of 800x is low but unsurprising for a low volatility slot game. The table below outlines exactly how much players can win from a £1 stake:

Symbol	3 of a kind	4 of a kind	5 of a kind
Purple Gem	£0.50	£1.00	£2.50
Blue Gem	£0.50	£1.00	£2.50
Red Gem	£0.70	£1.50	£4.00
Green Gem	£0.80	£2.00	£5.00
Yellow Gem	£1.00	£2.50	£6.00
7 Planet	£2.50	£6.00	£12.00
Bar Planet	£5.00	£20.00	£25.00

When it comes to payments, the progression between symbols is small and steady up until the highest paying Bar Planet, which shoots up to a 20x and 25x your stake for landing four or five of a kind (respectively). That’s more than double the next highest paying symbol, 7 Planet, which only pays out 6x for four of a kind and 12x for five of a kind.

Unlike high volatility games where players hope to land life-changing wins, Starburst focus on steady payouts to prolong entertainment.

Graphics, Sounds and Vibes

Even though Starburst was released over a decade ago, the graphics are still impressive. This is because NetEnt is renowned for refined graphics and soundscapes in their game designs.

The classic 5x3 grid is set between two planets on a purple cosmic background. While the brightly coloured gem symbols glint against this dark backdrop, the effect isn’t exactly overwhelming compared to those of many other neon-themed slot titles.

The two highest paying symbols are decorated with planetary rings, which helps bring the slot theme to the forefront whilst simultaneously setting those symbols apart from the less valuable ones.

Electronic synth melodies and shimmering sound effects accompany the gameplay, emulating science fiction movies and video games. This creates an arcade-like atmosphere, suitable for the game’s primary audience: casual players.

As the game has a limited number of bonus features, there aren’t many moments when the music or visuals change. The only one of note is when the expanding wild symbols generate a big win. Here, a burst of light and a dramatic sequence of music amplify their appearance.

Starburst Slot on Mobile

Starburst maintains its desktop layout in both portrait and landscape mode on mobile devices. The same applies to the loading speed, smoothness of animations and ease of use, which stay at a first-rate level.

The most noticeable drawback is the size of the buttons in portrait mode. The smaller buttons and wasted space above and below the grid make it easier for players to mis-click. Nevertheless, the spin button is always large enough to be conveniently within reach.

Starburst Slot Bonus Features

Starburst’s easygoing game flow comes at the expense of a limited number of bonus features. Apart from regular paylines, earning more meaningful winnings comes down to landing the expanding wild.

Starburst Wild Symbols

The ‘Starburst’ Expanding Wild Symbol is the game’s main bonus feature. When it lands on the leftmost and rightmost reels, it acts as a normal wild symbol, but when it lands on the three middle reels, it extends to fill the entire column (and activates the respin). By expanding and substituting several symbols on the board, the wild symbol increases the potential for higher payouts.

Re-spin Mechanic

On top of expanding and unlocking more winning paylines from a single spin, every time a wild symbol lands, it triggers the re-spin mechanic. This automatically gives the player an additional spin. The wild symbol is sticky, meaning that it stays on the grid while the respin takes place. If more wild symbols land and expand, more re-spins are triggered. By building on one another, the re-spins can lead to the 800x max win.

Starburst Slot Wagering Details

A slot’s technical information is the best indicator of the type of play that it’s suited for. This includes factors like return-to-player (RTP) rate, volatility, bet size, as well as the average bonus frequency rate.

RTP and Volatility

The Starburst slot RTP rate is 96.08%, just above the 94-96% average for slot games in the UK. Coupled with the low volatility, players can expect Starburst to pay out frequently with amounts that keep their funds on a steady level. NetEnt slot sites state that the game’s hit frequency is 23%, which indicates that roughly one in four spins pays out.

Bet Sizes and Variance

The minimum bet is only £0.10. For players in Great Britain, the UKGC enforces a maximum stake limit on slot games, which varies based on age. The maximum bet for players aged between 18 and 24 is £2 and £5 for players aged 25 or over.

Jackpots and Best Wins

Starburst doesn’t offer either fixed or progressive jackpots and the maximum win is only 800x. This ties into the slot’s low volatility rating, which offers players less risky gameplay in exchange for lower rewards.

Bonus Frequency

The wild symbol bonus feature appears often, approximately once in every 20 spins. However, as discussed previously, this means the bonus is not very generous compared to those from other slot games.

Testing the Starburst Slot with a £50 Bankroll

In order to assess how the game performs with a budget in mind, I used the Starburst slot demo with an imaginary £50 limit. I spent £1 per spin, meaning I had 50 spins in total.

My first win happened on my 5th spin, where I scored £6.00 without the help of any wild symbols. I then proceeded to get £1.50, £2.50 and £1.00 from the 8th, 9th and 10th spins. On spin number 13, I won £10 by landing an Expanding Wild on the third reel.

My biggest win of the gaming session happened early on in my session when I got £21.00 from my 15th spin through the Expanding Wild and Re-spin mechanic. From this point on, I mostly encountered smaller, but still meaningful wins (ranging between £1.40 and £4.00). On my 39th spin, I landed £12.50, which I was a little surprised by. This, combined with the £5.00 and £3.50 I got from my last two spins, meant I easily secured an overall profit.

Slot	Starburst	Big Bass Bonanza	Rainbow Riches
Developer	NetEnt	Pragmatic Play	Light and Wonder / Barcrest
RTP	96.08%	96.71%	95%
Max Win	800x	2,100x	500x
Volatility	Low	Medium	Medium
Theme	Cosmic	Fishing	Irish
Bonus Features	Expanding Wilds, Starburst Wild Symbols, Respin Mechanic, Win Both Way	Fisherman Wild Symbol, Free Spins Bonus, Cash Collect Feature, Multipliers	Wild Symbols, Scatter Symbols, Three Bonus Games, Multipliers

Big Bass Bonanza is a UK classic. Like Starburst, it has a slightly above-average RTP, but where Starburst only has a basic respin bonus, Big Bass Bonanza has a free spins round with retrigger multipliers. Its 2,100x maximum win is big and with medium volatility, it offers a little bit more excitement than Starburst’s gameplay.

Rainbow Riches is also a medium volatility slot, but with only an average RTP rate and the lowest maximum win of all the slots listed above. That said, it has three different bonus games, creating more opportunities for higher value wins.

Overall, Starburst is still the safest choice for casual players who are looking for stability, but Big Bass Bonanza and Rainbow Riches certainly have innovative features for those looking to branch out.

Does CasinoTopsOnline Recommend Starburst?

Absolutely. As mentioned throughout this review, the Starburst online slot is perfect for different kinds of recreational players. This is thanks to the low volatility and high RTP rate, whether you want a shorter or longer game session. Plus, the graphics look like they could’ve been released yesterday, not in the 2010s. While there is a lack of bonus features, the title has obviously been designed to be accessible and I feel that they’ve struck the right balance there.