Starburst is a five-reel ten-payline slot from NetEnt. It has a few special features which, taken together, make it unique among slots and explains its enduring popularity.
Winning in Two Directions Means More Wins
The first unique feature is that you can win going from either left to right or from right to left. The only caveat is that, as is most common on slots, you must start your winning sequence from the outermost reel.
Fewer Symbols Mean More Wins
The second excellent feature is that Starburst has only seven symbols in addition to the wild symbol. Most slots reduce the chances for a winning combination by putting twelve symbols on the screen so, by having only seven symbols and the wild, Starburst makes creating winning sequences far more likely.
The symbols are what make Starburst so visually appealing. There are five differently-shaped, glistening and glittering gems in purple, green, blue, orange, and yellow. To these attractive symbols are added the bar symbol which awards the highest payouts and the seven symbol.
Stacked Wild Symbols Mean More Wins
The third and most extraordinary unique feature of Starburst is the expanding wild symbol. The wild is a star-shaped symbol that incorporates all the colors of the game’s gemstones to present a wonderfully appealing symbol. It can appear on the second, third, or fourth reel and, when it does, it expands to fill all three rows of that reel. In this way, it can create a winning combination where there may not have been one.
Then, after the wild symbol expands to fill the reel, you get a single free spin on the other reels with the stacked wild symbol remaining in place on its non-spinning reel. We cannot overstate the advantage you have in the free spin when it begins with a reel stacked of wild symbols.
If you get another wild symbol on your free spin, it too stays in place for another free spin. Thus you can get up to three free spins in any single free-spin bonus. Unlike most slots where you need three scatter symbols to get free spins, in Starburst you need only a single wild symbol to get a free spin.
Lots of Big Wins
The maximum win in Starburst is 50,000 coins which can be achieved when you get three free spins. These are a bit rare of course but wins in the hundreds of coins are very common in Starburst.