In the vast expanse of online casinos and slot games, few have managed to stand out as much as NetEnt’s Starburst. This highly-acclaimed game has been a staple in many gaming enthusiasts’ collections for years, offering an unparalleled blend of entertainment value and potential winnings.

The Theme: Fruitful Fun

Starburst is set against the backdrop of a vibrant fruit-filled arcade, complete with pixelated graphics that harken back to the good old days of video games. The theme itself revolves around classic 80s-style arcade fun, Starburst demo transporting players to a realm where fruits, stars, and gems fill the reels.

The game’s developers have carefully crafted each aspect of its design to perfectly capture this retro aesthetic, from the futuristic-sounding soundtrack to the colorful, glowing icons on the reels themselves. It’s an instantly recognizable theme that immediately immerses players in the Starburst universe.

Visual Design: Eye-Catching Reels

One of the standout features of Starburst is undoubtedly its visual design. The game boasts a level of polish and sophistication unmatched by many of its contemporaries, making it one of the most visually stunning slots on offer today.

The main screen itself takes center stage in this production, displaying seven vertical reels that fill the majority of the frame. Below these lies the control panel where players can adjust their wagering settings and monitor any accumulated winnings. On either side of the reels are two smaller screens that house the game’s unique Expanding Wilds feature, a more on which will be delved into later.

A range of high-quality graphics imbues the Starburst experience with an air of sophistication. Vibrant colors – often at odds with each other in striking contrast – create an unmistakable atmosphere, encapsulating everything from neon lights to classic video game-style fonts.

Symbols and Payouts: Meet the Fruit

As befits a fruit-filled slot like Starburst, there’s no shortage of colorful characters to get familiarized with. Players will come across five main symbols on each reel:

1. Twin Bars (5x): These striped bars offer one of the highest regular payouts in the game.
2. Single Bar (4x): Similar to its Twin Bar cousin, Single Bars offer a decent amount for matching combinations.
3. Sevens (5x): The classic seven is synonymous with fruit slots; it’s no surprise that Starburst follows suit by offering an impressive payout rate in this title as well.

A lone ‘Expander’ Wild serves as the fifth main symbol, but more on its remarkable abilities will be covered below. Two lower-paying symbols – the Seven and Diamond – appear less frequently than their counterparts above, yet still offer sufficient rewards for dedicated slot enthusiasts.

Wild Symbols: Expanding with Ease

Nowhere is Starburst’s attention to detail on full display as in the realm of Wilds, which have undergone a significant transformation within this slot. Instead of behaving like standard substitutes that complete winning combinations by themselves (as would be expected), these ‘Expander’ Wild icons serve an even more critical function: they expand across entire reels upon landing.

Upon activation of one or two Expanding Wild symbols during normal play – achieved simply through spinning the reels or as a result of other in-game events, including Free Spins and bonus rounds (as detailed later) – these expanding behemoths will immediately engulf each reel on which it appears. With this transformation comes the potential to trigger impressive combos that have previously gone unnoticed by less fortunate players.

In an exciting twist for some and surprise drawback to others, there’s a catch here: Expander Wilds don’t pay out separately from other combinations – they merely facilitate higher-scoring combinations by expanding across reels where their standard counterparts (matching symbol) reside.

Scatter Symbols: Stellar Opportunities Ahead

While not as overtly complex or unique as its Wild cousin, the Starburst Scatter holds a significant role in game progression.

Unsurprisingly given its name and design aesthetic, landing at least one of these icons triggers an avalanche effect on reels adjacent to said occurrence – which may bring even more opportunities for new winning combinations. For each Scattered Star icon (as opposed to an Expander) that lands during playtime (i.e., the scatter symbol ‘counts’ as any other combination), a total of up to 100 paylines becomes active simultaneously.

However, unlike some games where free spins are awarded without even having reached this point in gameplay yet; or after you’d lost all your balance – here we have it: The initial amount is just three stars (to form a winning combo) and no more than that number at any given time will ‘open the gates’ for real.