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14 February 2023 
We’re heading on a starbound adventure once more as NetEnt take us back to one of the most renowned slots to date in Starburst XXXtreme!
Starburst is a slot that has earned a special place in iGaming history, and even years after its release it still stands tall as a very popular go-to for many players. Dubbed as the ‘new star in the galaxy’ NetEnt are proud to present Starburst XXXtreme as a slot with all of the essence of the original, but with cranked up volatility and much, MUCH higher potential.
Is Starburst XXXtreme extreme enough to warrant 3 X’s? or are NetEnt making bold claims? We don’t need much convincing to take a voyage into space, so we’re more than happy to find out for ourselves.
Join us aboard the big win shuttle in this Starburst XXXtreme review to find out how different this game is from it’s legendary sister slot.
Starburst XXXtreme Slot Theme
Loading up Starburst XXXtreme gives you an unrivalled feeling of nostalgia. Almost a decade has passed since Starburst shook the iGaming industry, and here we are yet again voyaging into the unknown.
Visually, everything looks pretty much like it did in the original Starburst Slot. The background shows nothing but the vast emptiness of space and a couple of planets at the corners of the screen, and the interstellar music to go with it also induces fond memories of a slot that continues to entertain many to this very day.
Sequels often warrant a grandiose redesign, but Starbust was so aesthetically pleasing with graphics that still hold up today. You could consider Starburst an international treasure, and as such NetEnt were probably very careful with how they handled a follow up to something that had such a profound impact. The best solution of course was to keep everything more or less the same, which we think is perfect for Starbust.
Of course, not everything has stayed the same, quite the opposite has happened in fact with the math model.
Starburst XXXtreme: Betting and Symbols
Betting options for standard play in Starburst XXXtreme are very extensive with options that range from £/€0.10 per spin to £/€50 per spin, but the stake my deviate heavily depending on whether you activate XXXtreme spins…More on that below.
As for the symbols, things have once again stayed very much the same with the Bar and 7 as the highest paying symbols. Yellow, Green, Red, Blue and Purple symbols are also present and accounted for as the lower paying symbols. The Starburst Wild Symbol also makes a very welcome return, and it’s had a little bit of an upgrade since the original Starburst
Starburst XXXtreme Features
One of the most notable changes you’ll notice when you play Starbust XXXtreme is how it’s opted for a left to right pay lines instead of the system used in Starburst in which it paid both ways.
To form a win, you’ll need at least 3 of any smybols to connect from left to right along any of the 9 fixed pay lines. Removing the system that pays both ways might sound like a bit of a step back, but you’ll understand why they’ve opted to ditch it when you consider the multitude of different features at play in Starburst XXXtreme.
Starburst Wild Symbol
The Starburst Wild Symbol makes its grandiose return and it’s packing a lot more punch than it was before. The Wild may appear on reels 2, 3 and 4, and it will always become a stacked symbol once it lands in view.
Unlike the original slot, the Starburst Wild symbol will now award a random multiplier of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100 or x150. If more than one of these appear in view, then both will gain multipliers which are then calculated as a sum total multiplier. When a Wild lands, the reels will respin with the new Starburst Wild Symbol locked in place, which gives you a chance to hit another win.
The multipliers that these Wilds are now capable of makes them infinitely more exciting than they were in the original slot with multipliers that can reach a staggering 450x, and Starburst XXXtreme isn’t done quite yet.
Random Wilds Feature
The Random Wilds feature may be randomly activated after a regular spin or a Re-Spin. This feature may activate 1 to 3 Starburst Wild Symbols on reels 2, 3 and 4.
These Random Wilds will also gain Multipliers, so its a great extra to have as a random feature.
XXXtreme Spins
Xtreme Spins is where Starburst XXXtreme really starts to shine. This optional feature can be triggered at any time, and it serves to guarantee you 1 or 2 Starburst Wild Symbols on every spin at the cost of a stake increase.
- 10x Your Bet – 1 Guaranteed Starburst Wild Symbol per spin.
- 95x Your Bet – 2 Guaranteed Starburst Wild Symbols per spin.
RTP will vary if you’re utilising this feature, so you can expect 96.26%-96.45% depending on the option you choose.
When activated, the Guaranteed Wilds will act the same as they do as the Wilds that land naturally in normal play. A random Multiplier will be given to one or both of the Wild Symbols, and they’ll lock to award a Re-Spin once they land.
One thing to note is that the XXXtreme Spins are not a bonus buy. The re-calculated price when XXXtreme Spins are active is per spin, so caution should be taken in how you utilise this feature.
Starburst XXXtreme Slot: Our Verdict
We spent a lot of time thinking about the similarities and differences between the original Starbust and Starburst XXXtreme, and we’ve concluded that both are strikingly similar yet staggeringly different.
The very essence of the original slot has been kept alive and well. When you first see Starburst XXXtreme you’re left without a doubt about what you’re playing, but when you start to spin then the reels then you’ll find that the g-force of the Starburst shuttle has taken you by surprise with vastly improved features and incomprehensible potential.
The original Starburst was relatively low on the volatility scale, but with a name like Starburst XXXtreme you can safely say that this slot is anything but. Win capabilities are out of this world with a stated maximum possible cap of 200,000x, which takes the Starburst series to a whole new level.
There’s certainly a fondness for the original game but you can’t say that it’s the most exciting slot ever made, so its surprising to see just how exciting Starburst XXXtreme is in comparison. Whatever your opinion on the Starburst series, you’ve got to commend NetEnt for tweaking it in such a manner that it becomes a whole different ball game.
Welcome Bonus
