Star Staxx

Star Staxx: Slot Overview

Fads come and go, new threads, new sounds, new ways of thinking, but some stick. And one that's about as sticky as they get is retro, fruity, star, diamond, classic slots. True, there is a lot of room for manoeuvring within the classic slot category, which helps keep it fresh, relatively speaking. Within the broader format, studios have the opportunity to inject new features and gameplay limited only by their imagination. So, like a haiku, despite constraints, there is a certain freedom of expression as well. Having another go at the classic gaming with a twist format is developer Stakelogic, with an online slot called Star Staxx, which marries traditional slot elements with newer mechanical parts.

Let's start with the traditional bits, and one quick glance is enough to confirm Star Staxx's lean to the classic side of things. Interestingly, one of the info pages classes this as a 'cosmic themed' slot, as evidenced by the purplish star-filled background image. Since Star Staxx doesn't have a separate bonus round, this is pretty much it as far as building a scene goes. The game grid is covered in bold symbols that gave Star Staxx a faintly Big Time Gaming Opal Fruits-ish feel. There's not a ton else to say really about the sights and sounds; it's a game that's built for a specific taste.

A key part of the construction is the active gaming area itself which is split into two parts. The lower, larger part is where the regular symbols land and consists of 5-reels, 3-rows, and 20 fixed paylines. To win, matching symbols must land on a payline over at least three consecutive reels, but they can start from the left side or the right side of the grid. Star Staxx pays both ways, in other words. Medium-high volatile, the maximum RTP figure clocks in at 95.93%, with no mention of whether it changes when the Super Stake feature is switched on or off. When it's off, each paid spin costs 20 p/c to $/€200, or double when Super Stake is activated. The benefit of having it on is that more star symbols land on the reels.

Next on the list are the regular pay symbols, and there are ten of them in total. The first four lower pays are J-A card icons, followed up by watermelons, cherries, bells, Bars, sevens, and diamonds. Royals pay 0.5 to 5 times the stake for five-of-a-kind, bumping up to 5 to 50 times the bet for five of the higher-pays. Perhaps to counterbalance the pay both ways detail, Star Staxx does not drop wilds onto the reels at any time.

Star Staxx: Slot Features

Moving on to features, this is where the upper Prize Reel comes into play. The Prize Reel sits atop the main grid, where Extra Spin or Bonus Win rewards are displayed. On each spin, the rewards on the Prize Reel move one position to the left, with new ones appearing on the rightmost position. Bonus Win symbols can possess values of 1x to 2,500x the bet, and Extra Spin symbols will either give +1 or +2 spins.

To get your hands on the rewards from the Prize Reels requires landing Star symbols on the main reels. Each Star symbol landing on a reel awards the Bonus Win or Extra Spin prize located directly above it. When winning Extra Spins, the total amount won is added together when awarded. Free Spins are literally free base game spins, so the Prize Reel will move one position to the left when they are active. It is possible to win more Extra Spins from a free base game spin.

Star Staxx: Slot Verdict

There you have it, pretty short and sweet, Star Staxx living up to the idea of being a classically leaning slot with a twist. The twist might be relatively interesting for players who like to keep their foot on the gas and not let finagled rules or features get in the way of a pacey session. Spin the reels with the goal of landing Stars beneath the biggest Bonus Win reward possible (which can technically get quite big) while free spins and pay both-way line wins are accompaniments. Nothing too complicated about that.

Simple doesn't necessarily translate to a smooth ride-in, though. When the test session kicked off, for a while, it felt like the demo might have been broken. So few were the payouts; even normal line wins felt as rare as hen's teeth. A few okay hits took place a little while later, smashing the initial suspicion over Star Staxx's broken status, but it did appear to be a game with a noticeably low hit rate. We might have hit a dry patch, fair enough, so just reporting the observations back as something to be aware of, really. Perhaps, because Star Staxx is such a simple game, minor quirks stand out more than they would in a slot with more depth. Here it's a simple case of hitting the play button in the hopes of hitting Stars, and hopefully, they land beneath a solid prize.

And so wraps up Star Staxx, an uncomplicated if potentially hard-going slot that should trigger the interest of players up for a retro slot possessing what could be a bit of a challenge. The gameplay might not be the spark that ignites a revolution, but it is interesting enough to kindle a bit of interest, maybe not long-term interest, but it feels like there's an audience for Star Staxx out there.