Starz Megaways
Starz Megaways
Every star has its bright moments and its black holes. Here’s my honest cosmic report.
In the vast, glittering cosmos of online slots, some games shine so brightly they become legends, guiding stars for the entire industry. NetEnt’s Starburst is one such star. Today, the master astronomers at Pragmatic Play are charting a course through that same cosmic territory with their beautiful and incredibly volatile release, Starz Megaways. This game takes the classic, beloved “expanding wild” feature and launches it into a new dimension with the power of the Megaways engine and a fantastic sticky wild bonus round. The question is, is this a star worth wishing upon? Let’s find out.
From the moment you launch the game, you are transported to the serene and beautiful depths of outer space. The game’s dynamic Megaways grid, which offers up to 117,649 ways to win, is set against a stunning backdrop of a swirling, colourful nebula, with distant stars and planets. The art style is a superb, high-quality aesthetic that is both futuristic and elegant, with a focus on brilliantly shining planets and gems.
The symbols on the reels are a collection of these beautiful celestial bodies. You’ll find high-paying planets and suns, alongside lower-paying, intricately designed gems. The special symbols are the key to the cosmos: a classic “WILD” icon and a fiery Sun, which acts as the Bonus symbol. The sound design is a fantastic, atmospheric electronic track that is both calming and enchanting, perfectly capturing the feeling of a majestic journey through space.
This is where Starz Megaways truly reveals its cosmic power. This is a highly volatile slot with a very generous RTP of 96.48%. The gameplay is a brilliant combination of the classic Megaways format and one of the most powerful and easy-to-understand bonus features on the market.
Expanding Wilds: In the base game, the “WILD” symbol can only appear on reels 2, 3, 4, and 5. When it lands, it will expand vertically to fill the entire reel, substituting for all other symbols to create big winning potential across the thousands of Megaways.
Free Spins with Sticky Expanding Wilds: The main event is triggered by landing 3 or more of the Sun Bonus symbols. This will take you to the Free Spins round, where the already powerful expanding wilds become truly legendary.
During the Free Spins, any Wild symbol that lands will expand to fill the reel and then become sticky, remaining locked in place for the entire duration of the bonus round.
This is one of the most powerful and sought-after features in the slot world. Your goal is to land as many of these full-reel sticky wilds as possible in the early spins, creating a permanent network of wilds that can lead to massive, multi-way wins on every single subsequent spin on your way to the 10,000x max prize.
So, is Starz Megaways a new star in the making? My verdict is a resounding yes. This game is a fantastic achievement, a slot that takes a beloved, classic feature and gives it the explosive power of the Megaways engine. The feeling of locking in multiple full-reel sticky wilds is second to none.
This game is built for the purist, the high-volatility enthusiast who loves the thrill of a simple, powerful, and potentially life-changing bonus round.
When you look for comparisons, it’s a clear and direct competitor to NetEnt’s legendary Starburst XXXtreme. Both games offer a high-volatility take on the classic expanding wild feature, but Starz Megaways adds the extra layer of excitement with the Megaways engine. It’s a fantastic, high-potential adventure from the team at Pragmatic Play.
While it is not the same game, Starz Megaways is a clear and direct homage to the legendary Starburst by NetEnt. It uses a very similar “expanding wild” mechanic but gives it a high-volatility, Megaways twist with a powerful sticky wild free spins round.
The main feature is a Free Spins round where any wild symbol that lands will expand to fill the entire reel and then become “sticky,” remaining in place for the entire bonus.
You trigger the Free Spins by landing three or more of the Sun Bonus scatter symbols anywhere on the reels.
Due to its very high volatility and its focus on a powerful but potentially hard-to-trigger bonus feature, this game is generally better suited for experienced players who are comfortable with high-risk, high-reward gameplay.