Starz Megaways

A Cosmic Journey Through Pragmatic Play's Latest Megaways Release

Pragmatic Play continues to expand its Megaways portfolio with Starz Megaways, a space-themed offering that draws clear visual and thematic inspiration from the wildly popular Starburst slot. Whether this represents an attempt to capitalize on an established aesthetic or simply the developer's interpretation of a celestial adventure remains open to interpretation. What matters to players is that they now have access to another galactic-themed slot environment filled with potential for accumulating wins. The game positions itself within a transparent grid set against a cosmos backdrop, where a brilliant sun burns amid countless stars while asteroids and meteors drift through the viewport. The audio design reinforces the space setting with a bass-driven disco soundtrack that evokes 1970s futurism, complete with what appears to be a sample from the vintage Masters of the Universe television series. This retro-future aesthetic creates an atmosphere that would have appealed to the crew of the Starship Enterprise, at least for those inclined toward entertainment rather than pure logic.

Gameplay and Mechanics

Starz Megaways operates on a standard framework for the game engine it employs. The machine features six reels with the ability to display between two and seven symbols on each reel per spin, a variation that changes continuously. This dynamic reel configuration produces fluctuating win way counts, starting at 324 possible winning combinations when each reel holds the minimum symbols and climbing to 117,649 when the grid reaches its maximum capacity. Unlike some other implementations of this engine, Pragmatic Play opted not to include cascading wins, a feature that dedicated Megaways enthusiasts might find conspicuously absent. To offset this decision, the game awards payouts for symbol alignments reading both from left to right and from right to left, effectively doubling winning opportunities. Another distinguishing characteristic involves the frequency with which the free spins feature appears, activating substantially more often than one would typically expect from a highly volatile Pragmatic Play release.

Volatility and Payout Structure

The volatility meter displays all five lightning bolts, confirming the high-risk classification. Players pursuing substantial wins should brace themselves for extended periods of modest returns punctuated by occasional moderate payouts. This volatility is somewhat offset by a default return to player rate of 96.48 percent, which sits comfortably above industry standards. Some operators may apply flexible RTP adjustments that lower this percentage depending on jurisdiction and licensing agreements. The minimum wager starts at 20 pence or cents, while the maximum reaches 100 dollars or euros per spin, accommodating both conservative players and high-stakes adventurers. The hit frequency stands at approximately one winning combination per 4.3 spins, with free spins occurring roughly once every 156 spins. The absolute maximum payout reaches 10,000 times the player's initial stake, though substantial wins of this magnitude remain extraordinarily rare given the maximum-win probability of one occurrence per 1,101,327 spins.

Symbol Design and Regular Payouts

The paytable employs a tiered approach beginning with a collection of colored planetary and atomic imagery that serves as the lower-value symbols. Above these sits a series of faceted gemstones in various hues including pink, blue, red, purple, and green. These mid-tier symbols generate payouts ranging from 1.2 to 5 times the wagered amount when appearing in groups of six. The wild symbol appears as a bursting star rendered in red and yellow tones, landing exclusively on reels two through five. Whenever this wild symbol lands in the base game, it expands to occupy the entire height of its reel, a mechanic that proves particularly valuable when combined with winning symbol arrangements. This expansion behavior becomes even more significant during the bonus feature.

Bonus Features and Free Spins Mechanics

The sole additional feature centers on a fiery orb bonus symbol capable of appearing anywhere on the grid. Landing three or more of these symbols initiates the free spins feature, with specific quantities determining spin allocations. Three, four, five, or six bonus symbols respectively award six, eight, ten, or fifteen complimentary spins. Once activated, the wild symbol behavior undergoes modification. During free spins, any wild symbol that lands still expands vertically as in the base game, but now it adheres to its position for the remainder of the feature rather than reverting after a single spin. This stickiness allows for accumulating multipliers across successive combinations, as each new wild reinforces previous ones. The feature cannot be retriggered when additional bonus symbols arrive during the spins themselves, making the initial free spins allocation the only opportunity to extend the bonus round.

Overall Assessment and Play Profile

Starz Megaways occupies an interesting position within the crowded Megaways marketplace. While it clearly draws from the established visual language of Starburst, the implementation remains distinct enough to justify its existence as a separate title rather than a direct facsimile. The game appeals primarily to players who enjoy Starburst's straightforward approach but crave additional mechanical depth and volatility. The primary appeal lies in the rapid-fire pace of gameplay combined with unexpectedly frequent triggering of the bonus round. Rather than relying on rare monumental wins during bonus phases, Starz Megaways maintains player interest through consistent bonus activation that keeps the action flowing. During extended play sessions, triggering back-to-back free spins features occurs with surprising regularity, a phenomenon that deviates from typical Pragmatic Play volatility patterns. Testing confirmed this tendency toward bonus frequency, though naturally such runs may simply represent fortunate variance rather than guaranteed long-term behavior. It should be noted that Starz Megaways does not function as a quick path to substantial profits. While the 10,000x maximum exists theoretically, most free spins rounds produce modest returns. The bidirectional winning structure enhances win frequency without necessarily inflating individual payout amounts. For players seeking a Starburst-adjacent experience with more sophisticated mechanics and a bonus feature that engages regularly rather than rarely, Starz Megaways represents a worthwhile alternative within an otherwise repetitive catalog of licensed Megaways releases from competing developers.

Not sure what a figure means? The glossary explains RTP, volatility and max win in plain English.