Solar Nova: Slot Overview

UK-based Iron Dog Studio moves beyond its usual comfort zone here, experimenting with a couple of mechanics it doesn’t typically lean on. While they’ve touched on it before, the grid slot format isn’t really one of the studio’s main specialities, as they more often stick to standard reels or Megaways. A space setting is also fairly unusual for Iron Dog’s generally more grounded catalogue. What makes it harder to applaud the studio’s adventurous side is that Solar Nova shares a lot of similarities with Push Gaming’s popular Jammin’ Jars, while also aiming for that unmistakable Starburst vibe. It’s not a carbon copy, but the influence is clear.

At first glance, Solar Nova also brought to mind other “Nova” titles—namely ReelPlay’s Hypernova series. That’s not only because the action is set in outer space, but because Solar Nova has a somewhat low-budget look, almost like a built-in Windows game. Still, for anyone who can get past the Minesweeper-style presentation, the game becomes more appealing the further you get into it.

It runs smoothly across devices, with stakes from 10 p/c to $/€50 per spin, per drop, or whatever you prefer to call filling the 9×9 sized grid with 81 symbols. Strictly speaking, 80 symbols fall in each round because the centre position is occupied by a fixed Solar wild that pulses like an atom. The RTP is set at 96% whether you play normally or purchase free spins, with 56% of that allocated to the base game and the remainder assigned to the bonus. When the chain reactions start rolling, strong payouts can follow, especially given the game’s highly volatile math model.

Solar Nova pays via clusters, with wins formed when at least 6 matching symbols connect horizontally or vertically. There are seven gem symbols as standard pays, and the biggest clusters are those made up of 25+ symbols. At that level, rewards range from 10 to 80 times the stake. Alongside the central Solar wild, Rocket wild symbols can also land at random. Both wild types substitute for any regular paying symbol and can help create multiple clusters at once.

Solar Nova: Slot Features

The centre symbol isn’t just wild—it can also set off two of its own random mechanics called Solar Flare and Solar Nova. Supporting these are tumbles, rocket multipliers, and free spins.

Tumbles

Each time a winning cluster lands, the tumble feature removes those symbols so new ones can drop into the empty spaces. If fresh clusters appear, the cycle continues until no further wins are created.

Solar Flare

On any losing spin in the base game, the Solar wild symbol can randomly transform symbols in its row and/or column into the same matching symbol. In free spins, it may even activate on winning spins.

Rocket Wilds

As noted, the Rocket symbol is wild; however, when it contributes to a win, it is not removed by the tumble mechanic. Instead, it moves to a random adjacent position before the tumble drops in new symbols. Every Rocket carries a win multiplier that increases by +1 whenever it’s used in a winning tumble, with no cap. At any point, the Symbol Teleportation feature may also occur. When teleportation triggers, the Rocket wild switches place with a standard paying symbol to boost the likelihood of landing a win. If multiple Rocket wilds are involved in the same win, their multiplier values are multiplied together before being applied.

Free Spins

Landing 3 Rocket wilds in the base game awards 6 free spins. Rockets stay on the grid for the duration of the feature, shifting positions between spins. Just like in the base game, Rocket wild multipliers rise by +1 when used in a win, and up to 4 Rockets can be on the grid simultaneously. On top of that, the Solar wild displays a counter. If it takes part in 8 winning tumbles, it triggers the Solar Nova feature, expanding to size to 3×3 for a single tumble. After that tumble resolves, it shrinks back to normal.

Bonus Buy

Where the option to purchase free spins is offered, there are 3 choices available. Spending 90x the bet buys a free spins round with 3 Rockets (x1 starting multipliers), 250x the bet launches free spins with 4 Rocket wilds (x1 starting multipliers), and 300x the bet purchases free spins with Rocket wilds beginning at x5.

Solar Nova: Slot Verdict

Sure, experienced grid-slot fans will recognise plenty of what Solar Nova brings to the table, but it can be a genuinely entertaining game once it clicks. After you look beyond the plain visuals, the underlying gameplay can feel suitably cosmic when things start firing. Solar Nova also includes a few extras you don’t always see elsewhere—at least not bundled together—such as the permanently sticky Solar Wild and the extra mechanics tied to it. Are those additions enough to fully shake the feeling that Solar Nova is riding on others’ success? Possibly not, but they do help, and overall the session felt like a good one.

As hinted earlier, Solar Nova carries a strong Jammin’ Jars flavour throughout, especially in the free spins round. You receive 6 spins when triggered, along with 3 or 4 jumping wild multipliers. That leads to a similar kind of chaos as Rocket wilds roam the grid—sometimes ruining your setup when they drift apart, and other times making everything look promising when they stay in the same area and connect wins. Iron Dog also adds a nice finishing touch via the central wild. Expanding the Solar wild within the 6 non-retriggerable free spins isn’t easy, but the sticky wild helps build wins and can seriously heighten the tension while chasing the 3×3 Sula Nova tumble. Testing delivered surprisingly strong outcomes, and wins up to 10,000x the bet are technically achievable.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable addition to the grid-slot category, even if it feels like Solar Nova borrows a fair amount from other places. Maybe that’s slightly cheeky, but players who can ignore the familiar foundations and focus on a well-functioning slot should be happy with what’s on offer. For now, we can look past the fact that Solar Nova’s core is clearly inspired by others, though it would be great to see Iron Dog take these ideas and push them into something even more distinctive next time.