Starz Megaways: Overview

Blast off to the outer reaches with Pragmatic Play’s slot Starz Megaways, their second game powered by the hugely popular Megaways engine. It’s hard not to notice, though, that it seems strongly shaped by NetEnt’s other mega-famous space-themed slot, Starburst. Is Pragmatic trying to get there first before a Megaways take on that concept arrives elsewhere? Or is it simply a cheeky nod between competitors? Either way, players get a fresh cosmic slot to dive into, with the hope of stacking up some wins along the way.

Starz Megaways is set right out in space, featuring a see-through reel grid that shows off a glowing, blazing sun against a sky packed with stars. Asteroids, meteors, and other space debris drift by, and with the audio backing it up, the vibe feels pleasantly trippy.

The theme leans futuristic, but with a retro 70s “future” twist thanks to a bassy disco tune pulsing in the background like it’s coming from some far-off moon. Listen closely and you may even catch what sounds like an effect lifted from the old Masters of the Universe cartoon. Extra credit if you spot it. Starz Megaways feels like the kind of chaos Spock, Bones, and Kirk might have checked out in a hidden room on the Starship Enterprise. Well, maybe not Spock—he tended to favour logic over feeling.

Mechanically, it’s classic Megaways territory: 6 reels with 2-7 symbols per reel, changing every spin. Win ways shift too, starting at 324 when each reel shows two symbols and climbing to 117,649 when the grid is fully loaded.

Keeping things straightforward, Pragmatic decided not to include the cascading mechanic, which some Megaways fans may miss. To compensate, wins can pay both left to right and right to left for adjacent symbol combinations. On top of that, free spins seem to trigger far more often than you’d normally expect from a highly volatile Pragmatic Play slot.

As is often the case with this developer, volatility is high, shown by a full 5 out of 5 lightning bolts on the meter. So would-be space cowboys may want to strap in, because the ride can get bumpy. Helping offset that is a solid default RTP of 96.48%, which sits comfortably above average. With flexible RTP settings, though, it may be lower depending on where you play. Bets range from 20 p/c at the low end up to $/€100 per spin for high rollers.

To score a win in Starz Megaways, you’ll need at least three matching symbols, while six of a kind pays both ways—effectively doubling the payout. Even so, symbol values are generally on the low side. At the bottom of the paytable are six planet/atom symbols in different colours and shapes. Above them sit 6 precious gems—pink, blue, red, purple, and green—paying 1.2 to 5 times the stake for six of a kind.

Backing players up is the red-and-yellow exploding star wild, which appears on reels 2, 3, 4, and 5. When it lands in the base game, it expands vertically to cover the entire reel. That’s useful in regular play, and it becomes even more valuable in the bonus.

Starz Megaways: Features

The phrase “it’s not rocket science” fits Starz Megaways pretty well, as there’s really only one extra feature to cover. What you’re looking for is the fiery bonus symbol, which can land in any position. Land 3 or more to activate the Free Spins feature, where 3, 4, 5, or 6 symbols award 6, 8, 10, or 15 free spins respectively.

In free spins, the only adjustment is to the wild. When it lands, it expands just like in the base game, but now any expanded wilds become sticky and stay locked for the entire feature. If you’ve played Desperados Wild Megaways, you’ll recognise the idea. One minor drawback is that the feature can’t be retriggered.

Starz Megaways: Verdict

That Starburst slot really has a lot to answer for. How many games has it “inspired” at this point? We’ve honestly lost track, and while Starz Megaways isn’t a direct clone, it clearly shares a similar visual style and a simple overall design. That makes Starz a great fit for anyone who enjoys Starburst but wants something with a little more going on to get absorbed in.

What stands out most here is the fast flow of play, with the main hook being how regularly the bonus round appears. There are no cascading wins, but free spins showed up far more often than expected—especially for a highly volatile Pragmatic Play slot, which was a genuine surprise.

It’s difficult to name many other slots that throw out free spins as frequently as Starz Megaways did during testing. More than once, the bonus landed again just a few spins after the previous feature ended. It was wild—though it’s possible that was simply an unusually fortunate session.

To keep things fair, it should be said that Starz Megaways isn’t some guaranteed cash factory. Even with a top prize of 10,000 times your stake available, plenty of bonus rounds in this run weren’t particularly lucrative. Winning both ways is a nice touch, but the constant bonus triggers felt more effective at maintaining excitement—and keeping bankrolls alive—in this far-out disco trip.

Much like Pragmatic’s earlier Megaways title, Great Rhino Megaways, Starz also borrows its direction from an older slot concept. That doesn’t make it a poor game, though, as Starz has plenty of fun moments. It’s also not a standard Megaways experience, which helps it stand out among the many Big Time Gaming licensed releases. If you’re after Starburst+ style play with a bonus that shows up often and could still take off, it’s definitely worth a spin.