Supernova Shooting Stars

Supernova Shooting Stars Review

Supernova Shooting Stars follows Hacksaw Gaming's earlier release, Supernova Galaxy Orbs. The space theme is back, although the reels themselves look more like those of an old fruit machine. You'll find cherries, grapes, watermelons, golden bells and card symbols, with comets flying across the starry background.

There are nine fixed paylines on a 5x3 grid. To get a line win, you need matching symbols on consecutive reels, starting from the left. The regular symbols aren't particularly generous on their own. Five matching card ranks pay just 1x the bet, while the premium symbols award between 2x and 5x. Even five Wilds only pay 10x before any multipliers come into play.

Supernova Shooting Stars sits in the medium volatility category, with an RTP of 96.26% in its standard version. There are lower RTP settings too. You can bet anywhere from €0.10 to €200, and the hit frequency is listed at 49.74%. As for the biggest possible payout, that's 5,000x your bet.

What interests me more than the regular payouts is how the two Star symbols behave. The purple Star can spread downwards, replacing the symbols below it with Wilds. The golden Epic Star is stronger, as it can cover the entire reel. Neither spreads automatically every time it appears, though. The resulting symbols need to be involved in a winning combination.

There's another possibility when a Star expands over an existing Wild. The Wild then gets a multiplier. You might get a 2x or 3x multiplier on a Wild, but the possible values go all the way up to 250x. If several of them help complete the same winning line, their values are added together.

Supernova Shooting Stars - Reels Screen

Supernova Shooting Stars Features

Most of the action in Supernova Shooting Stars comes from the two spreading Star symbols. They can turn regular Wilds into multipliers, and both Free Spins bonuses guarantee that at least one type of Star will appear. There are also five paid options, including three FeatureSpins modes and two Bonus Buys.

Spreading Wild Stars

The game uses two versions of the spreading Wild, and the direction matters here:

• Star - Only spreads down the reel, changing the symbols underneath it into Stars.
• Epic Star - Spreads both upwards and downwards, so it can turn all three positions on its reel into Epic Stars.

Both symbols work as Wilds and can stand in for the regular paying symbols.

The expansion happens before wins are calculated, but only if the Star or the symbols it creates are part of a winning combination. So, seeing an Epic Star land doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a full reel of Wilds.

If a spreading Star reaches a regular Wild, that Wild gets a multiplier. The multiplier isn't always a small one. It might be 2x, but 250x is possible too. And when several multiplier Wilds are involved in a win, the game adds them up instead of multiplying them.

One more rule: you won't see two Stars landing on the same reel during a spin, whether they're regular or Epic Stars.

Rain of Light Free Spins

Three FS Bonus Scatters in the base game trigger Rain of Light, giving you 8 Free Spins.

You'll get at least one regular Star on every spin. The spreading rules remain the same, so the Star still needs to contribute to a winning combination before it can expand downwards. Regular Wilds can turn into multipliers here as well.

Extra spins are possible if more FS Bonus Scatters appear during the round:

• 2 Scatters award 2 additional Free Spins
• 3 Scatters award 4 additional Free Spins

Starstruck Free Spins

Starstruck requires four FS Bonus Scatters in the base game and starts with 10 Free Spins.

Instead of regular Stars, this bonus guarantees at least one Epic Star per spin. That's a useful difference because an Epic Star can fill all three positions on its reel, regardless of where it lands.

The Epic Star won't spread unless it's involved in a win. You can also pick up more Free Spins during Starstruck: 2 extra for two Scatters on the same spin, or 4 for three.

Supernova Shooting Stars - Free Spins Win Screen

BonusHunt FeatureSpins

BonusHunt costs 3x your regular stake per spin. In exchange, the chance of triggering either Free Spins bonus is increased fivefold.

For example, with a regular €1 bet, each BonusHunt spin costs €3. You can switch the mode off whenever you want. Its RTP is 96.38%, slightly higher than the standard game's 96.26%.

Astral FeatureSpins

Astral FeatureSpins cost 50x the selected stake for each spin. You're guaranteed at least two regular Star symbols, giving you more opportunities for downward expansions and multiplier Wilds.

FS Bonus Scatters cannot appear in this mode, so you won't trigger Rain of Light or Starstruck while using it. The RTP is 96.34%.

Starlight FeatureSpins

Starlight is the more expensive option at 100x your stake per spin. It guarantees at least two Epic Stars, which can potentially cover two entire reels if their spreading conditions are met.

As with Astral FeatureSpins, FS Bonus Scatters are excluded. This mode has an RTP of 96.33%.

Bonus Buy

You can also skip the regular spins and purchase either Free Spins round directly.

Both purchases have an RTP of 96.30%. The cost difference is substantial, especially considering that Starstruck doesn't guarantee a full-reel expansion on every spin.

Theme & Graphics

Supernova Shooting Stars has a rather unusual mix of visuals. Behind the reels, stars and comets move across a purple sky. On the reels themselves, it's mostly old-school fruit machine symbols: cherries, grapes, watermelons and bells. The purple and blue colours work well with the space setting, although I would have preferred symbols that matched the theme a little better.

The scenery changes during the Free Spins rounds. Rain of Light gives you the impression of travelling through space at high speed, while Starstruck uses moving purple rings behind the reels. The Star and Epic Star animations are probably the most enjoyable part of the design, especially when an entire reel fills with Wilds.

Supernova Shooting Stars Free Play

The Supernova Shooting Stars demo lets you try the game with virtual credits. I'd pay particular attention to the Epic Stars, as landing one doesn't always mean the whole reel will turn Wild. It needs to be involved in a win first, and the same rule applies to regular Stars.

You can also use Supernova Shooting Stars free play to compare Rain of Light with Starstruck. The difference between having a regular Star and an Epic Star on every Free Spin is worth seeing for yourself, especially with the multipliers involved.

Pros And Cons Of Supernova Shooting Stars Slot

Supernova Shooting Stars has a few things going for it, particularly the two spreading Wilds and the different ways to play with them. Still, the regular payouts are quite low, and some of the paid features are expensive.

Our Verdict

I have mixed feelings about Supernova Shooting Stars. I like the idea of having two different spreading Wilds, especially the Epic Star, which can take over an entire reel. The regular Star is less impressive, since it only spreads downwards, but both can become much more valuable when there's already a Wild in their path.

Of the two Free Spins bonuses, I'd rather land Starstruck. Getting an Epic Star on every spin sounds more appealing than having a regular Star, even though a full-reel expansion isn't guaranteed. You also start with 10 spins instead of 8. Whether I'd pay 200x my stake to enter it directly is another matter. That's four times the price of Rain of Light.

Still, Supernova Shooting Stars isn't a bad choice if you enjoy expanding Wilds without extremely high volatility. The 96.26% standard RTP is reasonable, and there are plenty of ways to access the main mechanics. I just wouldn't put it among Hacksaw Gaming's most exciting releases. The 5,000x maximum win is respectable, but the game relies heavily on those Wild multipliers to make its relatively simple gameplay interesting.