Star Joker

There are a lot of throwback titles out there that use video slot formats with older styles of themes like that of fruit machines. The difficulty in producing a game like this is that there are already so many in the sub-genre that standing out isn't always an easy task. Play'n Go's Star Joker slot falls into this type of theme, but they avoid the pitfalls of being just like the rest of the games in the sub-genre by focusing on a combination of crisp graphics and fast-paced gameplay while retaining chances to win some pretty strong payouts.

Format and Layout

The format is very straightforward with 10 paylines that pay from left to right only. You can get wins across the grid of five reels and three rows, and you'll find that betting centers around having 10 coins per spin since you can't change the number of lines. However, you'll choose from your total bet sizes below the reels even though the payouts are based on line bet wager amounts. With bet sizes available that go from $0.10 to $100 per spin, players will have no issue getting an option that works for their bankroll.

With that having been said, this game has a much more reasonable volatility than you normally see in titles that have payouts as high as what you can get in this slot, so you may decide to be a little more aggressive with bet sizing than usual.

Wild Star Symbols

The key symbol that much of the regular game centers around is the star, and you might have gathered that from the name of the title in the first place. This is a wild symbol, and it's also responsible for a huge 5,000x top jackpot for five of a kind. You can also win a secondary jackpot worth 1,000x for four of a kind. Three of a kind or two of a kind pay out 100x and 10x, respectively, and this symbol will substitute for anything but the scatter symbols.

Free Spins Bonus Round

Whenever you get three of the joker symbols on the reels at the same time, you'll get a set of 10 free spins. These free spins aren't like the normal ones, however. Instead, you'll be given an extra wild symbol on the reels in the form of the golden joker symbol. This is the Star Joker from the title of the game, and it will help you to get extra payouts. It also substitutes for the scatters, and three of the scatters gives you another set of 10 free spins added onto your current total.

In short, you end up with more winning combinations because of the extra wild symbol on the reels, but you also end up with better odds of re-triggering the feature to begin with.

Mid-level Payouts

A critical part of the overall gameplay for this title comes from how the mid-level wins are set up. The lucky red seven pays out a 1,000x win for five of a kind, and that ties for being the second-best win in the game. You can score 500x for five of a kind combinations of the diamonds, and the bells award you with 250x as well whenever you get five on a payline. Each of these symbols also pay for just two of a kind, which increases the hit-rate of the game substantially.

Fruit Symbol Prizes

There are five fruit symbols, but they only break up into two payment tiers that are pretty easy to remember. The watermelons, oranges and plums all pay out 150x wins for five of a kind. Likewise, you can score 100x for five of the strawberry or cherries. If you need a way to remember these tiers, you can remember that the red fruit are the only ones in the bottom tier, and the other three are in the upper tier.

Overview

The Star Joker slot by Play'n Go definitely breaks out of the mold of the throwback style video slot sub-genre. We like the high payouts combined with the reasonably high pay-rate, which come together to give this title a very reasonable level of volatility. Add in the wild symbols, the free spins and the fact that so many symbols pay out for just two of a kind combinations, and it's pretty easy to see how a wide range of players could get a lot out of this game.