Free Space and Sci-Fi Slots

Two families, one backdrop

Only four games sit under this theme, and they come in pairs. Starburst and its sequel are NetEnt gem slots on five reels, with a cosmic backdrop behind cut stones, gold bars and lucky sevens. Reactoonz and its follow-up are Play'n GO cluster slots, with cartoon one-eyed aliens on a 7x7 grid. In both, space is a setting rather than a mechanic. What differs is how the round is built.

Starburst and XXXtreme: same gems, different risk

Starburst (2012) has one special symbol. The Starburst Wild lands on reels 2 to 4, expands to fill its reel and triggers a respin, and wins pay in both directions across ten lines. NetEnt lists a 23% hit frequency and an 800x maximum win, and reviewers call the volatility low. There is no free spins round and nothing else to wait for.

Starburst XXXtreme (2021) keeps the look and the expanding wild but attaches multipliers from x2 to x150, adds Random Wilds and a purchasable feature, and is described as high volatility. NetEnt lists 16,800x, databases give nine lines paying from the left only, and the studio's listed hit frequency of 87% counts any return at all, including less than the stake. The two games share a screen and little else.

Reactoonz and Reactoonz 2: meters decide the round

Reactoonz (2017) pays for clusters of five or more matching aliens, with tumbling symbols. Winning clusters charge a meter that sends the Gargantoon onto the grid as a 3x3 wild, and a random Quantum feature, from four listed, can follow. Databases list a 4,570x maximum, and there is no free spins round.

Reactoonz 2 (October 2020) replaces that with two meters. The Fluctometer builds Electric Wilds from a randomly chosen fluctuating alien, and those charge the Quantameter, which grows Energoon and Gargantoon wilds. Both meters reset when a cascade ends, so a round is a self-contained climb. It is the busier of the two to read, and listed at 5,083x. By pace, Starburst is the quickest to learn and the quietest, XXXtreme concentrates its result in one wild sequence, Reactoonz gives each win a purpose through the meter, and Reactoonz 2 asks the most attention.

What a space theme does not tell you

Nothing about the stars sets the RTP or volatility. NetEnt publishes 96.08% for Starburst and 96.45% for XXXtreme, though databases attach 96.26% to regular XXXtreme play. Play'n GO's pages do not state RTP for the Reactoonz games, so the 96.51% and 96.20% figures are database-listed, alongside lower settings. Operators can run any version, as explained in why the same slot can have different RTP.

The demos are unmodified studio games on virtual credits, so they show the mechanics and not a long-run result. Real-money play is for adults 19 and over in Ontario. ConnexOntario offers free support on 1-866-531-2600, and our responsible gambling page has more.