Starlight Christmas Review: Gameplay & Mechanics
Played on a 6×5 grid and featuring the same symbols as the super-popular Starlight Princess slot, Starlight Christmas is the festive iteration of the famous Pragmatic Play game. The Christmas theme blends the holiday charm with the anime aesthetics of the Starlight Princess, channelling a unique festive spirit infused with the potential for big wins.
Those wins can come in either the base game or in the free spins feature. As mentioned, the Starlight Christmas online slot is a scatter pays game, where winning combinations start with 8 or more symbols of the same kind landing anywhere on the reels. Because the slot has a tumble mechanic, winning symbols disappear to be replaced by new ones, creating the possibility for unlimited tumble sequences and massive wins, facilitated by up to 500x bet multipliers.
The bonus round is triggered when 4 or more scatter symbols land anywhere on the reels. In it, players get 15 free spins. Whenever a multiplier symbol lands as part of a winning combination, the multiplier value is added to the total multiplier and increases the existing payout. When new multiplier symbols land in winning combinations, they are also added to the total multiplier for even bigger wins. Additional free spins are awarded when 3 or more scatters land during the bonus round.
The Starlight Christmas slot has two handy features: Bonus Buy and Ante Bet. With the Bonus Buy option, players skip the base game grind and purchase access to the bonus round for 100x the base bet. With the Ante Bet feature, on the other hand, the stake is raised by 25% to double the possibility of triggering free spins, but the Bonus Buy free spins feature is disabled.
Starlight Christmas Betting Range, RTP, and Maximum Payout
Starlight Christmas is a high-variance slot, meaning it might produce big wins one after another but there might also be long stretches without any significant payouts.
On the other hand, the Return to Player (RTP) ratio of the slot is a respectable 96.50% and the flexible $0.20-$125 bet range caters to players on tight budgets. So, the slot offers features that align with diverse preferences, exemplified by the 5,000x maximum payout, favoured by both casual players who prefer low deposit casinos and high rollers.