Candy Stars

Casinos with Candy Stars

An Introduction to the Candy Stars Slot

Pragmatic Play seems to have so much confidence about their ability to create a hit title that they’ll enter any sub-genre just to show everyone up. We don’t know if that’s what they’re thinking when they make games like the Candy Stars video slot. However, it very well could be. With visuals along the lines of other sweets-based slots like Dropz, they took the gameplay to a whole different level.

The graphics are completely fine in this slot, but it’s obviously the gameplay that is the star of the show.

When we say the graphics are completely fine, we don’t mean that as a backhanded compliment. They actually are a lot of fun, and we really like the animated gradient background in particular. Additionally, all of the symbols on the reels look amazing. We really love the card rank symbols here since they look like a certain multi-colored gummy work type snack we remember as kids. Higher-tier symbols are different shapes of card candy as well, and they almost make us want to reach out and eat them.

With all of that said, the gameplay is on a different level than most candy-based slots we’ve seen. They start off by giving you a whole lot of ways to get paid with a particularly high hit-rate. As if that wasn’t enough, Pragmatic Play added a bunch of bonus features on top of all of that. It’s a great combination that leads to a high level of action, which is exactly what we look for.

Betting and Layout

If we’re being honest, this game kind of looks like Pragmatic Play took the Megaways concept and toned it down a lot. Players who are familiar with those types of games will know exactly what we mean when they see it. Nonetheless, it’s a great format designed for a fast-paced style, and that’s exactly what you get. Here’s what you’ll want to be aware of when you start playing:

• The game board looks a bit atypical, but it’s easier to learn than it appears. Everything is based on five vertical reels to start.
• Effectively, the first and last reels have three symbols while the middle three have four symbols.
• You’ll notice the top three symbols across the middle are separated by a golden border. You can ignore that for the time being since it only affects one small part of a mechanic we’ll break down below.
• Accordingly, you have 576 ways to win since the “all ways” approach is used here.
• This means a matching symbol on each reel, in order, from left to right will yield a win. However, the exact positions of those matching symbols on those reels aren’t important.
• The betting range is pretty standard for Pragmatic Play slots. It runs from €0.20 all the way up to the €100 level for each individual spin.

Other Information

The volatility level of this game is actually at the average level. Pragmatic Play might call it above-average in their game rules, but their games run at a much lower volatility than the industry as a whole. Since their own ratings are in comparison to their own slots, they come to a different conclusion. However, all that really matters is that the swings aren’t very severe on average.

We also want to point out that you can see coin numbers and values in the betting options. For all intents and purposes, however, you can actually ignore those. Pragmatic Play includes that to allow for a lot of smaller increments in their betting selection. With that said, all wins are simply multiples of the total wager. This avoids the complications of coin-based betting systems while still allowing for more increments in bet selection.

Gameplay and Features for the Candy Stars Video Slot

Popular candy-based titles like Sugar Rush can be good examples of the types of play styles you expect to see in the sub-genre. However, the Candy Stars online slot breaks away from those patterns quite substantially. Higher hit-rates and more chances for multiple wins per turn are the order of the day here.

With that said, some good bonus features can also be had, but the emphasis seems to be on enhancing the regular mode wins. Regardless, here we’ll show you each mechanic and feature that you will want to know about before starting.

Wild Star Symbols

The very first symbol to know about in this game is the star. It’s golden on a red square background. Additionally, it has the middle of the star cut out in a star shape as well. In any case, this is the wild symbol, which brings into focus that top set of three symbols across the middle of the board.

You’ll notice that the symbols on that top set always file in from right to left instead of top-down. That’s one thing that sets it apart. However, another is that it’s the only set of positions where the wilds can appear. With that said, they still help out a lot when it comes to generating wins you would have missed otherwise.

Their substitutions are particularly valuable with so many ways to win. Since they don’t have to land on certain lines to assist with payouts, they help you to get plenty of additional prizes that wouldn’t have been available without them. Additionally, you cannot get winning combinations that only consist of wilds since they don’t appear on the first or last. However, that’s not such a big deal since they’re still valuable via substitution.

Tumble Feature and Sticky Wild Multipliers

Every single win on the reels triggers the tumble feature. All winning symbols pay out, but they disappear afterwards. New symbols fall into place, and players are given an extra opportunity for wins. Pragmatic Play hasn’t limited the number of times you can win with tumbles in a row either. In fact, they added even more value for longer streaks.

The way they added this value is with sticky wild multipliers. Each wild that’s on the screen when a tumble happens stays in place for all of the following tumbles. Additionally, it starts with a 1x multiplier on the initial spin that then increases by one for each tumble. A really high limit of 128x was put on the multipliers in this way. Note that this multiplier will apply to any win that includes the wilds.

Candy Stars Free Spins

A purple diamond scatter on a violet background is the bonus symbol in the Candy Stars video slot. Additionally, they only appear on the first, middle and final reel, but they can appear in any position unlike the wilds. All three on the game board at once triggers a set of free spins.

When you start this feature, you’re given eight free spins. At least a single wild symbol is guaranteed to show up on every single one of these turns. What’s more is that their multipliers are doubled. These wild multipliers start at 2x and increase by 2x for each tumble. However, they reset back to 2x between free spins.

Players can add more free spins by landing three scatters. However, three diamond scatters during this bonus round will only add five additional free turns. That’s less than the eight you started with, but it’s still a great feature.

How to Win at Candy Stars

As we mentioned up above, the volatility is around average for the industry. We can also firmly put it in the medium range overall. Since the swings are balanced and the hit-rate is a little higher than usual, whatever your normal bet sizing happens to be will be fine. Additionally, we think just picking a size you’re comfortable with and going from there is a good option here.

On top of the regular mode of play, Pragmatic Play has also added an option to buy straight into the free spins mode. However, this will cost you 80 times your total bet size. Since that’s quite the price, the volatility level increases as a result. It’s completely fine to play the game this way, and some players even do it exclusively. With that said, we suggest lowering your bet size a lot to compensate for the 80x price tag.

Payout Structure for the Candy Stars Online Slot

We like how the pay table of this game is arranged. You have four types of hard candy and four card rank symbols that make up the two tiers of prizes. Up top, the purple candy pays 7.5x for five of a kind combinations. Additionally, you can land a 3x win for five of the red candy. From there, the green and blue candies get you 2.5x and 2x for five, respectively.

If you’ve ever had gummy worm snacks that are different colors, the royal card symbols will look familiar. We’re not 100 percent certain, but it seems like this is what they were based on. Regardless, the A and K have the same payouts of 1.5 for five of either. With the purple Q, the win is 1.25x for five of a kind combinations. Finally, five of the J symbol gets you 1x.

Overview

The high number of ways to win and the atypical layout of the Candy Stars slot makes it stand out in the sub-genre. You can compare it to Retro Sweets, for example, which has a much more traditional format and play style. Granted, that’s something you can take from its name as well.

Regardless, we always love when Pragmatic Play comes through on something like this. They know exactly how to put together titles that bring out the best in any sub-genre they enter. Additionally, they always seem to add small twists, like the sticky wild multipliers, that seem familiar but are simultaneously not super common.

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