Supernova Shooting Stars by Hacksaw Gaming puts fruit and bells into a space setting, using five reels, three rows and nine paylines. Ordinary matching combinations provide the foundation. Stars and Epic Stars can then spread into Wild positions, with the important condition that the Star or its transformed symbols must participate in a win.
Quick take: Stars can spread across the reels, but a qualifying win is what makes their expansion count.
Theme and Gameplay
The mix of space, fruit and bells gives the game a familiar symbol set with a different feature to watch. Ordinary wins need at least three matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel and following a payline. Matching symbols elsewhere on the screen do not automatically form a paying result.
A Star spreads downward, while an Epic Star can cover its whole reel. Neither should be read as an unconditional expansion. Look at the line the original or transformed symbols can complete: the spreading depends on participation in a win. That keeps the relationship between the Star and the surrounding symbols central to each result.
Slot Features
When spreading covers Wilds, those Wilds become multipliers. Multiple multipliers involved in the same win add together. The useful thing to follow is therefore both the area a Star can cover and which multiplier positions belong to the paid combination.
Three FS symbols award eight Rain of Light Free Spins, with a Star guaranteed on every spin. Four award ten Starstruck Free Spins, with an Epic Star guaranteed each time. Starstruck provides a different starting opportunity as well as a longer round because an Epic Star can cover an entire reel.
The guarantees concern which special symbol appears. Spreading still requires a qualifying win in both rounds, so a guaranteed Star is an opportunity to improve a result rather than a guaranteed expanded Wild reel.
Feature focus: Read multipliers along the actual winning line: several contributing values are added together, rather than multiplied by one another.
RTP and Win Potential
The game lists 96.26% RTP, medium volatility and a 5,000x maximum win. Individual multiplier values range from 2x to 250x. Their contribution depends on inclusion in a winning combination; a large value elsewhere on the grid does not increase that line's award.
My Thoughts On This Slot
Nine paylines make a useful foundation for the Star mechanic. There are relatively few routes to inspect, leaving room to understand why a downward spread or a full reel could help the symbols already present.
The conditional expansion may be less appealing to someone who wants every special symbol to deliver its full effect immediately. Its appeal is the connection between placement and a real paying line. Supernova Shooting Stars suits a player who enjoys Wild features but still wants the surrounding fruit and bells to matter.
Final Take: Supernova Shooting Stars makes its expanding Wild action depend on the lines it can actually improve.
