Solar Nova Slot Review, Demo Play, Payout, Free Spins & Bonuses

Solar Nova Review

With the launch of Solar Nova, developer Iron Dog takes players to outer space to explore faraway galaxies in search of cosmic riches of up to 10,000x the stake. Things are different there on distant planet systems, with gems and crystals being the basic form of matter, which reminds us of the iconic Starburst slot. However, Solar Nova is much bigger in every single aspect, and it's only the familiar atmosphere that evokes memories of the legendary NetEnt's creation.

Solar Nova - Slot Outlook

That said, Iron Dog took a completely different approach, the one that's not usually found in the studio's portfolio. Solar Nova is built on the Cluster Pays system and plays out on a massive 9x9 grid. Behind it, an endless space canvass makes up the backdrop, filled with countless stars, planets, and asteroids. Although there's little originality in such kind of a theme, but it does get the job done and immerses you deeply into the cosmic action, especially when the enigmatic soundtrack blasts off upon loading the game.

Solar Nova Slot - Reel Screen

The Solar Nova slot comes with a betting range of €0.1 to €50 per spin, which should appeal to many. The volatility is medium-high and rated by the developer 4 out of 5 points, while the RTP is solid at an average level of 96%.

However, the game has ranging RTP values, which means that you can get lower payback depending on where you play. Thus, the return rate can be lowered to either 94% or 88%, so keep that in mind before depositing and be sure to check the paytables. The maximum win value is capped at 10,000x the bet.

Winning combinations are scored in clusters of 6+ matching symbols that lay adjacently vertically or horizontally. Whenever you hit a win, all winning regular symbols get removed from the reels to allow new ones to tumble down and fill empty spaces, and the process continues up to the moment when no new wins are in view. The pay symbols are represented by seven gems of different shapes and colors, and those pay from 10x to 80x the stake when formed in groups of 25+ symbols.

Several Wild symbols are also included, covered below.

Solar Nova - Bonus Features

Solar Nova Slot - Solar WildSitting in the center of the grid is the fixed Solar Wild symbol that substitutes for any other regular symbols to help you achieve payouts as well as plays into the features to produce bigger winning opportunities. The first one is called Solar Flare, and it can trigger randomly on any losing spin to transform 1 to 4 central rows/columns into the same randomly chosen gem symbol. During the free games though, the feature is available on any spin, either a winning or a losing one.The next is Rocket Wild, which also persists on the reels during a tumble sequence, though, it moves to a random vacant adjacent position whenever involved in a winning cluster. Moreover, each Rocket Wild has a Multiplier attached that grows after each tumble by +1 if it contributes to a win, no limits. Up to 3 Rocket Wilds can appear during the base game, and if multiple Wilds contribute to a single win, the Multipliers will be combined.

On any tumble during both the base and the bonus games, a Symbol Teleportation feature may randomly occur to switch places between a Rocket Wild and a regular symbol that increases chances of getting a win.

When 3 Rocket Wild symbols appear anywhere in view during the base, players are awarded 6 Free Spins. During the bonus game, Rocket Wilds persist on the reels for the remainder of the feature, much like the associated Multipliers. If a Solar Wild symbol contributes to 8 winning tumbles, a Solar Nova occurs that expands the symbol to 3x3 in size for one tumble. Then, it resets back to the initial size.

Moreover, up to 4 Rocket Wilds are available during the free games.

Finally, players can skip the less exciting part and get straight to the free games via the Buy Bonus feature, which allows accessing Free Spins immediately without delay for a fixed price of 90x the bet. On top of that, players can select between the two other options with the Bonus Upgrader. For the cost of 250x the stake, payers can buy into Free Spins that start with 4 Rocket Wilds, or get 3 Rocket Wilds with starting Multipliers of 5x for the cost of 300x the stake.

Solar Nova - Slot Verdict

Although the outer look takes you back to Starburst, you'll quickly notice the difference once you take a peek under the hood of Solar Nova. The gameplay isn't too original as well since we've seen similar features before, like in Jammin' Jars, for instance, yet Solar Nova still has a few tricks of its own to keep players hooked. The gameplay is surely fun and can bring you decent wins both in the base game and Free Spins. Overall, it's a lovely cosmic-themed slot with plenty of action happening there, and those really into the cluster genre won't have anything to complain about here.