9 Stars Plus Slots
Although many online casino players think 3-reel slots are a little old-fashioned, there’s still a wide audience for classic games where symbols of fruit, BAR icons, number 7’s and diamonds spin up wins and when you start to look at some newer 3-reelers such as the 9 Stars Plus video slot from Czech developer Kajot Games, you’ll see that some of these have moved with the times to provide lots of features and exciting gameplay.
It’s no longer just a matter of lining symbols up over a few paylines and collecting wins, as slot machines like this come with extra rewards, in this case including win multipliers, wild symbols and there’s even a wheel of fortune that spins up some guaranteed prizes of up to 20x the triggering stake. The overall design of this game remains firmly rooted in tradition though, with basic symbols, a fairly plain blue background where only a few stripes break up the flat colour scheme, and where the reels themselves are bright white to contrast with the symbols. It’s a familiar style and one that’s to be expected of classic slot machines.
Kajot Games might not be as well known as some other casino games developers, but they have been in business since 1996, building up a portfolio of slots from their base in Brno in the Czech Republic. The range is developed in HTML5 programming protocols which makes them accessible across iPhones, iPads, Android and Windows powered mobile devices as well as across desktop PC’s, Macs and laptops. Kajot Games are easily integrated into the ranges from other developers at their customers sites and come with high return to player percentages, along with independent certification of fair play from the Gaming Labs company. With the range also fully licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, punters can be sure that slots like 9 Stars Plus are going to deliver some great results.
Classic Symbols with Cutting-Edge Features
Despite having only 3 reels, there’s 27 paylines running across them, with winning combinations coming whenever 3 of a kind land across any line and it’s quite easy to land multiple combinations in a single spin, with the wins added up for some big payouts. Anyone familiar with fruit machines will know that cherries are usually the lowest value symbols and it’s no different here, as they return a prize of 10x the coin value when landing across a line, while the 3-BAR icons in blue, yellow and red will pay you a prize equal to 20x.
The number 7 symbol also turns up in bright shades of blue, yellow and red, but they are all worth the same amount and you collect 40 coins when any of them land across a line, while the highest-paying standard symbol is a shiny white diamond, and this is worth 200 shiny coins when it’s seen across a line.
Landing the Star wild symbol is the best outcome however, as this returns a prize of 500x when it stops across the 3 reels and as it’s wild, this symbol is able to substitute for any other if it can then complete a combination, filling in any gaps in a sequence of matching symbols.
If you manage to fill all 9 spots on the reels with the same type of symbol, any payouts from the combinations will be doubled in value.
Bonus Stars Field
What looks like the flag of the European Union below the reels, is actually a bonus feature. There’s dark blue stars against a lighter blue background in this Bonus Field and each time the wild symbol appears, one of these stars will light up. The 9 stars on the field correspond to the 9 symbol positions, so the wild will need to be in the same spot as an un-lit star, but once all 9 have been lit up, the main bonus feature begins.
It plays out on a Winning Wheel that’s got the main game symbols around an outer ring and multiplier values on an inner ring. A click sends the wheel spinning and the symbol that stops at the top is then highlighted. The inner ring then spins and stops on a multiplier value which can be 5x, 7x, 10x, 12x, 15x, or 20x and you instantly win the symbol value multiplied by the value spun up in the inner ring.
Lucky punters will land the diamond and a 20x multiplier to collect 4000 coins, although unfortunately the wild symbol isn’t featured on the reel. It’s still a great feature and once it’s triggered, you are guaranteed to win something as there are no blank sections to this wonderful wheel.
Betting Options
The amount won will depend of course on how much you have staked per spin, with the options running from a low limit of just 0.02 up to a maximum bet of 90.00. This gives high rollers the chance to collect some massive rewards but still makes it suitable for those on smaller budgets.
9 Stars Plus comes with the option to spin the reels as many times as you want on Autoplay and the only other decision needed is whether to have the basic soundtrack of mechanical noises and bells playing along as they spin for you.
Other Classic 3-Reelers
Traditional slot machines can pay out some great prizes with the minimum of effort and the Double Diamond video slot from IGT is one of the most famous examples. It comes with a similar 3-reel and 27 payline layout, while many of the symbols, such as cherries, BAR’s and 7’s are also taken directly from slot machines of old.
Although the features aren’t as extensive as those found in 9 Stars Plus, there’s still a wild symbol that multiplies any winning lines that it helps to complete by 2x or 4x depending on how many appear on the line and this game has proved so popular that it now comes in a 5-reel version where the wild multiplies prizes by up to 5x.
Lucky 7’s, from Vista Gaming, is another successful 3-reel slot game but this time there’s only 5 paylines for the symbols to land across. Cherries, BAR and 7’s symbols are once again the stars of the show and all that spinners have to do to win a prize is line matching icons across the reels, with the yellow 7 paying out the top awards. It’s a very simple game that will appeal to those who like to sit back and land some reliable wins without having any distractions such as bonus features interrupting the gameplay.
Nine Stars out of Ten?
The basic design is going to either immediately appeal to players or put them right off, but anyone who prefers slot games with a more up to date appearance could be missing out on a rewarding experience. The 9 Stars Plus video slot can spin up some regular winning lines while having each wild symbol not only creating extra combinations, but also adding stars to the meter below the reels, is a real bonus.
Anyone who plays for long enough will see all 9 stars light up and once this happens, a payout from the Winning Wheel is guaranteed. Free 9 Stars Plus video slots are provided by Kajot Games if you want to test things out, but for real cash awards, it’s worth placing your bets, collecting prizes and triggering the bonus round.
