Candy Stars

When it comes to online slot games by Pragmatic Play, Candy Stars is perhaps the most minimal release by the company in quite some time, at least in terms of visuals. Many of the symbols included in this slot are reminiscent of their Sweet Bonanza title. However, the densely populated background has been swapped out for a block of purple color. Candy Stars also features a tumble mechanic, meaning that matching combinations are removed from the board, and new symbols are dropped in to fill the space below. When no more combinations can form, the spin concludes!

As previously mentioned, this slot was created by Pragmatic Play, a company that has already created a large variety of casino games. In their portfolio sits a selection of top-rated titles, including the likes of Happy Hooves, Wolf Gold Power Jackpot, and Extra Juicy Megaways. Most of their games have different themes, yet a similar user interface appears within each.

Although the regular J, Q, K, and A symbols all appear in Candy Stars, they have been adapted to match the theme. Next are different types of gummies, which are represented by the colours blue, green, red, and purple. Should five of these match across a payline, players will be awarded with up to 2x, 2.5x, 3x, and 7.5x, respectively.

There are also two special symbols in Candy Stars. First is the scatter symbol, shown as a shiny diamond, which can trigger the main bonus mode. Wilds are the last icon, with these being displayed as a golden star. These symbols can replace any of the aforementioned symbols, apart from scatters, in order to form a matching combination! 

The first bonus feature in Candy Stars is that wild symbols are not affected by the cascade mechanics. Should a matching combination form that involves a wild icon, all of the standard symbols will be removed, with the wild remaining on the board. When these appear, they will have a starting multiplier of 1x, which can increase by 1x for every tumble that happens during the spin. Keep in mind that this feature does not carry over to fresh spins.

Candy Stars also has a free spins bonus mode that can be triggered if diamond scatter icons appear on reels 1, 3, and 5 simultaneously. This will award players with eight free spins, with a wild symbol appearing on the top grid during each round. During the free spins mode, wilds will work in a similar way to the base game but will start at a 2x multiplier, which is doubled if they're part of any matching combination. 

Multipliers can double up to 128x. However, this will only be applied to combinations that include the corresponding wild symbol. There is also the potential for this bonus to be retriggered, with players receiving an additional five free spins if three or more scatter symbols appear across the reels. Finally, this bonus mode can be bought directly for 80x the stake size.

Although Candy Stars has a minimal appearance, the animated background ensures that it is still easy on the eye. The bonus features are another nice addition, with the potential for wilds to have an associated multiplier of up to 128x!