Roger Morph 
The Aurora Wilds slot is similar to the Starburst slot, but takes place in the far north and features four jackpots. NetEnt previously released a sequel, the Starburst XXXtreme slot. The RTP of 96.20% is also slightly higher than the NetEnt classics. The prizes to be won by creating symbol combinations are slightly lower, but relatively similar to those in Starburst. Forming paylines here earns you up to €15,000, while the jackpot is filled with the biggest prize, €120,000. That, in a nutshell, is what the Aurora Wilds slot, from Neon Valley Studios, entails, and for those seeking more options, players can explore brand new casinos outside GamStop.
The once-influential Microgaming, which prioritized quality, has stopped producing its own slots in recent years. They now outsource this to young, smaller game developers who are eager to utilize the Isle of Man software developer’s platform. One such player is Neon Valley Studios, which also produced Aurora Wilds.
They release games with Las Vegas influences and want to convey this feeling to the player. Apparently, they lack a certain amount of creativity, because randomly cloning slot machines isn’t something we generally appreciate. Unless they come up with an improved version, although that’s practically impossible.
Pros and Cons of Aurora Wilds
We discuss the pros and cons of this online slot machine.
Advantages
• Four different jackpots
• Expanding Wilds with re-spins
• Higher RTP than Starburst
Disadvantages
• Copied from Starburst
• Little originality
• Low chance of winning the highest jackpot
How does Aurora Wilds work?
The Aurora Wilds slot machine is a 5×3 slot with 10 paylines. These lines run from left to right, right to left, and from the center in both directions. That’s good news for your chances of winning money. The variance of this online game is medium, while that of Starburst is low. This immediately makes Aurora Wilds somewhat less appealing. The minimum bet is €0.01 per payline, for a total of €0.10. You can place bets up to €60 per spin in non GamStop casinos for real money.
Aurora Wilds Payouts and Symbols
There are four animal symbols, which are considered basic symbols. The rabbit and the fish are worth up to €30 for a 3-of-a-kind, while five identical symbols award you up to €150. The turtle, the reindeer, and the butterfly yield €240, €300, and €360, respectively. Then there are the 7 and the BAR, which look like they’ve been plucked from a slot machine. The 7 gives you €720 for a 5-of-a-kind, and the BAR up to €1,500.
Important to know: All amounts mentioned in this review are calculated based on the maximum bet of €60 per spin.
Aurora Wilds bonus features
The Aurora Wilds slot offers two bonus features that can significantly increase your chances of winning: the Expanding Wild and the Jackpot Wheel.
Expanding Wild
Wild symbols only appear on reels 2, 3, and 4. But once they do, they expand by default. This means the entire reel is suddenly filled with wilds. The wild reel remains locked, while you’re rewarded with a free re-spin. If you spin three wilds simultaneously, you’ll receive three re-spins, which obviously boosts your chances of winning.
Bonus game with jackpots
Also active on reels 2, 3, and 4 in the Aurora Wilds slot are the jackpot symbols. You can recognize them by the small gold wheel attached to any standard symbol. They are scatters, meaning their position on the reels doesn’t matter. You need at least three to spin the jackpot wheel. Wherever you land, you’ll be awarded one of the four jackpots below:
• Mini Jackpot, pays out 15 x your total bet, up to €900
• Minor Jackpot, pays out 50 x your total bet, up to €3,000
• Major Jackpot, pays out 100 x your total bet, up to €6,000
• Grand Jackpot, pays out 2,000 x your total bet, up to €120,000
However, there isn’t an equal chance of winning each jackpot. The prize wheel is mainly filled with the Mini and Minor Jackpots. The odds of winning the Mini are 11/20, the Minor, 6/20, and the Major, 3/20. The Grand Jackpot takes the cake, with a chance of winning of only 1/20. So the chances of winning it are incredibly slim.
Conclusion on Aurora Wilds
Graphically, we find the Aurora Wilds slot machine rather mediocre. It’s poorly balanced and looks a bit too busy. The odd animal symbols are particularly to blame. Incidentally, if you listen closely to the soundtracks of both this game and Starburst, you’ll discover a striking similarity in this respect as well. Even the payline sounds are almost exactly copied from the number-one slot.
Neon Valley Studios has certainly done their best to add something innovative to the game. Other developers who readily copy the originals can learn a thing or two from this. The presence of the jackpots will certainly be a trigger for many to play Aurora Wilds, a clever idea from the game developer. The €120,000 jackpot, in particular, immediately catches the eye. Does this make it a better slot than Starburst? Certainly not, because Starburst is rock solid. That game feels complete enough as it is.
Cloning popular online slots at non GamStop casinos is rarely a good idea. The Aurora Wilds slot certainly doesn’t fall into this category. Where other game developers sometimes achieve success is by creating a unique, appealing, and exceptionally well-developed theme with a Starburst twist. But whatever happens, we’d prefer to see no more copying of gameplay technology at all. Just try stopping that.
Aurora Wilds FAQ
How does the Jackpot Wheel work in the Aurora Wilds slot?
The Jackpot Wheel is activated by spinning three jackpot symbols on reels 2, 3, or 4. You’re guaranteed a jackpot, ranging from the Mini to the Grand Jackpot, with a maximum win of €120,000.
What is the RTP of the Aurora Wilds slot?
The RTP of Aurora Wilds is 96.2%, which is slightly higher than similar slots such as Starburst.
What are the betting limits on the Aurora Wilds slot?
At the Aurora Wilds slot machine you can bet from €0.10 per spin up to a maximum of €60 per spin.
