Since you're reading a review about an online slot, there's a good chance you're aware of the term Random Number Generator (RNG). With Star Pirates Code, it feels like Pragmatic Play partner Reel Kingdom clicked 'Go' on a slot name generator to come up with a title. Much like the game itself, it has a generic feel to it. Or is Star Pirates Code sending a message to an ultra-secret society, hidden in plain sight? Once you start actually playing the game, you start to get the impression the whole thing was designed by a couple of rebellious high school kids in a junior computer science class. From the strange name to the juvenile graphics to the obvious way they've taken Starburst and half-heartedly attempted to turn it into a pirate-themed slot.
Graphics are on the block first, and to be honest, they're not great. The vast majority of Star Pirates Code's view is taken up by the game panel, but we get a hint of oceanic life on the periphery. There, a hazy night sky can be made out while ships drift past on a waving sea. It's not overly piraty. A lot of stars light up the sky, though, and did you know more of them can be seen from the Southern Hemisphere than the North? On account of the Southern Hemisphere pointing towards the heart of the Milky Way.
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Back on planet earth, Star Pirates Code is played on a 5-reel, 3-row matrix, where 10 fixed paylines have been set. The maths are as solid as they get from Pragmatic Play or partners, led by a rather high default RTP value of 96.7%. The math model is fairly volatile, this aspect being rated at 4.5/5, though potential isn't overly impressive. Players who want to attempt the break the code can do so on any device, selecting bets from 10 p/c to $/€250 per spin.
Landing three or more matching symbols on a payline triggers a few coins, and winning lines pay left to right as well as right to left, a la Starburst. On to symbols, where gems make up the four low pays, followed by silver coins, gold coins, and treasure chests as the highs. These latter three high pays are worth 3 to 15 times the stake for five of a kind. Double that amount, though, in reality, since five of a kind win lines are paid both ways.
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The extras in Star Pirates Code are quite basic and include Wild Compass symbols which trigger a respin feature when they land. First of all, let's take a look at the skull 'n crossbones wild symbol. It appears on reels 2, 3, or 4, to substitute for all paying symbols. Next is the Wild Compass symbol, also only appearing on the middle three reels. When a Wild Compass hits, its needle spins and creates wild symbols in the direction it points – horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, but only on the middle three reels.
The compass turns wild as well, then all positions with wild symbols are locked, and a respin is awarded. Should more Wild Compass symbols hit on a respin, they create additional wilds and trigger another respin. If new wild symbols are created where there already are wild symbols, then the originals gain a +1x multiplier each time. Respins end when no new Wild Compass symbols hit.
Reel Kingdom is a little like Crazy Tooth in that their slots tend to the odd. In Reel Kingdom's case, there's often something underdone about what they make. Sure, technically, they can perform and serve up sizeable wins. But then again, so can 1,000s of other online slots, so why would players choose Star Pirates Code over them? The sad answer is there is a strong chance they probably wouldn't. There are just so few reasons to pick this game up. It looks like it escaped from the 90s, sounds like a Miami Vice inspired ring tone from one of the first Alcatel phones, and its limited number of features are kind of different, kind of the same as others that have come before it. Like Book of Kingdoms, Star Pirates Code is a strange mismatch of elements, each one tripping over themselves to be the most confusing.
Going back to the title, if the game was set in the future and followed the wacky antics of a bunch of star pirates as they travelled the universe getting into adventures, that might have been alright. However, the only stars here are the ones trying to glitter through the blurry background and the reference to slots royalty that is NetEnt's Starburst. Trying to decipher the name is about the most entertaining thing about Star Pirates Code. Thinking hard about it eventually shuts your mind down, like trying to mentally visualise the size of the universe. If anyone cracks it, please let us know. What we do know is if you manage to respin the daylights out of Star Pirates Code, score a couple of wild multipliers perhaps, then 2,500x the bet is the win cap.
From a purely gameplay perspective, and trying to put a positive spin on it, if Starburst is too old, but Starburst XXXtreme too scary, or NetEnt screwed up from the outset by not putting enough buccaneers in either game, then Star Pirates Code might be a fitting compromise. Otherwise, it's tough to find many other reasons to bother with it.
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