Article published on May 4, 2022
Microgaming Introduces a New Slot: 5 Star Knockout
By: Harper Whitefield
5 Star Knockout is the most-recent slot added to the Star Knockout series by Microgaming and Northern Lights Gaming. The game follows in the starry theme of its predecessors, All Star Knockout and All Star Knockout Ultragamble, but adds several new features to spice up the gameplay. All slots in the Star Knockout series are exclusive to Microgaming casinos like 888 Casino, operating in multiple jurisdictions.
5 Star Knockout is a typical 5x4 game with 20 paylines. Regular spins in the game can only pay a maximum of 100x, while higher payouts of up to 4,500x are available in the upgraded bonus spins. Such payouts are standard on slots ranked medium volatility. The 96.09% RTP may not be the best for players in Canada, but playing with random multipliers and a special scatter keeps things fresh and adds excitement.
Betting Range
New slots have an adjustable betting range that accommodates low-budget and high rollers. The smallest bet accepted when spinning the reels in 5 Star Knockout is $0.20, which you can expand up to $50. The maximum benefit of this game comes from activating bonus rounds where the payout can go up to 4,500x for filling the reels with scatters. On the flip side, low payouts that can only go up to 100x of the original bet come from regular spins. Due to these, operators will have to get creative and review bonuses offered to players to make this slot popular.
Symbols
The design team at Microgaming opted to change the fruity theme featured on previous slots in the Star Knockout series, leaving players to be content with the starry theme. Club, Hearts, Diamonds, and Spade poker card symbols make the base symbols in 5 Star Knockout, with their multipliers ranging between 0.5 to 1.5x. Mid-level symbols include three uniquely coloured 7s and a chiselled 5 symbol lined with three stars on the upper edge. Their multipliers range from 1.5x to 5x. No wilds are used on this slot, but a brightly-coloured star acts as the scatter and appears on the reels to award lucky players with free spins and boost the multipliers on specific combinations.
5 Star Knockout Slot Features and Bonuses
Players aim to collect scatter symbols in the meter located to the left of the screen. Every time a star appears on the reels, the meter fills up one level. Note that you have to keep the same bet amount to add to the collected stars on the meter. Changing the bet amount resets the meter to zero, and you have to start over again. However, the game saves progress, allowing you to continue collecting starts after reverting to the original bet.
Filling the meter with stars activates 5 free spins, and the meter for one symbol disappears. Gathering more scatters in the free spins may fill up another meter, resulting in 2 additional bonus spins. In addition, a random bet multiplier shows up to boost your win up to 5x during the free spins bonus.
Collecting stars on the meter is not the only way to win in 5 Star Knockout. A random bonus shows up when meters are empty and fills the meters with a random number of stars. Maintaining a long winning streak qualifies the player for a boost from the Win Spin feature that activates respins.
Where to Play 5 Star Knockout
The few features in 5 Star Knockout and the lack of wilds to help complete winning combinations make this game suited for players with short term strategies. Microgaming casinos will have to include freebies like no deposit casino bonuses to spark interest in the game. 888 Casino is one of the sites already offering this game, alongside loads of exciting slots based around the same theme.
