Space Wars 2 Powerpoints

Theme and Design

Space Wars 2 is set in a galaxy far, far away, with stray asteroids and burning planets providing a Space Odyssey-style backdrop to the game grid. It’s giant step forward from NetEnt’s other famous star-based slot, Starburst, and holds its own in terms of looks against others like Betsoft’s Event Horizon or WMS’ Invaders from the Planet Moolah. The vibe is definitely space invaders and there is a lot to love here. Lots of cute spaceships, weird R2D2 style bleeps, rockets going off and general mayhem that is quite hard to follow. The execution is excellent overall though and its worth a few spins just to watch the on-screen action which is never dull.

RTP and Variance

Space Wars 2 Powerpoints has an RTP of 96.05% which is about average for an online slot game and gives you good value on your wagering. This is also a high variance slot so it will be unpredictable in how it pays out, but it can deliver some superb win sequences when the right features trigger as I will explain further down in this review.

Fans of volatile games should check out our list of the Top 20 high variance slots of all time.

Maximum Win

The top payout in Space Wars 2 is 10,020x which isn’t bad either. There are games out there with much higher potential but this is competitive enough in today’s market. If you want higher wins from NetEnt games then you could try Starburst XXXtreme with a top win of 200,000x or Rome the Golden Age with a top win or 100,000x. Or any of the slots in this list.

Symbols and Paytable

Space Wars 2 plays out on a 6x6 grid where wins are triggered by landing clusters of 3 or more identical symbols, though horizontal and vertical lines come into play here too. Clusters or lines can be as 6 high in the base game but 8 high in the bonus round once the grid expands.

There are THREE levels of symbol.

Space Rocks are the lowest value worth between 0.3x and 0.8x. The funny-looking aliens are the mid-range symbols, worth from 0.6x to 1.6x for up to 8 in a cluster. And the top-payer is the red crystal rock which is worth from 0.9x to 2.4x for up to 8.

For those interested in narratives, the info pages tell us that this crystal is what the Space Wars are being fought over.

On top of all these symbols you will also notice various other icons drop onto the grid when specific events happen. There are Blasters, Bombs, Zappers and Multiplier Wilds. It all makes for a very eventful game screen with rarely a quiet moment.

Features and Gameplay

Space Wars 2 is a bit of a complex beast.

As well as building clusters, the main aim is always to acquire Powerpoints which give you multipliers and free spins. Along the way you have a whole range of features to help you build towards more epic wins.

It’s what you might call a progressive game – the more you play, the more points you build and the greater your chances of winning big.

Here are those features in full: 

Powerpoints – check your point meter which runs across the top of the grid - you can see it in the screenshot above. It tells you how many points you currently have. Every winning cluster, and every event where symbols are blasted off the board, earns you points.

More points mean higher multipliers and 1,000 points gets you free spins.

Avalanche Wins – no Cluster Pays slot is complete without Avalanche Wins. Here, for every winning spin, the winning symbols are removed from the reels and new ones drop in to replace them. The process repeats until no more are wins occur.

Column and Row Blasters – somehow this reminds us of Space Invaders! When you land 4 identical symbols in a horizonal or vertical row, then a little space rocket appears and blasts all the symbols from an adjacent reel or row (except scatters or wilds). As this happens, Powerpoints are added to your meter.

Zapper – another way to add Powerpoints is with the Zapper feature. This super-cool symbol drops into the grid when a cluster of up to 6 symbols is formed. Now, as many as 4 symbols are zapped off the grid. In the free spins round, Zappers appear for cluters of 6 or more. 

Bombs – you can also earn Powerpoints when a row of identical symbols forms. Now, a bomb appears and explodes, removing all the symbols adjacent to it. If multiplier wilds are caught up in the explosion, then their values combine to add more Powerpoints. 

Wilds and Multiplier Wilds – When any cluster of 3 or more forms, after the Avalanche, a Wild is GUARANTEED to fill one of the spaces vacated. Or, in the free spins round, a Multiplier Wild drops in. These have a multiplier of 2x up to 25x which is multiplied by the standard Powerpoints award to create a bigger prize.

Feature Combinations – something unique to this game is the Feature Combination mechanic, where two of the above features come together to create something bigger and better.

There are three of these: 

• Bomb PLUS Blaster – when a bomb and blaster land adjacent to each other, then not just one but THREE rows or columns are destroyed to give you a super-bounty of Powerpoints.
• Bomb PLUS Zapper – when these two land in adjacent positions, then between 1 and 3 symbols TRANSFORM into bombs.
• Zappers and Blasters – if these two get together then you’ll get between 1 and 3 symbols transforming into Column or Row Blasters.

Trigger Free Spins With 1,000 Powerpoints

There is, of course, also a free spins round in Space Wars 2.

This is triggered by collecting 1,000 or more Powerpoints.  Now, the grid is enhanced to 8×8 giving you the chance to collect Clusters of up to 8 symbols.

During free spins there are further enhancements – all Wilds become Multiplier Wilds AND you can trigger MORE free spins when your Powerpoint meter hits the following levels:

• 1,400 points
• 2,800 points
• 4,200 points
• 5,600 points
• 7,000 points
• 8,400 points

At each stage you’ll get between 1 and 3 extra spins. And remember, with Multiplier Wilds in place you can earn points at a faster rate.