PlayStar

About the Company

PlayStar is a prolific developer and supplier of real money online casino games focused mainly on the Asian markets. As is the case with most Asian-based game developers, not much can be learned about the corporate or ownership and management structure of the company. We find them come on the scene first in 2015 and in a few short years, they have produced well over a hundred slots, table games, and even a fishing game under the title Haidilao. The title translates literally from a Mahjong term in Sichuan (Chinese) which means “fortune”.

While the company may not seem transparent by western standards, the developer is no stranger to industry events. They have been seen with booths at the Macau Gaming Show (supported by the govt there) as well as the highly trafficked G2E Asia.

We find offices and or labs/studios in the Makati City Tech Zone (Metro Manila) the Philippines and a phone number that rings in Taiwan. The Chinese characters following the company's name in some media are 博星數位股份有限公司 which translates to Bó xīng shùwèi gǔfèn yǒuxiàn gōngsī or literally, "Boxing Digital Co., Ltd." That firm is also known as BoStar, a Taiwanese firm involved in gambling game development.

The company website does not claim any regulatory licensing but we should assume they are overseen at least in a business sense in the Philippines. They do claim GLI and bmm test labs certification for their software which would include the random number generator (RNG). However, unless an entity chooses to link to their test certificate or otherwise provide it to the public, there is no way to confirm testing and game compliance as testing lab results are not in a public database.

Company Philosophy

Playstar touts three values as its guiding influence.

These are:

• Technology
• Trust
• Humanity

From the company literature on their branding concept...

PLAYSTAR as a strong contender of gaming software supplier, refined by decades of solid experience, foresee the market demand；using the latest HTML5 technology to redefine traditional gaming style, UI interface and gaming themes, giving richer and more diversified gaming experience to the players.

Company Timeline Through Q4 2019

• 2015, August - Company established in the industrial center of southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City.
• 2017, March - Additional offices set up in Taichung, which translates literally to “middle of Taiwan
• 2017, November - Delegates attended MGS (Macau Gaming Show) for the first time as vendors
• 2018, May - Playstar is represented at the premiere G2E Asia
• 2018, August - Company headquarters are relocated in Kaohsiung
• 2018, October - Company invested in app development for mobile devices
• 2018, November - Playstar sets up the 2nd office in Taichung
• 2019, May - Representatives attend G2E Asia in Macau

Software and Games

The company's games are available for browser-based internet play on any device or operating system. They also develop apps for gameplay on iOS or Android devices. However, that element is likely designed simply to capture a certain market segment that prefers mobile software clients as HTML5 technology renders apps redundant because it is device agnostic and depends only on hypertext markup language, modified, but in existence since the advent of the world wide web.

The company offers bespoke game modification for customers, which would likely include branding on table games or even slot themes for particular online slots sites.

The gaming design is said to be diversified with a focus on medium and high volatility maths models. Many developers today are realizing that yes, many players prefer low-risk games, but the profits for operators mostly come from players who prefer high-risk models. After all, why gamble if you don't stand a chance to win big?

Add-on Enhancements for Operators

Playstar offers a plugin API custom game lobby for the continued retention of loyal players. The application program interface features rolling releases of the latest games and exclusive VIP and loyal player bonusing events.

Slots

With an offering this deep and wide it’s difficult to know where to start so we’ll look at some of the most recent releases and then go back in time to assess a few of the older titles.

Super Boom

The first game we tested was Super Boom. It wasn't the latest release but we expected it to embody modern bonus mechanics, show us the level of artisanry in sights and sounds, and provide a benchmark for entertainment and user experience.

The game loaded in a reasonable amount of time considering the extremely slow connection we had to the internet. It took over 2 minutes at highly reduced 3G speeds.

Scaling and changes in screen orientation were immediate and the splash screen graphics maintained clarity and sharpness during all manipulations. 

While testing from a desk in Malaysia with a high-speed connection the results were the same. 

In situ, at the online casino, the game loaded quickly on a desktop machine through a Chrome browser but lacked a splash screen or intro reels. 

According to company literature, the title has an extremely high volatility index and a top reward of 12,000x bet. The Pumpkin Bomb feature activates all prizes on the screen. The respin feature includes a serial expansion to spread across all reels.

Dog Bless You

Our next game was accessed through an Asian IP (Singapore) and loading the game at a free-to-play site. This time the logo filled in with color to show the download progress. We should mention that all cache, content, and cookies were cleared in between attempts to load the games for a fresh start each time. In every instance with a broadband connection, the games loaded quickly.

According to company literature, this is another high volatility game featuring Golden Wild symbols with up to a 1000x random prize feature. As many as 200 rounds of bonus games can be awarded the proper triggers.

The game has 9 pay lines over a 5x3 reel set.

In addition to the regular wild, the game features a "Golden Wild" symbol. The regular wild doubles as a free spin scatter as well.

All wilds appear on the three central reels only.

When the Golden Wild appears it will award a multiplier of your total stake up to 1,000x. 

There is also a regular scatter symbol that awards multiples of a player's line bet depending on how many icons land on the screen. Scatters can appear on any or all of the five reels. 100, 500, and 2,000 times line bet are awarded for 3, 4, or 5 scatters respectively.

When configured by the particular gaming site, there can also be four random progressive jackpots. These are awarded after any paid spin and larger bets presumably offer greater chances for the top pots.

Haidilao Fishing Slot

While the title of this game in Sichuan means fortune (a Mahjong term) there is also a hotpot restaurant chain that uses the same name. Interestingly, this fishing ‘slot’ uses a hotpot theme, so perhaps it is a double entendre, or we are reading too much into the name. 

Regardless, the game features the shooting of fish and provides an element of skill along with random number-generated results. When a randomly appearing 'big fish' comes into your sights, and you are able to slay it in only a few shots, it is much like spinning a high-paying combination on a reel slot machine.

The game offers several enhancements and each cost a bit more to use, but the rewards can be higher as well. Press the golden button in order to shoot two targets at the same time. Fill your hot pot with tasty morsels and enjoy the sport of fishing underwater.

The Final Analysis

While we would have preferred to test more of the games and analyze the maths at least in layman’s terms, we do find the mechanics to be varied and progressive. We especially appreciate the medium and high volatility of the maths. The splash screen art on all of the games is top shelf and the actual game graphics do not disappoint. The animation quality is not stunning but equal to that found in games by most providers. We will explore specific games in detail here as they come across the review desk.

We currently find games at online casinos that feature far more software choices than the average gaming site. Many sites now allow players to filter games by provider. If you like strikingly rich graphics and slots that payout big jackpots, search for Playstar and give them a whirl.