Butterfly Staxx 2

Butterfly Staxx 2 (NetEnt): Overview

NetEnt's Staxx series is a line of low to medium variance slots that include titles such as Neon Staxx and Strolling Staxx. Joining them is Butterfly Staxx 2, a follow up to the 2018 release Butterly Staxx. In common for these games are stellar graphics, great gameplay and, unfortunately, poor potential that renders them nearly useless for hardcore gamblers looking to get a kick out of their sessions. Of course, not all gamblers are the same and to offer a mix of volatility is probably a wise thing to do for any developer. Many recreational gamblers don't even seem too bothered by the ridiculous payouts as long as the theme suits their taste and the features keep triggering frequently. Butterfly Staxx 2 is not very different from its predecessor, but there are some noteworthy differences to set them apart.

Powered by Swedish developer NetEnt, Butterfly Staxx 2 is a 5-reel, 40-payline slot with an industry-standard RTP of 96.35% playable on all devices from as little as 25 cents up to a staggering 1250€/$ per spin. Just like in the original, you're invited to a dreamy world inhabited by magical butterflies where you'll be able to wind down to relaxing music and mediocre wins. The game comes with a Re-Spin feature that can produce up to three reel sets played simultaneously, as well as two bonus features for you to choose between once triggered.

Visually, Butterfly Staxx 2 does not stray too far from the first release. With a risk of coming across as old fashioned, the romantic look and feel of the game will likely appeal more to a female than a male sensibility. With a flowery stone arch in the backdrop and soothing music to set the mood, symbols on the reels include lower value A to J card suits as well as three different flowers of medium value. The most rewarding is the butterfly, of course, which will give you 2 times your stake for a combination of 5. The wild is represented by a lotus flower - it can appear anywhere on the reels and replaces all symbols except the scatter.

Butterfly Staxx 2 (NetEnt): Features

The butterfly symbol is what it's all about in this game. Appearing fully stacked on all reels, you will activate the Re-Spins feature if you land a full stack of butterflies on any of the reels. All the butterfly symbols in view move to the leftmost position on the row where they are present. A re-spin is then played with two possible outcomes; either you'll continue to get more re-spins by landing additional butterfly symbols, or the feature ends if no new butterflies appear in view.

So far, the feature is played exactly the same as in the original version. If you manage to cover the two leftmost reels with butterflies, however, you'll unlock a second reel set followed by a third one if you manage to cover the three leftmost reels with stacked butterflies. Essentially, these extra play areas give you 2x and 3x multipliers respectively.

Look out for the scatter symbol. When it lands on reels 1, 3 and 5 simultaneously it will trigger the bonus where you'll be allowed to choose between two different features to play:

• Butterfly Spins - with all three play areas active from the start, you'll only see cocoon symbols appearing on the reels which can be either dormant or active. Active cocoons landing in view will turn into Butterfly symbols. Other than that, this feature is played in the same way as the Re-Spins feature.
• Butterfly Frenzy - starting with 10 picks, picking butterflies will reveal cash rewards or upgrades with even bigger cash rewards on offer.

Butterfly Staxx 2 (NetEnt): Verdict

If you're a thrill-seeker, there's nothing here to raise your pulse considering the fact that a full screen of butterflies is worth a measly 240 times your stake. It's hard to say what the Butterfly Frenzy feature is capable of, but the potential is likely in the same ballpark. Given how much we dislike picking bonuses, however, we opted for the Butterfly Spins nearly every time.

With Butterfly Staxx 2, NetEnt obviously has a particular audience in mind, and it's definitely not the crowd gathering around to watch casino streams or discuss big wins on various casino forums. With that said, it's a well-crafted slot that features excellent graphics, a relaxing theme to wind down to after work, and frequently triggered bonuses, which means it's likely to go down well with recreation players who enjoy these type of slots. Hardcore gamblers, on the other hand, will likely feel nauseous from disgust playing this.