September 16, 2021
Slot of the Week: Butterfly Staxx 2
Finish the week on a high by taking flight with the butterflies once more in our Slot of the Week, Butterfly Staxx 2, the stunning sequel slot to the New Jersey favorite, Butterfly Staxx.
Building on the success of the original slot, Butterfly Staxx 2 offers the same Re-Spins and Butterfly Spins features, but with a fantastic new twist, and a brand new feature too that’s sure to send your winnings soaring!
In Short:
- Butterfly Staxx 2 is a 5-reel, 40-payline online slot by NetEnt
- It is available to play at 18 New Jersey online casinos including Golden Nugget, Virgin Casino, SugarHouse, and Unibet Casino
- Butterfly Staxx 2 features include respins, a free spins round, a prize pick game, and two additional unlockable reel sets
- The maximum payout of Butterfly Staxx is 50x your bet in the base game
The Basics
Butterfly Staxx 2 is a 5-reel, 40-payline slot released by well-known developer NetEnt in 2019. It’s the sequel to the popular slot Butterfly Staxx that was launched in 2017 and as such it features a lot of the same mechanics as the original, with a few significant additions.
Though it doesn’t rank as highly in New Jersey as the original slot, most likely due to the fact that it’s not quite as widespread, Butterfly Staxx 2 has still managed to win the hearts of many players in the state, ranking 70th and featuring prominently in the lobbies of most online casinos.
First Impressions
Whereas the original game was set in the lush mountain wilderness around dusk, Butterfly Staxx 2 has moved a tiny step closer towards civilization, with the backdrop featuring a stone archway covered in beautiful climbing roses and lit by two black wrought iron lamps. Through this garden archway in the far background is a lush mountain landscape that you could imagine to be the set of the original game, though this time it appears to be set at around early morning, judging by the almost twilight mistiness. Against this mountain morning backdrop is the midnight blue reel set that’s adorned with gold filigree in each of the outer corners.
Accompanying the delicate visual aesthetics is an equally atmospheric soundtrack consisting of an airy combination of piano and strings with some gentle and melodic woodwind interjections. The sound effects play well against the music, with each press of the turquoise butterfly spin button resulting in what sounds like a trinket box being unlocked. While the reels don’t make any sound during spins, as they land they each emit a sparkly clacking. The scatter symbol lands with a brief dramatic outburst, while wins are celebrated with a triumphant string solo.
Like the original game, Butterfly Staxx 2 is another excellent example of a slot that has been designed to instill a sense of calm and tranquility, rather than getting the adrenaline pumping!
Symbols
The symbols in Butterfly Staxx 2 are very similar to those of the first slot, with the highest paying symbol being the star of the show, the ornate yellow butterfly, and the pink, purple, and blue flowers serving as the medium paying symbols. Compared to the flower symbols in Butterfly Staxx, these have less of a folded paper quality and are more like real flowers, complete with the odd bead of dew. Even the butterfly looks less angular and more defined as in nature.
The J, Q, K, and A symbols are back in the sequel, remaining as the game’s low paying symbols. Here they appear to be plain, in contrast to the unusual angular façade they had in the original game. Their hues still range from pale to vibrant green as the card value increases.
Another symbol that’s had something of an upgrade to a more natural form is the pink and orange flower wild symbol, which appears on all reels and substitutes for all other symbols except the scatter to help you make winning lines of three (two for the butterflies!) or more matching symbols.
Finally we have the scatter symbol, which in this game takes the form of a pair of pale pink roses. This symbol is your key to unlocking the game’s main features, which we’ll go over in more detail next.
Butterfly Staxx 2 Features
As a sequel slot, Butterfly Spins 2 has a lot to live up to. It’s in the unenviable position of needing to impress with novelty but at the same time retaining enough of the original game’s characteristics that made it so popular in the first place.
We think they’ve managed to strike the perfect balance in this respect, with the game retaining the original Re-Spins and Butterfly Spins features, but with an added twist, and introducing a whole new feature in the Butterfly Frenzy. Let’s check them out.
Re-Spins
Just like in the original game, landing an entire reel of butterflies at once triggers the Re-Spins feature, which sees the climbing roses on both sides of the reel set come into bloom and all butterflies flutter over to take their places on the leftmost reel. At this point a respin with butterflies held takes place and any additional butterflies that appear fly to the leftmost position and trigger another respin.
What’s different about this feature compared to its predecessor is the fact that you can unlock up to two additional reel sets! Filling the first two reels with butterflies reveals the second reel set, then filling the first two reels of the new reel set or the third reel of the first triggers the third reel set to appear. Respins will continue with butterflies held in place on all visible reel sets until no additional butterflies land. As you can probably imagine, this particular amped-up feature holds a fair amount of win-potential on its own!
Butterfly Spins
Another original feature that’s found in Butterfly Staxx 2 is the Butterfly Spins round, though the way it’s triggered differs slightly compared to the first game. Instead of finding 3 or more scatters anywhere on the reels, you’ll need to land a scatter on each of the first, third, and fifth reels. Admittedly, this can get a tad infuriating, but the wait is definitely worth it!
Once you’ve landed those scatters, you’ll get to choose between the Butterfly Spins feature and the Butterfly Frenzy feature.
Opt for the Butterfly Spins and you’ll get free spins with all three reel sets unlocked from the start. Only dormant and active cocoons occupy the reels in this feature, with your aim being to land the active ones, which then hatch into butterflies that flutter over to the leftmost reel and remain there for the rest of your free spins. This is another feature with a lot of win-potential!
Butterfly Frenzy
If you’d prefer to experience something different to what the original game offered, choose the Butterfly Frenzy feature instead. Here you’ll be whisked off to a purple-hued flower meadow that’s teeming with butterflies, which you’ll then have to catch for prizes. You’ll get 10 picks to catch those valuable winged creatures and if you manage to get one that says Stage Upgrade, you’ll move to the next of five stages in total, each one offering a higher range of potential prizes.
This feature may or may not work with your touchscreen. Luckily there’s an Auto Pick button if you’re finding clicking the flitting creatures with your cursor a bit frustrating!
Butterfly Staxx 2 Payouts
How much you stand to win playing this game depends on various factors including how much you’re betting per spin, what symbols you’ve managed to match along one of the game’s 40 paylines, and how many of them you’ve lined up.
Here’s a look at the Butterfly Staxx 2 payouts for each of the symbols:
Symbol | 2x | 3x | 4x | 5x |
Butterfly | 2x bet | 10x bet | 25x bet | 50x bet |
Flowers | – | 10x bet | 20x bet | 40x bet |
J/Q/K/A | – | 5x bet | 10x bet | 20x bet |
If you’ve already played the original Butterfly Staxx and you’re particularly observant, you may have noticed that the butterfly in this game pays slightly less. However, when you take into account the amplified win-potential of the two additional reel sets on both the Re-Spins and Butterfly Spins features, and the win-boosting power of the new Butterfly Frenzy pick round, you’ll likely conclude, as we did, that they more than make up for the minor discrepancy!
Butterfly Staxx 2 RTP and Volatility
So how does this game compare to others in terms of how much and how often it pays out? The most commonly used measurements for this purpose are the Return to Player (RTP) and Volatility (or Variance).
The RTP of a game is defined as the percentage of played funds that is paid out to players in the long run. It helps to think of this as the opposite of the house edge, which is the percentage of played funds the operator keeps. The RTP of Butterfly Staxx 2 is stated by NetEnt as 96.35%, which is a shade less than that of the original game, but still above the industry average of 96%, making this an attractive slot to play in terms of payouts over the long term.
What about Volatility? The volatility or variance of a game is the balance between small, frequent wins and larger, less frequent wins. Highly volatile slots have payouts that vary wildly in both frequency and amount, whereas low volatility slots pay out in a more stable manner. The volatility of Butterfly Staxx 2 is rated as Low, meaning you’re more likely to experience stable wins in both frequency and amount, which fits the calm nature of this game.
Watch your winnings take flight!
Butterfly Staxx 2 achieves something that few sequels do: it manages to surpass the entertainment value of its predecessor. The new twist on the original Re-Spins and Butterfly Spins features in the form of two additional reel sets takes player appeal to new heights while retaining what made the original such a hit. Adding the extra Butterfly Frenzy feature gives the game a new dimension that many will find both enjoyable and profitable.
If you’ve played the original Butterfly Staxx slot, it’s definitely worth checking out this sequel, if only to explore its new features. However, you don’t have to have played the original game to appreciate the de-stressing butterflies as they flit across the reels and guide you towards win-triggering matches. It’s a wonderful way to chill out after a hard day!
You’ll find Butterfly Staxx 2 at most of the top NJ online casinos including Golden Nugget, Virgin Casino, SugarHouse, and Unibet Casino.
Ready to explore the game yourself? Just click any of the linked casinos above to check out our comprehensive reviews. Sign up at the one that fits your needs, claim their welcome bonus, then float on over to Butterfly Staxx 2!