AvatarUX got their proverbial ‘cherry’ popped as an online slot developer only a couple of years ago, but the release of CherryPop Deluxe is still a reminder that time certainly flies. The original release is the most popular installment in their ever-growing range so far, and this Deluxe version comes with a cartoonish Pop Art theme that’s quite different from the glossy and more traditional fruit slot-inspired original.
Sadly, the math model has been significantly watered down however, which doesn’t exactly fit the bill for a ‘deluxe’ model. The20,000x potentialis solid enough, but still less than half of what you get inCherryPop, and the95.96 % RTPis also a tad lower. A Buy Bonus Max option has been included though (not UK, of course), and the pace of the game is pretty good even without any turbo option.
The premium symbols pay between 2.5 and 15 x your stake for 5 of a kind wins, and you don’t get wilds nor scatters in this game. ThePopWins mechanicis going strong however, and it removes all winning symbols and replaces them with 2 new random symbols per ‘popped’ position. This process repeats indefinitely as long as you keep winning, but the grid maxes out at6 rowsand15,552 waysto win in the base game.
Maxing out the grid is how you trigger the Bonus Round, and you can choose togamble for a better starting level(more spins and more rows), or accept the starting level you get. The pre-feature gamble plays out on a large wheel, and you’re either successful or you lose the whole bonus round altogether. Here’s an overview of what to expect:
The gamble wheel can stop on a special golden segment as well, and this awards up to 12 FS on the first gamble, and up to 16 FS on the second attempt. The grid maxes out at 9 rows in the bonus round, which gives youup to 118,098 ways to win.
The grid always resets to the lowest reel height between spins however, and theprogressive multiplierstarts at x2 and increases by+1 per PopWin. If you max out the grid,+2 extra spinsare awarded. Also, +4 is added to the multiplier, which increments by +4 per win from that point forward.
Finally, non-UK players, and anyone living in an eligible jurisdiction, may take advantage of theBonus Buy options. This will set you back75x your stakefor the regular bonus round, which allows you to gamble for a better starting level. Alternatively, you can cough up300x your stakefor the Buy Bonus Max feature, which gives you a randomized better starting level with no possibility to gamble.
You get to see a PopWins sequence or two before we purchase the bonus round at 1:10 into the 3-minute highlights video, and we went for the Max version, of course. This gave us 10 free spins and 21,168 ways to win for starters, and you can see for yourself how we fared by hitting the play button below.
The first thing we noticed when testing CherryPop Deluxe was the improved spin pace. We’ve been nagging about this in many previous reviews, so it was nice to see an installment that flows in a more satisfying way. We’re unsure about the audiovisual makeover however, and especially the audio part. The piano note sound for each added symbol gets a tad annoying after a while, but the dreamy soundtrack is pleasantly similar to the original.
Perhaps ‘deluxe’ isn’t the best subtitle for this release, as people will expect a superior math model. Instead, the20,000x potentialis less than half of the original, and even the RTP has been sliced a bit. The pop art theme is different from the more standard fruit theme of the original, sure, but the whole release seems a bit pointless since you now have a turbo option to mend the pace issue in the original. We doubt many fans of the first game will be converted, but this deluxe version will perhaps shepherd some new players into the PopWins universe.
Pros
Cons
CherryPop- is the 3rd installment in AvatarUX’ PopWins range, and it’s their most successful release so far. You get a glossy and classic fruit theme, where PopWins add rows and eventually triggers the progressive multiplier bonus round. This can lead to payouts up to 56,386x your stake, and the RTP of 96.2 % is more decent than this ‘deluxe’ version as well.
MonkeyPop- is the visually most impressive installment in the PopWins series so far, and you get oriential watercolor art that’s a feast for the eyes. The PopWins expand the grid with up to 7 rows and 33,614 win ways, and a maxed out grid awards 2 free spins. You get a reward reel spin up front when the bonus round triggers, and the max win is 10,744x your stake.
HippoPop- comes with the usual PopWins mechanic that doubles all winning positions, and the grid maxes out at 5×6 in the base game. The progressive multiplier is carried over into the bonus round, where the grid can expand up to 5×8 with 65,536 ways to win. You can win up to 48,150x your stake via the non-resetting bonus round multiplier.
AvatarUX burst onto the online slot development scene only a few years ago, and the release of CherryPop Deluxe serves as a reminder of how quickly time flies. While the original CherryPop installment remains their most popular game to date, this Deluxe version takes on a cartoonish Pop Art theme that deviates from the glossy and traditional fruit-inspired design of the original. Unfortunately, the math model has been significantly diluted, which is not exactly fitting for a “deluxe” edition. The potential payout of 20,000x is solid but falls short of the original CherryPop, and the RTP of 95.96% is also slightly lower. However, a Buy Bonus Max option has been included (excluding the UK), and the game maintains a good pace even without a turbo option. The premium symbols offer payouts ranging from 2.5 to 15 times your stake for landing 5 of a kind wins, and there are no wilds or scatters in this game. However, the PopWins mechanic is still going strong, replacing winning symbols with 2 new random symbols per position. This process continues indefinitely as long as you keep winning, but the grid is limited to 6 rows and 15,552 ways to win in the base game. Triggering the Bonus Round requires maxing out the grid, and players can choose to gamble for a better starting level or accept the initial level they receive. The pre-feature gamble is played on a large wheel, and success results in additional free spins and rows, while failure cancels the entire bonus round. Here’s an overview of what to expect: The gamble wheel may also land on a special golden segment, awarding up to 12 free spins on the first gamble and up to 16 free spins on the second attempt. In the bonus round, the grid expands to a maximum of 9 rows, offering up to 118,098 ways to win. However, the grid always resets to the lowest reel height between spins. The progressive multiplier starts at x2 and increases by +1 with each PopWin. If the grid is maxed out, players are awarded 2 extra spins and the multiplier increases by +4 with every subsequent win. Non-UK players and those residing in eligible jurisdictions have the option to utilize the Bonus Buy feature. Purchasing the regular bonus round costs 75 times the stake and allows players to gamble for a better starting level. Alternatively, the Buy Bonus Max feature can be purchased for 300 times the stake, providing a randomized better starting level with no gambling option. A PopWins sequence or two can be seen in the 3-minute highlights video before purchasing the bonus round at the 1:10 mark. We opted for the Max version, which awarded 10 free spins and 21,168 ways to win initially. You can watch the video to see how we fared. One notable improvement in CherryPop Deluxe is the enhanced spin pace, which was a point of criticism in previous reviews. However, the audiovisual makeover, particularly the audio, is questionable. The repetitive piano note sound for each added symbol becomes irritating after a while, although the dreamy soundtrack remains reminiscent of the original. Perhaps the use of “deluxe” as a subtitle for this release is not fitting, as players may expect an improved math model. Instead, the potential payout of 20,000x is less than half of the original, and even the RTP has been slightly reduced. While the pop art theme offers a departure from the traditional fruit theme of the original, the release seems somewhat unnecessary since the original game now includes a turbo option to address the pace issue. It is unlikely that many fans of the first game will be converted, but this deluxe version may attract new players to the PopWins universe.