Eminem popularized the rap battle phenomenon in the movie 8 Mile, and there are a few games based on this concept. Red Tiger’s Hustling and AvatarUX’s HipHopPop are two examples. However, HipHopPop doesn’t actually feature any rap battles, and the soundtrack may not qualify as hip hop. The game’s visuals are visually appealing, with vibrant colors and a neon city backdrop. While it doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking to the PopWins series, the main focus of the game is expanding the grid through the mechanic. To access the bonus round, you need to maximize the grid, and there isn’t much else to do in the base game. You can choose between guaranteed wilds or synced reels, or take a gamble to get both. The game’s potential of 50,000x reminds us of previous PopWins releases, likely achieved through the progressive multiplier in the bonus round. The premium symbols offer payouts between 2.5 and 8 times your stake for 5 of a kind wins, which only pay one way. The wild symbol helps complete wins by substituting for other symbols, but it does not appear in the base game. The PopWins mechanic expands the grid by adding one extra position per winning symbol, up to 6 positions per reel in the base game. The Bonus Round is triggered when you maximize all 5 base game reels with 6 positions, and the default size during the feature is 6 positions. However, you can gamble for extra free spins, but losing the gamble means losing the entire feature. You can choose between 6 default free spins with guaranteed wilds or 8 default free spins with synced reels. The synced reels bonus round will give you 2 synced reels with the same symbols. Both bonus rounds come with a win multiplier that starts at +1 and increases by +1 per win. The guaranteed wilds bonus round features guaranteed wilds, and the grid can reach a height of 9 positions. If this happens, the multiplier increments by +4 per win, and you receive +2 free spins. In some jurisdictions, there is a Bonus Buy option with 5 choices. You can pay 75x your stake for the regular bonus round trigger, 300x for 10 free spins with either synced reels or guaranteed wilds, or 1,000x for 12 free spins with both synced reels and guaranteed wilds. The gameplay video showcases the base game briefly before purchasing the top-tier bonus round. Towards the end of the feature, some solid wins are achieved. HipHopPop has a more accessible and mainstream hip hop theme compared to previous PopWins games, and it has a catchy title. However, there is a pacing issue with an awkward pause after symbols drop, which disrupts the flow of the game. On the other hand, the filling in of new symbols in the PopWins mechanic is smooth. It’s unclear if this sole feature is enough to carry the base game. Both bonus rounds offer decent extras, but gambling to get both at the same time is risky. The 1,000x price tag indicates the potential profitability. Furthermore, the 50,000x potential is the highest seen from AvatarUX in a while, making it appealing to hip hop fans. In addition to HipHopPop, there are other notable games in the PopWins series. Zombie aPOPalypse MultiPop offers increasing position multipliers per pop, up to 5x in the base game and 10x in the bonus round, with a max win of 20,000x your stake. KokeshiPop features Asian-inspired artwork and a win multiplier that increases up to 20x when the grid is maximized, doubling per win after that. In the bonus round, it doubles per consecutive win, potentially leading to 10,000x payouts. East Coast vs West Coast, a release from NoLimit City, has a more authentic and gangsta vibe than HipHopPop. It offers up to 84,375 ways to win, with three unique enhancers in the drive-by respins and three different bonus rounds. The max win is a solid 30,000x your stake.
