The rap battle phenomena was made famous by Eminem in 8 Mile, and there are a few slots based around this concept out there.Hustlingfrom Red Tiger not least, and AvatarUX has decided to join the competition with their fancy-titled HipHopPop. You don’t get any actual battling in this release, however, and we’re unsure if the soundtrack qualifies as hip hop. The visuals are solid though, with plenty of colors and a neon city backdrop.
There is nothing here that will revolutionize thePopWinsseries, and the base game is all about expanding the grid via the mechanic. You need to max out the grid to get to the bonus round, and there isn’t much else to do anyway. You can choose between guaranteed wilds or synced reels, or you can gamble (or pay) to get both. The50,000x potentialreminds us of the earlier PopWin releases, and it’s most likely cracked via the progressive multiplier you get in all bonus round versions.
The premium symbols pay between 2.5 and 8 x your stake for 5 of a kind wins, and 5 of a kind wins pay only one way. Theskull wild symbolsteps in for pay symbols to help complete wins, but wilds do not appear in the base game. ThePopWins mechanicexpands the grid by one extra position per winning symbol, up to 6 positions per base game reel.
TheBonus Roundtriggers when you manage to max out all 5 base game reels with 6 positions, and 6 positions is the default size during the feature. You cangamble for extra free spinsup front, however, but losing the gamble means to lose the whole feature. You can choose between6 default free spins with guaranteed wilds, or8 default free spins with synced reels.
The synced reels bonus round will give you2 synced reels, and these land with the same symbols. Both bonus rounds come with awin multiplierthat starts at +1, and it increases by+1 per win. Theguaranteed wildsbonus round comes with, you guessed it, guaranteed wilds, and the grid maxes out at 9 positions in height. If this happens, the multiplier increments by+4 per winin that round, and you get+2 free spins.
TheBonus Buybutton is available in some jurisdictions, and it comes with 5 options. Pay75x your staketo get theregular bonus roundtrigger, or300xto get10 free spins with either synced reels or guaranteed wilds.
Finally, you can pay1,000x your staketo get12 free spins with both synced reels and guaranteed wilds.
You get a brief taste of the base game, before we purchase the top-tier bonus round at 0:34 into the 3:21-minute highlights video. We landed some solid wins towards the end of the feature, and you can check it all out for yourself by hitting the play button below.
The hip hop theme is more accessible and mainstream than many previous installments in AvatarUX’ PopWins series, and it’s a catchy title for sure. HipHopPop is enjoyable in that regard, but we would still like to see the pace problem ironed out. There is an awkward pause after the symbols have dropped, before the spin button becomes active again, and it breaks the flow of the gameplay.
The filling in of new symbols in the PopWins mechanic flows smoothly though, but we’re unsure if this sole feature is enough to carry the base game. It’s hard to tell which of the bonus rounds to prefer, as both come with decent extras. Having to gamble to get both at the same time is risky, but the 1,000x price tag is an indicator of how lucrative it can be. Speaking of, the50,000x potentialis the highest we’ve seen in a while from AvatarUX, and hip hopers might wanna give this one a try.
Pros
Cons
Zombie aPOPalypse MultiPop- wins the award for most tongue twisting title, and this zombie installment in AvatarUX’ PopWins series comes with position multipliers that increase per pop. They can go up to x5 in the base game, and x10 in the bonus round. The max win is 20,000x your stake.
KokeshiPop- is an asian-themed installment in the PopWins range, and it comes with artwork that makes it well worth checking out. Maxing out the grid increases the win multiplier up to x20, and it doubles per win after that. It doubles per consecutive win in the bonus round, and this can lead to 10,000x payouts.
East Coast vs West Coast- comes across as more “real” and gangsta than the game at hand, and this NoLimit City release comes with up to 84,375 ways to win. You get 3 unique enhancers in the drive-by respins round, as well as in the 3 different bonus rounds. The max win is a solid 30,000x your stake.
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.