AvatarUX has been struggling to nail the spin pace more or less from day 1, or at least since we started focusing on it in our reviews. Some installments seem to have been upgraded with a turbo option, and this could have solved the problem with LolliPop as well. The hiccup before and after each spin is rather annoying, and it’s a shame since this is otherwise a pretty interesting 10th release in thePopWins mechanicseries.
The candy visuals are perhaps not the most original wrapping. However, the StickyPop Respins feature with its unlocking reel multiplier system makes the base game stick out in a positive way. The PopWins mechanic expands the grid as it usually does, with up to 7 rows and 33,614 win ways in the bonus round. The hold-and-win style feature comes with a clever cash scatter upgrade system, and this can suddenly escalate things to the tune of13,000x your stake.
The premium symbols pay 1 to 4 x your stake for 5 of a kind wins, and symbols pay both ways. TheStickyPop featuretriggers on each win, making all instances of the winning symbol sticky as the remaining positions respin. This goes on indefinitely as long as you keep adding to the win, and reels expand by+1 row per winning comboup to 5 rows in the base game.
Whenever you max out a base game reel with 5 rows, you unlock a multiplier. Each maxed out reel adds+1 to the multiplier within the same respins sequence. When the final respin has played out, your total win is boosted by the summed up unlocked multipliers. It goes as high as x6, at best.
The Bonus Round triggers when you land3, 4 or 5 scattersin the same respins sequence, andyou can choose to gamble for taller starting reels and extra lives. Losing means you’re taken back to the base game however, and the gamble feature plays out in 2 stages with the best possible result being 5 starting lives on a 5×5 starting grid.
Thehold-and-win style Bonus Roundcomes with scatter cash symbols and hearts, as well as blanks that do nothing. Both become sticky when they land, and scatters come withcash values of 1x, 3x, 5x, 10x, 20x, 100x or 500x your stake. Hearts increase the respins tally by +1 or +2. Both symbol types add +1 row to relevant reels, up to 7 at the most. A maxed out 5×7 grid equals 33,614 win ways, and expanded reels don’t reset in the bonus round.
TheScatter Upgrade systemcomes into play during the bonus round as well. When a given number of a particular scatter type has become sticky, all instances upgrade to the next prize tier. You need only 2 of the 1x scatter to upgrade, while 7+ 100x scatters upgrade them all to the top-tier 500x scatter. All scatters on a maxed out reel doubles in value, and you can keep track of it all on the scatter upgrade trail to the left.
Those living in an eligible jurisdiction have2 Bonus Buy optionsin this game (not UK). You can pay75x your stakefor the regular upgradable bonus round. You can also pay500x your stakefor the Bonus Buy Max option, which gives you a 5×5 starting grid with 5 respin lives (this is essentially the absolute best outcome from the gamble feature).
Nothing overly exciting happened for us in the base game, but you get to see a few PopWins here and there. We purchase the bonus round 1 minute into the 2:29-minute highlights video, and we got lucky in the gamble feature. Simply hit the play button below to see for yourself how it all played out.
The PopWin mechanic comes with a decent pace this time, but AvatarUX still struggles with the game pace calibration. There’s an “awkward silence” between hitting the spin button and the reels actually spinning, and the spin button is “dead” for even longer after each spin. Pace is not everything, we know, but it’s certainly not nothing in a game like this, and we found ourselves hammering the spin button in frustration all the time.
This problem should’ve been ironed out long ago. It’s a simple and obvious fix, yet here we are 10 installments deep still nagging about it. The StickyPop multiplier system and the scatter upgrade bonus round are both enjoyable features, and it’s therefore too bad that such a “small” issue as the game pace overshadows what could’ve been a more fun release. The13,000xpotential is solid, and it indicates that AvatarUX has put themselves on a more realistic track compared to some of the early releases.
Pros
Cons
PiggyPop- is the 9th release in AvatarUX’ PopWin series, and you get the usual position splitting and reel expanding mechanic. You get 3 spins that reset per win in the bonus round, with a multiplier that increases per spin. The max win potential is 10,690x your stake, which is a tad lower than the game at hand.
PapayaPop- is a fruity installment with an Art Deco-inspired finish, and this AvatarUX release comes with the usual PopWin mechanic base game. The grid can expand up 5×9 in the bonus round, and you can gamble to increase the starting multiplier and grid size. The multiplier increases for each free spin, and you can win up to 10,542x your stake.
HippoPop- is a stylish jungle animal installment in the AvatarUX’ PopWin range, and the base game grid maxes out at 5×6 via the positions splitting win symbols. A progressive multiplier is active all the way, and it’s carried over into the bonus round where it never resets. Up to 8 rows per reel is possible in the feature, and you can win up to 48,150x your stake.
AvatarUX has been facing difficulties with the spin pace since the beginning, especially when we started focusing on it in our reviews. Some of the previous games have been improved with a turbo option, which could have solved the issue with LolliPop as well. The pause before and after each spin is quite frustrating, which is a shame because the 10th release in the PopWins mechanic series is otherwise quite interesting. The candy visuals may not be the most original, but the StickyPop Respins feature with its unlocking reel multiplier system sets the base game apart in a positive way. The PopWins mechanic expands the grid, reaching up to 7 rows and 33,614 win ways in the bonus round. The hold-and-win style feature includes a clever cash scatter upgrade system, which can potentially lead to wins of up to 13,000x your stake. The premium symbols pay 1 to 4 times your stake for 5 of a kind wins, and symbols pay both ways. The StickyPop feature triggers on each win, making all instances of the winning symbol sticky as the remaining positions respin. This continues indefinitely as long as you keep adding to the win, and reels expand by 1 row per winning combination, up to 5 rows in the base game. When you fill a base game reel with 5 rows, you unlock a multiplier. Each filled reel adds 1 to the multiplier within the same respin sequence. At the end of the respins, your total win is boosted by the sum of the unlocked multipliers, which can reach up to x6. The Bonus Round is triggered when you land 3, 4, or 5 scatters in the same respin sequence, and you have the option to gamble for taller starting reels and extra lives. If you lose, you are taken back to the base game. The gamble feature plays out in 2 stages, with the best possible result being 5 starting lives on a 5×5 starting grid. The hold-and-win style Bonus Round includes scatter cash symbols and hearts, as well as blanks that have no effect. Both types of symbols become sticky when they land, and scatters have cash values ranging from 1x to 500x your stake. Hearts increase the number of respins by 1 or 2. Both symbol types also add 1 row to relevant reels, up to a maximum of 7 rows. A fully expanded 5×7 grid offers 33,614 win ways, and the expanded reels do not reset in the bonus round. The Scatter Upgrade system is also active during the bonus round. When a certain number of a specific scatter type becomes sticky, all instances of that scatter type are upgraded to the next prize tier. Only 2 of the 1x scatter are required for an upgrade, while 7 or more of the 100x scatter upgrades all scatters to the top-tier 500x scatter. All scatters on a fully expanded reel double in value, and the scatter upgrade trail on the left keeps track of the progress. For players in eligible jurisdictions (excluding the UK), there are 2 Bonus Buy options available. The regular upgradable bonus round can be purchased for 75x your stake, while the Bonus Buy Max option can be purchased for 500x your stake. The Bonus Buy Max option gives you a 5×5 starting grid with 5 respin lives, which is the best outcome from the gamble feature. We didn’t experience anything particularly exciting in the base game, but we did see a few PopWins. We purchased the bonus round 1 minute into the 2:29-minute highlights video and had some luck in the gamble feature. Overall, the PopWin mechanic has a decent pace this time, but AvatarUX still struggles with the game pace calibration. There is an awkward delay between hitting the spin button and the reels actually spinning, and the spin button remains inactive for even longer after each spin. While pace may not be everything, it is certainly an important aspect of the game, and we found ourselves repeatedly pressing the spin button in frustration. This issue should have been resolved long ago, as it is a simple and obvious fix. It’s disappointing that such a small issue overshadows the enjoyable features of the StickyPop multiplier system and the scatter upgrade bonus round. The game has a solid potential of 13,000x, indicating that AvatarUX has made progress compared to their earlier releases.