Avatar UX Studios is a Hong Kong-based developer that collaborates with Yggdrasil, and WildPops is their second game featuring their innovative PopWins mechanics. The asian visual style is elaborately done in this game for sure, but there is something not quite right about the color scheme. We can’t exactly put our finger on it, but the visuals just feel kind of off. Anyway, there is plenty of excitement to be found when it comes to the actual gameplay, and even though the potential has been significantly lowered since PopRocks, it’s still higher than most games out there.
The game plays out on a 5×3 grid, at least that’s how it starts, and you will also start out with 486 ways to win. This all changes rather quickly once you land a winning combo, as the PopWins mechanic kicks in to increase the number of rows and paylines. There is also a progressive multiplier meter you can check out on the left-hand side, as well as a brand new wild meter below the reels. The latter is really helpful to keep your grid expanding action going, and you need to expand all reels to the maximum of 7 to trigger the bonus round here.
Some will perhaps think that WildPops slot is a bit too similar to PopRocks, and it’s hard to deny that Avatar UX might have played it a bit safe with this follow-up game. Still, the math model is very different, and the volatility has definitely been toned down a bit compared to the first game. The same can be said about the max win potential of 17,707x your stake, but that’s still solid enough for most players, we would imagine. Overall, WildPops feels like a more balanced game than the first game, and we thoroughly enjoyed our 200 spins test session (read all about it further down in the review).
The defining feature of this game is definitely the PopWins mechanics, and it works exactly the same as on the first game in the series. Every time you land a winning combo, the winning symbols will “pop”, and they’ll be replaced by 2 new symbols. This effectively creates more rows and ways to win on the grid, and each reel can increase from 3 to 7 rows in height.
At maximum capacity, WildPops slot is capable of 33,614 ways to win, due to the win both ways mechanics. The PopWins feature goes on as long as you keep landing new winning combos, and it can be seen as a very creative take on the more common Avalanche feature. The feature ends when you land a losing spin, and the grid is reset to its default 5×3 and 486 paylines setup.
There is also a progressive WildPops multiplier that can come into play here. You need 7 “pops” to increase the multiplier by +1, and and there is no upper limit or cap as to how high this multiplier can climb. You can look at the meter to the left to see how many “pops” you have collected, and the multiplier meter resets on each new spin.
To help you with the “popping”, you also have a random wild feature that comes into play after 3 consecutive PopWins. This gives you 2 wilds randomly placed on the ever-growing grid, and there is also no upper limit as to how many times you can trigger this feature. The meter below the reels tells you how many wins you need before the next pair of wilds are added.
If you manage to increase every reel to 7 rows in height via the PopWins feature, this will trigger the game’s free spins bonus round. This gives you 3 extra lives, which can be seen as free spins for all intents and purposes, and it means that the reel setup does not reset from 5×7 as long as you have lives left.
Still, all the symbols will be replaced when you “lose a life”, but you will get help from the random wilds and the progressive multiplier also during the bonus round. The multiplier does not reset as long as you have extra lives to spare, and the potential for big wins is ever-present when you trigger this feature.
WildPops might seem a bit complicated because of all the moving parts and mechanics, but it’s really not that hard to get into once you start playing. The game interface is easy to get a grip on also, and we will walk you through everything you need to know here. Especially beginners should probably pay attention, while experienced players might wanna skim through this part.
The hamburger menu opens up 2 different menus for you, and you can also toggle off the sound here if you want. The game info menu opens up the paytable, and here you can read about all the different bonus features. You can also scroll down to see the symbol combination values, and the highest value symbol is a blue dragon which pays 30x for 5 in a combo.
This blue dragon is in its own category called “super high”, and it can only come about as a result of the WinPops feature. You also have 7 higher value symbols that can land at any time, in addition to the regular royal symbols of lower value. You can also check out the game rules by clicking the menu, and here the whole game is explained for you in somewhat formal terms.
You can adjust your bet level via the arrows, or by clicking the icon itself. This takes you into a menu where you can choose from a bet range between 20p and £50 per spin. This is perhaps a bit narrow for some players, and especially high rollers might feel a bit constrained.
Finally, you can set up the autoplay feature with between 10 and 1,000 autospins, and this is done via the circular double arrow icon above the spin button. You can also choose the infinity symbol to make the autospin feature go on “forever”, or you can simply spin the reels the old fashioned way by hitting the big spin button in the middle.
If you got through the above section intact, you are now pretty much an expert on how to play this game. Here we’ll discuss where you can play WildPops, and present you with some options. The main option is whether or not you want to test the free demo game version first, or if you feel ready for real money action right away. Whatever you prefer, hear us out, cause we can assist you either way.
Perhaps you’ve already played PopRocks from before, and if that’s the case you pretty much understand the WinPops mechanics. You should have no trouble getting into this game rather quickly then, and at the top of this page you’ll find plenty of casinos to choose from. We scan all the casinos on a daily basis to provide you with the best possible overview, and you can follow this link toget going with WildPops slot immediately.
If you have not played the previous game, you might wanna try the free demo version of WildPops first. This game is something you’ll either love or hate, and it’s therefore a good idea to find out how you feel about it before you risk anything from your own pocket. We just happen to have the demo game installed right here at the very top of the page, and you can follow the link up there toplay WildPops for free right away.
We were already familiar with the innovative WinPops mechanic from having tested PopRocks, and we looked forward to trying out this new addition to the series. We therefore loaded up the autoplay feature with 250 spins, and set the bet level to £1 per spin. WildPops gave us quite a thrill ride, and we also managed to trigger the bonus round towards the end.
The base game plays out as you can expect from a highly volatile game, but it’s definitely not as brutal as the first game in the series. We got plenty of dead spins between bigger wins, and we also had many minute wins below 1x, which is kind of useless. The pace of the game is okay as long as you don’t win, but the animations are a bit slow when hit many wins in a row.
You have to endure each new symbol popping into the blank position one by one, which can be a bit annoying when you get a lot of rows to fill. We had a couple of noteworthy bigger wins in the base game, and the biggest one landed us 61x our stake. Each reel that reaches the maximum of 7 rows will catch on fire, and we were only one reel short of triggering the bonus round when we landed this big win.
Sadly, the final reel did not pop all the way, so everything reset, including our juicy 7x multiplier. We had a similar experience later, but won only 22x from that long-winded cascading win run. We finally triggered the bonus round towards the very end of our session, and we managed to get a 12x multiplier as the feature peaked. This landed us a decent payout of 110.13x, and we broke more or less even from our 200 spins test session.
As we mentioned in the intro of this review, there is something about the symbols that’s a bit off in WildPops slot. It might be the color scheme or the level of detail, or a combination of both, but whatever it is, it’s not really all that pleasing to the eye. It’s like it’s too much somehow, and it can almost give you a headache. Anyway, the game itself is better than the first one with similar mechanics, but the potential of 17,707x has been significantly reduced from the rather insane 72,188x. To compensate for this, the volatility is more rounded here compared to the ultra-high volatility you’ll find in PopRocks.
The wild feature (which is brand new to this game) really comes in handy to save the day on many occasions, and when things start to happen in this game it can escalate into massive wins pretty quickly. Not too quickly though, cause the animations are a bit too slow for our taste, but we still enjoyed the heck out of our 200 spins session. If you liked PopRocks, you will most likely enjoy WildPops also, although Avatar UX could perhaps have made an even bigger distinction between the two games.
Pros
Cons
There is only one other game with the PopWins mechanics, but here we’ll also present you with some similar oriantal style games that come with solid potentials. You can always follow the link to find out more about each game, and in there you can also check out the free demo version of each title. We’ll start with the most obvious recommandation first.
PopRocks- comes with the same RTP as WildPops, but the math model is quite different in this game. For starters, you have ultra-high volatility combined with an insane 72,188x max win potential. This is a lot higher than the game at hand, but the 2 slots are pretty similar in many ways. It’s probably a good idea to check out both games, and see which one you like best.
Wacky Panda- is a classic fruit machine with the paytable on display next to the 3 reels. There is only 1 payline in this game, and the symbols are simple cartoon-like animals from the asian fauna. The cute looking pandas are dressed up in different costumes here, and this simple game comes with a respectable max win potential of 49,995x your stake.
Chi- is a cute looking game from ELK Studios, and it takes place in the Himalayas with stunning visuals. You’ll meet two fox-like fur balls called Chi and Mow, and there is a spinning totem feature that will introduce their respective features to the reels. The Stairway to Fortunes feature is the big highlight here, and it comes with many different wheels of fortune with potentially big multipliers. Wins up to 12,500x your stake is possible on this highly volatility and entertaining game from Elk.
Avatar UX Studios, a developer based in Hong Kong, has partnered with Yggdrasil to create their second game, WildPops, which features their innovative PopWins mechanics. While the game’s Asian visual style is well-executed, there is something off about the color scheme that is hard to pinpoint. However, the gameplay itself is exciting, although not as impressive as their previous game, PopRocks. The game begins on a 5×3 grid with 486 ways to win, but this quickly changes as the PopWins mechanic increases the number of rows and paylines. Additionally, there is a progressive multiplier meter and a wild meter to help expand the grid and trigger the bonus round. Some may find WildPops to be too similar to PopRocks, but the math model and volatility have been adjusted. The max win potential is 17,707x your stake, which is still impressive. Overall, WildPops is a more balanced game with enjoyable gameplay. The defining feature is the PopWins mechanics, which creates more ways to win by replacing winning symbols with new ones. The feature continues until a losing spin occurs, and the grid resets to its default size. There is also a progressive multiplier that increases with each “pop” and no limit to how high it can go. Additionally, a random wild feature adds extra wilds to the grid after consecutive PopWins. The bonus round is triggered when all reels reach their maximum height, and players are given extra lives to keep the expanded reel setup. The multiplier does not reset during the bonus round, offering the potential for big wins. While WildPops may seem complicated with its various mechanics, it is easy to understand once you start playing. The game interface is user-friendly, and players can adjust their bet level, access game information, and set up the autoplay feature. As for where to play WildPops, players have the option to try the free demo version or play for real money. The demo version is recommended for those who want to familiarize themselves with the game before risking real money. The review provides a link to access the demo game, as well as a list of casinos where players can find WildPops. The review also shares the author’s experience playing the game, noting that the base game is volatile but not as harsh as the previous game. They had several significant wins, including triggering the bonus round, and found the gameplay enjoyable despite some slow animations. The review concludes by mentioning the color scheme of the symbols, which some may find unappealing, but overall, WildPops is a solid game with a lower max win potential but more rounded volatility compared to PopRocks. Finally, the review recommends similar games with an Asian theme and solid potential, such as PopRocks, Wacky Panda, and Chi, providing a brief description of each game and their respective max win potentials.