CherryPop slot is the third from independent developer Avatar UX to use the PopWins mechanism. The first two in the line, PopRocks and WildPops, had a distinctly Eastern feel, from black to Asian. The third version goes back to the roots of the game in a fairly classic fruity style. There are plenty of old-school symbols on a grid that can seriously expand, with free spins and, like the previous two, huge potential.
A blazing pink frame surrounds this slot, which is 5 lines wide and 3 lines high, but can expand. Behind the grid is a purple, blue and pink background, designed in the blurred style that Avatar UX seems to favor. The final touch is the soundtrack. A bit of 80’s electronics to have hours of fun on this slot.
Playable from 20 cents to 40€ per spin, the stats are outstanding, with an above average RTP – 96.2% RTP for cherrypop.
Don’t expect too many big wins during the base game. PopWins slots are known to be very volatile. The goal here is to unlock the bonus to collect huge multipliers.
The basic rule is that three or more adjacent symbols on the first or fifth reel trigger a win. Technically, there are 243 ways to win in the default mode, but basically this number is doubled to 486 since the game pays both ways.
Before we find out what CherryPop is capable of when its foot is on the gas, let’s take a quick look at the paytable. There are a lot of payout symbols, 13 to be exact, which can clutter up the slot in smaller configurations. At the bottom of the paytable are the 10 to Aces, followed by grapes, melons, oranges, horseshoes, clovers, bells, diamonds and cherries. Values go up to 15 times the bet for five cherries. Keep in mind that cherries only appear on pops or free spins.
What is PopWins
Every move triggers the PopWins feature. When this happens, the winning symbols are cleared from the screen and each empty position is replaced by two new symbols. Because there are more symbols than before, the reels are enlarged to accommodate them – up to 6 rows high in the base game (compared to the usual 3). Consecutive wins are possible using the new symbols, and the process continues until there are no more combinations. Then the board is reset to zero.
The wheel on Cherrypop
If the 5 rows extend to 6 rows high, 5 free spins are triggered. However, before the bonus game begins, players have the option of playing their spins on the wheel. Betting on the wheel allows you to get up to 16 free spins, or you lose all your free spins.
Free spins at Cherrypop
Free spins increase the stakes by introducing a progressive win multiplier (starting at x2). Each PopWin increases the multiplier by +1, without limit. PopWins also increase the size of the rows as they do in the base game. The difference now is that the rows can reach 9 rows high.
When all the reels reach 9 rows high, the win multiplier is increased by +3. In addition, each subsequent PopWin now increases the multiplier by +4 instead of +1.
On a full 9-row grid, there are 59,049 ways to win – double that when you factor in the payout both ways. When a PopWin-free spin occurs, the rows revert to the height of the shortest row.
Finally, there’s a new feature: a bonus buy-in option. For the cost of 75 times the wager, you will simply have instant access to the bonus.