Lollipop PopWins

Lollipop PopWins Overview

Join creators Yggdrasil and Avatar UX in this new saccharine explosion of a game that runs the PopWins pay both ways win mechanic. This game is one of many PopWins games created by the studio. In addition to paying out in both directions, the PopWins mechanic also adds more rows to the board when wins are found, expanding the number of pay line players can play on. There are also plenty of features to get stuck into in this game and a decent top prize of 13,000x your stake.
The features start with the StickyPop bonus.

This feature means that every time a winning combination is found, the winning symbols and any iterations on the board become sticky while the rest of the board spins. This process happens until no new wins are found. A 2x multiplier will come into play when reels hit their full height. This multiplier will increase by 1 for every additional row. This game also has a great free spin round, and a bonus buy option. All features will be explained in greater detail later on in the review.

Theme and Symbols

The theme for this slot is the ever-popular candy theme made famous by the ubiquitous Candy Crush mobile game. There seems to be a tacit competition between developers as to who can make the most excessively bright and sweet candy theme, with each game becoming that much more painfully pink and agonisingly sugary. This latest product by Yggdrasil has got to be a contender for the award. Every inch of the screen is covered in some confectionary or luminous colour. Indeed, Lollipop by Yggdrasil makes Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory look like it needs some sugar.

The background for this game is an American diner made entirely out of confection. The booths are each made of chocolate cake and biscuits, covered again in chocolate. The floor looks to be made of strawberry shortcake. Even the roof’s supporting beams are candy canes. If this wasn’t enough, each table is furnished with a bowel of candy the size of a human head. Just to step into this place, we assume, would give you instant cavities and a potential case of type two diabetes.

The playing board looks like a block of chocolate interspersed with hard candy and other sweet treats such as caramel and nougat.
The symbols are split into low-paying, high-paying and special symbols. The low-paying symbols are the jellybeans backed by chocolate. These come in purple, blue, pink and orange. The most valuable of these is the orange one that pays out at 0.6x the stake. On the other hand, the more valuable symbols are the blue gummy bear, the slice of cake, the profiterole, the heart candy, the star candy, and finally, the candy canes. The candy canes are the most valuable, worth 4x the stake for the top combination. The only special symbol in this game is the scatter, which is a red lollipop.

Game Play

Lollipop PopWins is played on a 5-reel, expandable row machine with a maximum of 33,614 pay lines. To win combinations, players must land three or more matching symbols on pay lines, either moving from left to right or right to left, as this is a pay both ways game.
The betting range for Lollipop PopWins is 20p to £100 per spin. To adjust their bet levels, players can toggle their stake up and down using the tool located at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

Further information, including a short tutorial and a display of the paytable, can be found via the menu button in the right-hand corner of the screen. The spin and auto spin buttons are located in the centre of the screen.
Volatility for this slot is rated in the high range. The return to player percentage for Lollipop PopWins is 95.82%, which is below average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 13,000x your stake.

Features

The first feature in this game is the StickyPop bonus which is triggered every time a win is found on the board. When it is, all the winning symbols plus any of the same type on the board are frozen in place while the rest of the board spins again. This gives players the chance to find more wins from the same spin. The process continues until no new wins are found. Winning symbols on a reel also expand the reel height by one position. The maximum height for the reels in the base game is five, increasing the pay lines and the likelihood of scoring some wins.

Next on the features list is the base game multiplier. When a reel hits its full height in the base game, a 2x multiplier is applied for the first reel. This multiplier will then grow by one for every additional reel that is added to the board. When re-spins end, the total winnings are boosted by the attached multiplier.

However, the main feature in this game is the free spins game, triggered when players land three or more scatter symbols on the reels at the same time. However, before the action starts, players are given the option of spinning the gamble wheel to try and improve the conditions of their free spins. However, you will lose access to the free spins altogether if you lose the spin.
The free spins round begins with an empty table where only scatter rewards and hearts fall. Each scatter symbol, when it lands, does so with an attached cash value. Hearts, on the other hand, add 1-2 free spins. Scatters also grow the reel height by one. The table can grow to seven high in the free spins game. This gives players a potential 33,614 pay lines.

The expanded format also does not collapse as it does in the base game between spins. Landing certain combinations of scatters will also upgrade the symbols that land on the board, increasing the value of the free spins.
Finally, this game also has a bonus buy option that allows players to purchase access to the free spins game. This option is not available in the UK.

Conclusion

PopWins meets Candy Crush mania in a saccharine yet exciting game that provides multiple layers of gaming experience and decent win potential. The highlights of this game are the great features, the good top payout and the high-quality theme. The cons for this game include a poor RTP and very high volatility. Yes, you may find some good wins here but play is very erratic.