Pushy Cats

Pushy Cats Overview

Pushy Cats takes you to a strange Japanese anime style circus where bizarre felines and associated symbols spin on the reels for the player's enjoyment and possible capital benefit. Designed and powered by the Swedish studio Yggdrasil, this game is quite an odd one stylistically but is a lot of fun to play thanks to the hefty range of bonus features and the novel and dynamic graphics. The win potential here is also something to be applauded, as the RTP sits at 96% and the top win per spin is a weighty 20,000x the stake.

The features of this game are complex and various. However, the most straightforward of them is the sticky wild re-spin feature. This bonus is triggered every time a purple cat wild symbol lands in the base game. When this symbol lands, players are awarded one re-spin. More re-spins will follow if more wilds land. The main bonus content, however, kicks in when you land three wild symbols simultaneously or when you collect ten paw print symbols. Doing so triggers the bonus game feature. This feature has three different levels that you can play at. The higher the level, the higher the potential top payout. All features will be explained in greater detail later on in the review.

Theme and Symbols

As we have mentioned, the theme for this game is a slightly odd Japanese cat theme that takes place in some sort of circus or performance area. The Japanese's love for cats is well documented and, in many ways, a strong element of their culture. According to a range of sources, this is because the animals represent good fortune. You will often see Japanese cat figurines in many Japanese businesses – these are called Maneki-Neko and are a symbol of positive energy. Perhaps this is why the cat has been chosen as the mascot for this game of chance, as it is supposed to bring luck to the player.

The background for this game is a circus big top or large staged area. You can tell this from the many layers of stands surrounding the board and because of the silhouette of the audience in the foreground. The scene isn't particularly detailed - the designers going for a more big and bold approach with very bright colours and cartoon stars everywhere. The yellow and purple colour scheme is almost too bright and, in a way, reminds players of Japanese kid's shows where all saturation levels are dialled up to the max.

The playing board is a golden rectangle punctuated by bright bulbs in the style of an old-school theatre make-up mirror.

The symbols for this game are split into low-paying, high-paying and special symbols. The low-paying symbols are the J, Q, K and A in playing card royals. The most valuable of these is the A, worth 5x the stake for the top combination. On the other hand, the more valuable symbols are the fish, large fish, meat, and collar bell. The small bell is the most valuable of these, worth 25x the stake for the top combination. The specials start with the cat wild, followed by the paw print, the bonus bumper star, the extra wild bumper symbol, the u-turn bumper, the cash bumper, the multiplier bumper and finally, the vortex bumper.

Game Play

Pushy Cats is played on a 5-reel, 3-row machine with 20 fixed pay lines. To win combinations, players must land three or more matching symbols on pay lines moving from left to right, starting from the leftmost reel.

The betting range for Pushy Cats 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 very high range. The return to player percentage for Pushy Cats is 96%, which is about average. The biggest payout that players can win on one spin is 20,000x your stake.

Features

The first feature in this game is the sticky wild re-spins game, triggered when players land a purple cat wild in the base game. Should they do this, a re-spin will be awarded with more re-spins if players land any more wilds.

However, the main bonus content comes from the bonus game, triggered when players land three or more wild symbols in the base game on the same spin or as part of a re-spin sequence. Another way to trigger the bonus is to collect ten paw print symbols.

After triggering the bonus game, the feature will get you to play the bonus at one of three levels. The higher the level, the better the feature. The fewer vortex bouncers that appear, the better your chances of the feature ending prematurely. You may also gamble to try and win access to a higher level. However, if you lose the gamble, you won't get to play the feature at all.

Whether you play level one, two or three, there will always be a multiplier active. This attached multiplier increases by 1x for every win registered within the feature. Triggering wilds also become walking wilds, moving one place per spin.

Bonus bouncers are important as wilds that land on them bounce back to their previous position, meaning you get to keep them longer. Each one also has its associated bonus that you trigger when it comes into play. These are as follows:
• Vortex Bouncer feature: the wild disappears from the reels. When all wilds disappear, the feature ends – this is like a bogey bonus.
• Multiplier Bouncer feature: multiplier bouncers can increase the overall multiplier by 1, 2, 3 or 4.
• Coins Bouncer feature: a cash prize between 1x and 50x the stake is won.
• U-Turn Bouncer feature: the wild is saved.
• Extra Wild Bouncer feature: One or two additional wilds will be added to the reels.
• Bonus Game Level Up Bouncer feature: level increases with new bouncers appearing instead of Vortex ones.

This game also operates a golden bet feature which boosts your bet size for a better chance at triggering the features.

Conclusion

This game is a stimulation overload. So, if you enjoy crazy cartoon fun and loads of features, this might be exactly the slot you're looking for. Winning potential is also promising here, with a tidy top payout of 20,000x the stake and a decent RTP of 96%. Play this game for a plush cartoon romp through a circus with a few nice wins.