Critter Pop

Critter Pop is, as the name suggests, part of the PopWins range of [online slots]/slots) from provider, AvatarUX. The animals-in-space-themed game is played on a five-reel, three-row grid and features a free spins bonus round, along with the popular PopWins mechanic seen in similar games.

Paylines are formed when three or more matching symbols land across adjacent reels, with the critter symbols being the higher payers and the tiger and the mammoth being the most valuable. Wilds substitute for all other symbols to form winning lines, but they only drop onto the grid during the free spins round.

There are a couple of special features to be aware of when playing Critter Pop, including free spins and PopWins.

The main bonus feature in Critter Pop is the free spins bonus round, which is triggered when three or more scatter symbols land during the base game. Before the free spins round starts, a Rewards Reel is revealed, bringing with it the chance to win a range of rewards, including extra free spins, a higher starting win multiplier, random 2x2 or 3x3 symbols, random wild symbols and other multipliers, which will be applied to your free spins.

During the free spins round, other features kick in, such as the reels dropping down to the lowest reel height achieved on the current spin. If all the reels end up being eight symbols high, then two further free spins are awarded. However across the entire bonus round players can see an increasing multiplier that starts from x1 by default (can be x2 or x3 if won on the Reward Reel) and grows by +1 with each win. After all reels reach the maximum height that increment grows to +2 for each win, which is an entirely different situation than just "applying an x2 multiplier

When a winning line lands, a symbol will ‘pop’ off the grid to be replaced with two new symbols, increasing the ways to win and the reel height. If a new win is triggered, this feature repeats again and again as long as new wins are formed. Reels can increase up to six positions in the base game and up to eight in the free spins round, increasing the ways to win up to 65,536. When the reels hit their height limit, popped symbols are replaced by one new symbol instead of two.

The Critter Pop slot was launched in 2022. Card symbols, from ten to Ace, make up the low-paying symbols, which are worth from 1-1.5x the stake for five on a line. Six animal symbols are the high-paying symbols and are worth 2-6x the bet if you land five in the base game. The game graphics are well designed, and the space backdrop gives the game a futuristic feel.

Many slot games from this provider include the PopWins mechanic and have similar gameplay. Check out Hippo Pop, Cherry Pop or Zombie aPOPalypse.

There are lots of other popular slots that have similar themes or gameplay to Critter Pop. Consider trying out Neon Jungle from Iron Dog, with its free spins and multipliers, or Animal Antics from Inspired Gaming, featuring a Big Spin mechanic and Pick Me symbols.

To win, you’ll need to land three or more matching symbols on a payline. Wild symbols can help to complete successful combinations, substituting for regular symbols.

The controls for the slot are easy to understand and use. Simply place your bet and click the spinner to start spinning the reels. The minimum bet is £0.20, and the maximum is £100.