Well, AvatarUX are back again to bring us another release, although this time we're taking a step back from the team's coveted PopWins mechanic and revising the MultiPop mechanic made popular in Zombie aPOPalypse. With 19 releasees under their belt now, AvatarUX are showing no signs of slowing down on all things pop, as we leave behind the Emerald Isle of Pop O'Gold to turn our attention to the ‘PURRfect balance between CATcellent features' and the MultiPop mechanic – in Kitty POPpins. With RTP options up to 96.02%, this highly volatile release can produce wins up to 20,000x bet.
Things are looking quite distinctively AvatarUX in Kitty POPpins, as we find ourselves inside a golden palace for the action today. Staircases sit to either side of the reels, with purple-draped windows and more pillars than I thought possible in one room. Various feline statues sit dotted around the place, lit from the huge skylight above. On the reels, a variety of cat characters and accessories make up the action, with a large cat sitting off to the left – the King Cat, but we'll get to him soon. Finally, a jazzy tune similar to that of PapayaPop comes in to tie it all together, broken up by the sound of cats meowing.
Kitty POPpins Base Features
Taking place across 5 reels, wins are formed on Kitty POPpins by matching at least 3 symbols on adjacent reels, beginning with the leftmost or rightmost reel – as wins pay both ways. Each reel begins with 5 symbols, producing 3,125 ways to win, although players can see up to 59,049 ways to win during Free Spins. Symbols available begin with low paying symbols, with 9s, 10s, Js, Qs, Ks, and As, awarding wins between 0.10 and 0.50x bet for matches between 3 and 5 of a kind. In the mid-range we have a variety of cat jewellery, including collars, bows, and hats, awarding wins between 0.25 and 1x bet, again for matches between 3 and 5 of a kind. We meet our four feline friends in the high paying symbols, each with their own distinctive personalities. All premium symbols pay between 0.50 and 2x bet for matches between 3 and 5 of a kind. Finally, Bonus Scatter symbols decorated with gold fish bones are available in any position to help players trigger Free Spins.
There's plenty to cover in Kitty POPpins, beginning with the Ante Bet. By betting an additional 25%, players can double their chance of entering Free Spins.
Next up is the MultiPop mechanic. On every spin, each symbol involved in a win will be replaced by a new symbol. When the new symbol appears, it will have a multiplier applied to it that is +1x more than the symbol it replaced. Multipliers are locked to cells, not symbols, and continue to increase every time winning combinations are formed.
When winning combinations occur using symbols in multiplier cells, the multiplier values are applied to the win. Firstly, any winning symbols of the same symbol type on the same reel will have their values added together to get a total multiplier for the reel, and then multipliers across reels are multiplied together before being applied to the win.
Additionally, at the beginning of each spin random cells are awarded random starting multipliers. When winning combinations occur within these cells, their multipliers will be increased from this point. Cell multipliers are reset when no more wins occur in a spin, at which point new cells are awarded random multipliers for the next spin.
It's time to turn our attention to King Cat now, who sits to the left of the reels. King Cat is triggered randomly and offers a chance to form a winning combination by activating one of 3 random features.
- CATeriffic Re-Shuffle – frames (that may contain multipliers) are added to the board, and then all framed symbols are re-shuffled for a chance to create a new win.
- CATilicious Respin – additional multipliers are added to the board, and all multiplier cells are locked in place whilst a re-spin is awarded in which all symbols are removed. If new multipliers are added on top of an existing multiplier their value are added.
- CATcellent Removal – up to 2 low paying symbols are chosen to be removed from the board for the spin cycle, and are replaced by cascading symbols that include a common, higher paying symbol.
Kitty POPpins Bonus
Land 3, 4, or 5 Scatter symbols to trigger Free Spins, with 3 different modes.
- 3 Scatter symbols – 5 Free Spins with 7 symbols per reel (16,807 ways to win).
- 4 Scatter symbols – 8 Free Spins with 8 symbols per reel (32,768 ways to win).
- 5 Scatter symbols – 12 Free Spins with 9 symbols per reel (59,049 ways to win).
In a strange turn of events, Kitty POPpins does not offer players the opportunity to gamble between Free Spin modes. Additionally, cell multipliers are reset between every spin, with new, random positions awarded on the next spin as in the base game.
During Free Spins, the King Cat features that were available in the base game continue to be available, but with additional upgrades.
- CATeriffic Re-Shuffle – up to 10 symbols can now be shuffled.
- CATilicious Respin – up to 8 cell multipliers can now lock in place.
- CATcellent Removal – up to 5 low paying symbols can now be removed.
Apart from this, everything continues as normal, with the aim of the game to match winning combinations involving cell multipliers. Reminder – any winning symbols of the same symbol type on the same reel will have their values added together first to get a total multiplier for the reel, and then multipliers across reels are multiplied together before being applied to the win.
Players in appropriate regions can take advantage of the aforementioned Ante Bet, along with 5 additional game modes with XPress.
- Feature Guaranteed (King Cat activated on every base game spin) – 7.5x bet
- Buy Bonus (5 Free Spins with 16,807 ways to win) – 75x bet
- Buy Bonus Plus (8 Free Spins with 32,768 ways to win) – 200x bet
- Buy Bonus Premium (12 Free Spins with 59,049 ways to win) – 500x bet
- Buy Bonus Max (15 Free Spins with 59,049 ways to win) – 1,000x bet
The maximum win available in Kitty POPpins is 20,000x bet. If the sum of a single game round exceeds this, the game round will end and 20,000x bet will be awarded.
First Impression
That felt like a lot of information to run through. There's no denying – there is more than enough in Kitty POPpins to keep players entertained. In the base game, King Cat carries the bulk of this weight, working hand in hand with the MultiPop mechanic to help create winning combinations. At its core, MultiPop more or less achieves the same thing as PopWins, but in this example we achieve it through some impressive multiplier combinations, particularly with values multiplying across reels. Couple it with vibrant graphics and a jazzy soundtrack, and you've got yourself one heck of a party.
Free Spins are where things really pick up though, with King Cat offering enhanced features and more ways to win added through increased reel heights. Interestingly, there is no progressive element to Kitty POPpins – no increasing reel height between spins, and no persistent multipliers. What is here works though, particularly alongside the features on offer. When the right combinations land, wins are possible up to 20,000x bet.
Finally, maths is highly volatile and RTP options are available up to 96.02%, so as always it's worth checking this. Whether you're team PopWins or team MultiPop, if you're looking for a release bursting at the seams Kitty POPpins could be for you.
*The screenshots taken of games reviewed on this site are taken from Demo Play, as reviews are often written before games are released for real play.
