CritterPop Slot Review

CritterPop Slot Overview

When I load up CritterPop, I am dropped into deep space where gases, planets and stars swirl around a 5 reel, 3 row grid. It is classic AvatarUX PopWins action, with critters acting as the higher paying symbols on an expanding set of reels. The game starts with 486 ways to win in both directions, so three or more matching symbols can hit from the left side or the right.

Stakes in CritterPop range from 0.20 per spin up to 40 or even 100 in some versions, which suits both cautious testing and more aggressive play. The slot is very volatile, with a hit rate around one win in four spins. The theoretical return to player sits near 96.1 percent, while the maximum win caps out at a hefty 20,000 times the bet.

CritterPop Slot Information

In CritterPop, wins use the PopWins mechanic, so every winning symbol pops and vanishes, then two new symbols drop in and raise the reel height. The base game can reach 6 rows on each reel, while the bonus can stretch that to 8 rows for up to 65,536 ways to win. Wins still pay both ways, although five of a kind combinations only pay from one direction.

When I check the paytable in CritterPop, the lower paying symbols are 10, J, Q, K and A, worth between one and one and a half times the bet for five of a kind. High pays are frog, blue owl, purple owl, fox, tiger and mammoth, paying up to six times the stake. A blazing wild appears only in free spins, while a crystal bonus scatter is used to trigger them.

Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	5	x6
	4	x3
	3	x1.5
	5	x5
	4	x2.5
	3	x1.2
	5	x4
	4	x2
	3	x1
	5	x3
	4	x1.5
	3	x0.7
	5	x2
	4	x1
	3	x0.5
	5	x2
	4	x1
	3	x0.5
	5	x1.5
	4	x0.7
	3	x0.3
	5	x1.5
	4	x0.7
	3	x0.3
	5	x1.5
	4	x0.7
	3	x0.3
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.2
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.2
	Scatter
	Wild

CritterPop Slot Features

Feature wise, CritterPop packs in the full AvatarUX package. There is PopWins on every spin, an Ante Bet option that adds twenty five percent to the stake while doubling the chance of triggering the free spins, and the Base Game Unlock. On top of that sit scatters, random modifiers during the bonus, a global win multiplier and several bonus buy choices if your jurisdiction allows that button.

Every paid spin in CritterPop starts on the default 5 by 3 layout with 486 winning ways because the slot pays in both directions. Each winning symbol pops and is replaced by two new symbols, so the reels can climb to 6 rows in the base game. When I manage to push all five reels to full height, the Base Game Unlock awards two free spins on the expanded 5 by 6 set.

In practice, the base game in CritterPop can feel a bit cyclical while you wait for scatters or a full expansion. Mostly it is about steady streams of Pops, with reels growing and shrinking between spins, spiced up now and then by the extra two spins from the Base Game Unlock. The serious action sits in the bonus mode, where the math model can reach wins up to 20,000 times the bet.

Rewards Reel and Free Spins in CritterPop

Landing three, four or five scatter symbols in CritterPop triggers the free spins. You start with 5 spins and a grid of 5 by 4, 5 by 5 or 5 by 6, giving 2,048, 6,250 or 15,552 ways to win from the off. Before any free spin plays out, the slot runs a single Rewards Reel spin where various boosters can land and carry over into the bonus mode.

On the Rewards Reel in CritterPop, I have seen tiles with extra free spins, higher starting multiplier, larger multiplier growth, 2 by 2 and 3 by 3 symbol blocks, random wilds and special multipliers for the fox or mammoth. During free spins the reels do not fully reset, instead they fall back only to the lowest reel height from the last spin, and reaching 8 rows across awards more spins plus stronger multiplier growth.

Bonus Buy in CritterPop

CritterPop offers three bonus buy options where regulations permit, which suits me when I do not want to wait for scatters. Paying 125 times the bet buys the standard free spins with a 4 row grid, 2,048 ways to win and one Rewards Reel spin. Doubling that cost to 250 times the stake gives a 5 row start, while the 500 times option opens the feature on a 6 row, 15,552 way setup.

CritterPop Slot Verdict

As a long time fan of PopWins titles, I rate CritterPop as a solid animals in space instalment with serious firepower in the bonus. The theme feels slightly odd at first, with mammoths and foxes floating in a cosmic scene, yet the smooth spins and popping wins soon take over. High volatility, around standard RTP and a 20,000 times max win make this slot appealing for bonus buyers and grind fans alike.

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