HippoPop Slot Review

HippoPop Game details

HippoPop is a video slot from AvatarUX released via Yggdrasil in May 2021. The action plays out on a 5 reel, 3 row grid that starts with 243 ways to win and can climb right up to 65,536 ways. Wins pay both ways, from left to right and from right to left. The game uses the PopWins mechanic, so every hit removes winning icons and replaces them with two new symbols on each winning position.

The RTP sits at 96.1 per cent, which is fair enough for such a highly volatile machine. Officially the volatility is rated super high, and from my sessions that label feels accurate. Stakes range from 20 pence a spin up to 40 pounds, so it suits low and mid stakes play. On paper HippoPop can reach 20,000 times the bet, tying in with a advertised top prize of about 1.9 million euro.

HippoPop Game features

In HippoPop the feature set looks quite focused. You get the PopWins engine in both base game and bonus, a base game win multiplier that comes into play when all reels reach six rows high, free spins that trigger from the expanded grid, and separate free spins multipliers that climb on every win. There are no wilds, scatters or side games getting in the way, so everything revolves around growing the reels and multipliers.

HippoPop PopWins: Slot Overview

HippoPop PopWins takes the PopWins formula on a trip through what looks like Oaxacan style art mixed with Alebrijes like spirit animals. Instead of Aztec beasts we get neon coloured African creatures carved into totem poles, all set against saturated jungle backdrops. It feels a bit like a heady expedition through the bush, full of glowing patterns and sculpted animals. The visual polish is high, with smooth animations tying the whole thing together.

On the technical side every paid spin begins on the 5 by 3 setup, giving 243 ways to win, though PopWins quickly inflates the height up to six rows in base play. When a win lands, each winning icon is removed and replaced by two symbols, which increases the reel height while the process repeats. AvatarUX split the paytable into card ranks J to A, then fish, birds and frogs, plus zebras, cats, flamingos and a super high paying hippo.

Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	Scatter
	5	x4
	4	x2
	3	x1
	5	x2
	4	x1
	3	x0.4
	5	x2
	4	x1
	3	x0.4
	5	x2
	4	x1
	3	x0.4
	5	x1.5
	4	x0.8
	3	x0.3
	5	x1.5
	4	x0.8
	3	x0.3
	5	x1.5
	4	x0.8
	3	x0.3
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.2
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.2
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.2
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.2

HippoPop PopWins: Slot Features

The key objective in HippoPop PopWins is to grow the reels to six symbols high on every column during the base game. When you manage that, two things happen. First, you trigger the bonus, so free spins will start after the Pops finish. Second, any further wins before the feature begins increase a win multiplier shown beside the reels, which then carries across into the bonus round, giving a helpful head start before free spins even begin.

Free spins in HippoPop start back on the 5 by 3 layout, yet during the feature each win still triggers PopWins. Now the reels can rise up to eight rows high, pushing the ways to 65,536 when fully expanded. The important twist is that the win multiplier no longer resets between spins, going up by one after every successful hit. Reel heights do not fully reset either, only dropping to match the shortest active reel on each spin.

Reaching the very top on all reels during the bonus adds more juice to the hippo symbol. When every reel hits six, seven or eight high, hippo wins pay two, three or four times their listed amount. Filling the screen at max height with hippos and a high multiplier is where the slot’s full potential lives. Where allowed, you can skip the grind and buy the bonus for 85 times your stake, entering with an upgraded starting multiplier.

HippoPop PopWins: Slot Verdict

HippoPop PopWins sits firmly in the middle of the PopWins catalogue for me. Mechanically it does not push the concept, there are no surprise modifiers or quirky wild features, yet the package feels nicely refined. The mix of Oaxacan inspired art, African animals and trippy neon works better than it probably should, and the animations have that tightened up look that suggests the team knew exactly what they wanted this slot to be.

In play HippoPop is all about waiting for that almighty spin which grows the grid, drops in the bonus and lets the multiplier go wild. The highly volatile maths model means base game returns can feel quite patchy, so I tend to treat it as a bonus hunt rather than a steady grinder. When the pieces line up, though, the combination of 65,536 ways and enhanced hippo payouts gives a genuine shot at those 20,000 times hits.

Screenshots