HelioPOPolis review
AvatarUX takes players on yet another trip to Ancient Egypt with the HelioPOPolis slot game. While the Egyptian theme may be somewhat overdone, the Pop Wins mechanic has been a big hit for the studio. The mechanic involves winning symbols popping into two on the grid, expanding the reel size and the number of ways to win. Is this enough to help this stand out from the plethora of Egyptian-themed titles on the market? Let’s take it for a spin in this HelioPOPolis slot review and find out.
Theme and Design
The Ancient Egyptian theme is the most ubiquitous in the online slot world, so it is tricky to do anything groundbreaking with it. The slot ticks all the right boxes, though, with the usual Gods appearing and the classic sand-swept background filling the screen. The design of the symbols here is quite neat, though, with the developer opting for a block-like art style that does a successful job of making this slot stand out in a seriously over-crowded genre.
How to Play
The HelioPOPolis slot has a simple base game. The game uses five reels and three rows, with 486 ways to win active at the start of the game. The reels can expand to six symbols high during this round, thanks to the POP Wins feature. This also increases the number of ways to win.
AvatarUX has not spared any expense with the winning potential here. The maximum win is 20,000x the player’s stake, which is sure to get some attention. The slot is considered highly volatile and has an RTP of 96%, putting it around average.
Bonus Features
AvatarUX has mastered the POP Wins mechanic since its launch, and HelioPOPolis uses it better than any previous title. Whenever players land a win, the symbol pops and expands into two, forcing its reel to expand one row higher. This then continues to happen if new wins are formed. The grid expands to six rows high in the base game and eight high in the Free Spins.
The Free Spins are launched when players land three or more Scatters. Three Scatters start the round with seven spins, 2,048 ways to win and x5 multiplier, four start it with 6,250 ways to win, nine spins, and a x6 multiplier, and five Scatters give the maximum 15,552 ways to win, 11 spins, and a x7 multiplier.
At the start of the spins, players get to choose between two modifiers. The Synced Reels sticks two reels together for a spin. Up to three reels can link together. The other bonus is an Extended Win Symbol. A random symbol can be selected for this. When it lands, it will cover to expand a full reel.
A progressive multiplier is also active in the round, increasing by one on each spin. During the round, the reels start at 4 high, with the POP feature being persistent throughout.
Slot Verdict
Any thoughts of this being just another Egyptian-themed slot are quickly washed away when the reels start popping, and the potential wins start stacking up. To borrow a phrase from a well-known crisp brand, once you pop, you just can’t stop. You can set off a big chain of wins here and once you throw in the bonus rounds, this becomes a hugely entertaining and chaotic slot game. We would definitely recommend taking the HelioPOPolis slot for a spin.