There’s No Business Like MonkeyPop Slot Business
Although it’s now dominated by anime, manga, and hentai (yes, the tentacle porn thing), Japan has always had a rich history of artistic excellence with woodblock prints, pottery, sculpture, calligraphy, and ceramics. Today, the most recognizable of those art forms is arguably the blue and white ceramics and woodblock prints like The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
So, what has this got to do with a slot game, you ask? Well, Avatar UX has just released their newest game MonkeyPop slot, which takes inspiration from classic Japanese woodblock print artwork.
Ripped from the pages of imperial history
On their website, Avatar UX describes MonkeyPop as “a fun video slot designed around a unique, playful and amusing theme.” This description is so generic that I had to check some of the others just to make sure they don’t use a standard description for all their slots. They’d don’t, which makes the description all the more baffling.
MonkeyPop slot is visually striking. There really isn’t a better way to describe it. The design team appears to have drawn inspiration from classic Japanese artwork to create some truly stunning graphics for the slot. And then there’s the animation around those graphics. I specifically loved the animation and graphics that accompanies the unlocking of all the slot’s reels in the base game. It’s stunning!
Needless to say, Avatar UX does themselves a huge disservice with their description of the game. So, if anyone at the studio reads this, here’s my suggestion: “MonkeyPop is ripped from the pages of imperial history as a visually striking homage to the rich culture of Japanese art.” Possibly a little hyperbolic, but it’s not far off the truth!
The ways to win keep growing!
During both the base game and during free spins, all symbols involved in a winning combination pop and are replaced by two symbols increasing the height of the reels and the slot’s win ways. If you get another winning combination, the reels will again expand, only resetting when no further wins are popped. In the base game, the slot’s reels grows to six rows high and in a round of free spins that is extended by one additional row.
When all reels are unlocked during the base game, a random selection of low-paying symbols are removed from the reels, and two free spins are awarded. Additionally, a starting multiplier of 1x, 2x, or 3x is implemented with an additional 1x or 2x multiplier added with each win.
If you’re looking for popping good wins, however, you’re going to need to grab three or more bonus symbols to unlock a round of free spins. Before the commencement of free spins, the reward reel will be spun to determine starting free spins, starting ways, starting multiplier, and multiplier growth.
During a round of free spins, the height of the reels won’t fully reset with each spin. Instead, the reels will shrink to the height of the shortest reel stack. This gives you the chance to max out the reels for the best possible shot at that €142,400 max win.
Then there is the Bonus Collection meter. During free spins, any bonus symbols that appear on the reels are added to the Bonus Collection meter. If you manage to fill the meter, the high-paying monkey symbol will be upgraded to a gilded version carrying a multiplier of x5 or x10.
If you’re not keen on waiting around for a round of free spins to pop into your life, you can also select to purchase a round. MonkeyPop slot offers three different bonus buys, with the most expensive guaranteeing maxed-out bonus features during your round of free spins.
Is Monkey Pop slot heavenly or haunting?
To say that MonkeyPop slot is striking would be a huge understatement. The slot is visually stunning and really doesn’t look like anything else I’ve seen. The attention to detail paid by the designers over at Avatar UX really is astonishing. It seemed like every time I played the slot, I’d find a new detail.
It’s not all good news, though. The slot offers high volatility and an unimpressive 96.3% RTP rating. This really isn’t a train smash. It doesn’t make the slot uniquely difficult to win big on, but you will be waiting longer than you’d like between wins. Luckily, with a max bet of just €10, your balance won’t take too big a hit while you’re chasing that €142,400 max win.
If you’re looking for a few other visually striking slots, I recommend giving Bork the Berzerker, Itero, and Xibalba a try.