CherryPop Deluxe: Slot Overview

Software provider AvatarUX returns to the cherry-popping action with a deluxe take on their 2020 release CherryPop. The sequel is titled CherryPop Deluxe and, in several respects, it’s a bit of a knotty one to figure out. Visually, CherryPop Deluxe is worlds apart from the non-deluxe original, yet it risks feeling slightly static—if not a step back—in areas like features and core stats.

CherryPop leaned into a fairly minimalist look, with AvatarUX presenting the fruit theme in a sleek neon style. CherryPop Deluxe, however, feels more like getting hit with an Andy Warhol canvas. It’s as if you’ve been dropped into a time warp to a groovier, more experimental era where rules don’t really apply. AvatarUX’s artists have delivered bold Pop art visuals that match, and arguably surpass, what stood out in MonkeyPop. For a point of reference, ELK’s Dream Diver gives off a similar vibe. Both titles channel the same period of uninhibited self-expression. On the style front, it certainly earns the deluxe badge.

The pace dips a little when you get into the less glamorous—but equally vital—numbers. RTP has slipped slightly to 95.96% from the original’s 96.14%, while volatility stays high. Betting limits are unchanged at 20 p/c to $/€40 per spin, meaning the standout figure on the maths side is the maximum win.

Just like before, play unfolds on a grid that begins each base spin in a 5-reel, 3-row setup. Wins land with three or more matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting from either the left or the right edge of the grid. That creates 486 ways to win at the outset, though the grid can expand—so the number of ways can increase too—via the PopWins mechanic explained below.

Looking at symbols, 9-A card royals form the lower-paying group, returning 1.2 to 1.6x the bet for five of a kind. Above them are grapes, watermelons, oranges, horseshoes, four-leaf clovers, bells, diamonds, and cherries as the premium symbols. Hitting five of the high pays awards 2.5 to 14 times the stake. CherryPop Deluxe does not use wilds nor scatters.

CherryPop Deluxe: Slot Features

With no scatter symbol in play, the route into the bonus round comes through the PopWins mechanic. PopWins work like this: when a winning way lands, the winning symbols are removed and replaced by two new symbols. If that creates another win, the process repeats. In the base game, reels can grow to a maximum of 6 symbols high at the most, activating 15,552 ways to win. If all five reels expand to 6 positions high, free spins are awarded.

Free Spins

Before free spins begin, players may choose to gamble them or enter the feature immediately by taking the starting level rewards. If you gamble, you spin a wheel that either advances you to a higher free spins level or wipes them out entirely. The available levels and rewards are as follows:

• Starting level awards 5, 6, 7, or 8 free spins where reels start at 6-6-6-6-6, 7-6-6-6-7, 6-7-8-7-6, or 7-7-7-7-7.
• Successful first gamble awards 8, 9, or 10 free spins with reels starting at 6-6-7-6-6, 7-6-7-6-7, 7-7-7-7-7, or 7-8-7-8-7.
• Successful second gamble awards 10, 11, or 12 free spins with starting reels at 6-7-6-7-6, 7-7-7-7-7, 7-8-7-8-7, or 8-8-8-8-8.

There’s also a possibility the wheel lands on a special golden segment, awarding up to 12 free spins on the first gamble and 16 on the second. During free spins, reels can now extend to 9 rows high, unlocking 118,098 ways to win. Between free spins, reels reset to the lowest reel height achieved on the previous spin, rather than returning to the initial size. In addition, the bonus round uses a progressive win multiplier. The multiplier starts at x2 and

rises by +1 after PopWins. If every reel reaches 9 rows high, +2 free spins are awarded, the multiplier jumps by +4, and from that point onward, PopWins increase the multiplier by +4.

Bonus Buy

If you want to jump straight into free spins, there are two options. The standard buy bonus is priced at 75x the bet, while Buy Bonus Max costs 300x the bet and grants the top-tier rewards as though you’d successfully completed the second wheel gamble.

CherryPop Deluxe: Slot Verdict

It’s surprising to think almost 2 years separate this edition from the original CherryPop slot. Back then, it was the studio’s third PopWins title and a pretty sharp shift away from the first two. “Radical” might sound odd for a fruit slot, yet PopRocks and WildPops were rooted in an Asian-influenced fantasy style that, at the time, felt like AvatarUX’s own carved-out lane. Since then—after a pile of PopWins releases—AvatarUX has tried a wide range of themes while tweaking both maths and features, before looping back, more or less, with CherryPop Deluxe.

What’s curious is that we ended up checking what “deluxe” actually implies, because some of the adjustments here aren’t what you’d typically anticipate. For one, the potential is notably lower than before, falling from a headline 56,386x to a less flashy—though still solid—20,000x the bet. RTP has also taken a disappointing knock. Those aren’t exactly the upgrades you’d expect if “deluxe” meant bigger portions across the board.

That said, a quick online definition of “deluxe” also points to something “luxurious, or sumptuous; of a superior kind.” If you judge it by that standard, then yes—CherryPop Deluxe arguably earns the title. It looks fantastic, blending a broad mix of inspirations into one package. Off the top of our heads: the 70s, disco, Sesame Street, The Rolling Stones’ lips logo, pop art, and comic books—basically an experimental anything-goes mash-up. AvatarUX’s creative output has been flowing lately, and their overall presentation has noticeably levelled up. In fact, the theme and execution now feel like they’re outpacing feature innovation, with fresh gameplay ideas not moving forward quite as quickly. CherryPop Deluxe’s gameplay, for instance, behaves largely the same as the first game did almost two years ago.

All in all, CherryPop Deluxe is a brilliantly produced slot and, in many ways, another compelling marker in AvatarUX’s evolution. Some will understandably question the “deluxe” label given the reduced RTP and potential. Even so, those cuts don’t stop CherryPop Deluxe from delivering a highly entertaining sensory experience.