JunglePop: Slot Overview

This is a slightly grim way to open a review, but if software provider AvatarUX ever ends up being remembered by a single defining trait, it could easily be, ‘Here be the PopWins guys’. Assuming the studio is still going strong, of course. Either way, AvatarUX has pumped out a huge number of PopWins slots over the years, and the pace hasn’t exactly slowed. Among the PopWins catalogue are both hits and misses, though one standout was LooneyPop, helped along by the prize-dispensing ZapReel. That game worked so well that AvatarUX has essentially dressed much of LooneyPop‘s inner workings in a new theme to create JunglePop.

JunglePop takes place—no surprises—in a jungle, this time inhabited by Amazon warrior types. In Greek mythology, the Amazons were famed for strength and combat ability: an all-female society that kept daughters and sent sons back to their fathers, whom they met briefly for procreation. From what’s shown on screen, they’re based in a darker corner of the jungle, or perhaps it’s simply nighttime. Either way, JunglePop doesn’t deliver the same bright, high-saturation punch as HippoPop or TikiPop for a couple of jungle-adjacent comparisons. It still looks perfectly decent, though, and the gameplay runs nice and smoothly.

Like other PopWins titles, JunglePop’s grid grows upward and downward, a bit like an accordion being aggressively worked. In the base game, it starts at 5 reels with 3 symbols per reel, which at that size creates 486 ways to win. That’s because the game pays both ways. When the reels reach their maximum during free spins, players can access 118,098 ways to win. Stakes range from 10 c to $/€40, and the game uses a highly volatile math model with an RTP of 96%.

JunglePop features 13 pay symbols on the reels, divided into low, medium, and high tiers. Low symbols are 9-A royals paying 0.6x the stake for 5 OAK, the mid tier is made up of three animal symbols worth 1x the stake for 5 OAK, and the top tier contains four warrior symbols that return 1.5x the bet for 5 OAK.

JunglePop: Slot Features

First up is the PopWins mechanic, which removes and replaces every winning symbol with 2 symbols, boosting the row height. This continues for as long as fresh wins keep landing. Reels can expand to 6 high in the base game or 9 high during free spins. In the base game, the reels return to their default size on the following spin.

Zap Reel

Positioned above the main grid is a 3-cell reel called the ZapReel. Each spin, the ZapReel reveals special Feature Rewards that affect the reels directly underneath. A new set of rewards appears every spin. In the base game, rewards include x2 or x3 multipliers, split symbols creating up to 5 of the same symbol in a cell, expand winning symbols that fill the entire reel if the symbol beneath is part of a win, and synched reels which synchronise 2 of the adjacent reels so they land identical symbols.

Free Spins

Expanding the reels to 6 rows high in the base game activates 6 free spins. The reels start at 6 high, and rather than fully resetting to the default size, they reset to the shortest achieved reel height. Before the feature begins, players may spin the Gamble Wheel for a chance to add more free spins. You can win up to 18 free spins or potentially lose them all on the wheel.

In free spins, the ZapReel always displays 3 rewards on the ZapReel. Available rewards are x2, x3, x5, or x10 multipliers, split symbols producing up to 10 of the same symbol in a cell, expand winning symbols that cover the entire reel if the symbol below forms part of a win, and synched reels which synchronise up to 3 of the adjacent reels, landing identical symbols.

Bonus Buys

JunglePop lets players purchase 6 free spins for 125x the bet or 12 free spins for 500x the bet. Alternatively, you can pay 125x for a spin of the Gamble Wheel.

JunglePop: Slot Verdict

AvatarUX has very openly released—and continues to release—a steady stream of PopWins slots into the market. So it’s fair to wonder why the studio decided to reskin an older title and push out yet another entry when plenty of strong options already exist. Presumably, the numbers make sense. To give credit where it’s due, they picked an enjoyable game to revisit, and in many respects JunglePop is just as entertaining to play as LooneyPop was. The downside of a repeat outing is that the wow factor inevitably drops, and that feeling of seeing something genuinely new isn’t really there. Still, the Amazon warrior theme is a cool angle, and the visuals are easy on the eye. That said, as noted earlier, JunglePop isn’t as visually striking as some other loosely related titles in the studio’s back catalogue.

The win potential is huge at 50,000x the stake, and the features play out just as effectively as before. AvatarUX may be counting on JunglePop to attract players who don’t mind providers releasing close cousins, those with a strong Amazonian warrior fixation, or anyone with an unstoppable PopWins completist streak. Beyond those niches, there’s not a great deal here that feels truly fresh to get too excited about.