NSYNC Pop: Slot Overview

Play’n GO’s long-running love affair with music is well established, helped along by a strong catalogue of branded rock and metal slots that have done very well. So learning the studio has produced a game themed around the boy band NSYNC can feel a little surprising – for more than one reason. For starters, the group effectively split back in 2002. After that, Justin Timberlake pushed on to even bigger fame, while the other members didn’t quite hit the same celebrity heights. As Gilderoy Lockhart told Harry, fame can be a fickle thing. So why an NSYNC slot now? There’s probably an interesting backstory to Play’n GO’s decision, and we’d genuinely like to hear it. Until then, the chatter can wait while we squeeze up to the front to take in NSYNC Pop.

For a moment, we half expected some AvatarUX-style mash-up that combined PopWins with synced reels, so it took a beat to click that this really is a game about NSYNC, the band. The action is set at a concert, surrounded by a moving crowd, flashing lights, and turntables. A version of NSYNC’s punchy track ‘Pop’ plays throughout, bringing back memories of their 90s/00s peak, though it loops constantly and an occasional song switch would have been welcome.

Each member appears as an individual headshot symbol, dropping onto the game’s 5-reel grid. The playfield is diamond-shaped, with rows laid out in a 2-3-4-3-2 formation, which creates 144 ways to win. NSYNC Pop is a highly volatile slot, offering a max return value of 96.2%, and allowing stakes from 10 p/c to $/€100.

Wins land when three to five matching symbols connect from left to right starting on the first reel. Low symbols are clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades, while the higher-paying icons are the five band members. A five-of-a-kind pays 0.6-1 times the bet with card suits, or 6-10x the bet with premium symbols. The band shot wild symbol substitutes for all paying symbols and matches the top premium’s value, complete with a small flex-style animation when it helps form a win.

NSYNC Pop: Slot Features

The “Pop” in the name points to both the song ‘Pop’ and the Pop Feature. Pop symbols may appear on any spin, and when they do, they reveal the same matching symbol across all of them, which can be anything except scatters.

Free Spins Go Pop!

Free spins trigger when 3 or more scatter symbols land on the screen (more scatters award extra spins). During free spins, an extra row of Pop symbols is placed above and below the reels. Each time a Pop symbol lands on a reel, it removes the Pop symbol directly above or below, revealing a symbol and permanently opening that position for the remainder of the feature. A second special symbol can also appear in Free Spins: the Wild Pop. When it lands, it always reveals a sticky wild symbol. That wild stays locked in its landing spot for the rest of the free spins bonus. Wild Pops also cause the Pop symbol above or below to reveal a symbol as well, expanding the reel set.

Encore Spin

When all Pop symbols on the extra rows are removed, the game opens up 2,400 ways to win and an Encore Spin is awarded. During the Encore Spin, only Wilds, Justin, JC, Lance, Joey, or Chris symbols can appear. Any Sticky Wilds remain locked for any Encore Spins that occur.

NSYNC Pop: Slot Verdict

While doing a bit of digging online, we ran into a fun piece of NSYNC trivia. Supposedly, the name NSYNC was formed (at least partly) by using the last letter of each member’s name – JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, JasoN, and JC. This was before Jason Galasso left. He was replaced by Lance Bass, who was nicknamed ‘Lansten’ so the band name would still work. In any case, music is so personal that music-themed slots will always divide players between fans and those who simply aren’t into it. That split arguably feels even sharper with NSYNC Pop.

Fans will likely get a genuine little rush as the game whisks them back to the era of cargo shorts, wallet chains, and frosted tips. For anyone who followed the group, that should be a treat, while others might find it more like pop purgatory. The divide is stronger than in slots such as Lordi Reel Monsters or Testament, where even players who don’t really listen to those bands can still enjoy the ride thanks to the gameplay.

NSYNC Pop may struggle more with non-fans because its feature set is about as plain as the generic concert backdrop. It isn’t as flat as Deadmau5, but it also doesn’t bring anything close to the arena-rock energy found in Kiss Reels of Rock. The narrow selection of features doesn’t help either, since much of the time you’re essentially waiting on mystery-style symbol reveals. That said, Play’n GO has integrated the Pop concept neatly, and it can work well in free spins as Pop symbols are cleared from the extra rows to open up more ways to win. Notably, wiping out all Pop symbols to trigger an Encore Spin turned out to be a bit easier than expected. Maybe we were just fortunate. When it does land, get ready for an NSYNC takeover as the low symbols disappear from the reels. When everything really starts popping, wins up to 5,000x the bet can happen.

‘Ever wonder why this music gets you high?’ Hopefully the soundtrack gives you some kind of lift (the natural kind, of course), because much of NSYNC Pop feels more like a B-side than a chart-topper. After the initial surprise of seeing the band again wears off, the game doesn’t quite hit the same highs. Still, fans should be happy to see the lads back, and even players who remember the group without loving their songs might appreciate the hit of Nineties/Noughties nostalgia.