Pop (Big Time Gaming) Slot Review

Pop: Slot Overview 

Pop is the third installment in Big Time Gaming’s colorful 4-reel series, following the critically praised Donuts and the more modestly received Chocolates. While both earlier games leaned on sweet-themed symbols and layered bonus mechanics, Pop takes a slightly different route—both thematically and visually. Departing from the sugary realms, BTG inflates its imagination with a balloon-filled setting that trades candy for lighter, airborne fun. With a 4×4 grid and 256 fixed ways to win, Pop remains simple in structure but brings enough innovation and charm to keep things buoyant. 

With its high volatility, slick design, and a solid RTP of 96.54%, Pop is crafted for players who enjoyed the earlier entries in the series but crave something a touch different. The addition of dynamic reactions and increasing multipliers during free spins builds on BTG’s proven gameplay formula while offering fresh potential for substantial wins—up to a whopping 66,960x the stake. It may not reinvent the 4-reel concept entirely, but it confidently refines it with a satisfying blend of whimsy and winning opportunity.

Design and Graphics 

Visually, Pop is a nostalgic trip to the Santa Monica Pier, blending carnival aesthetics with a sunset-kissed seafront. A Ferris wheel twinkles in the distance, a candy-colored Donuts stand harks back to BTG’s roots, and everything is enveloped in warm hues of pink, purple, and orange. The 4×4 reel set sits snugly within a blinking marquee, suggesting the feel of a fairground game. The symbols are simple yet vibrant. Rainbow-colored balloons in green, blue, red, and purple take center stage, floating gently between wins, while stylized 9 to Ace card royals offer contrast as the lower-paying icons. While Pop doesn’t push graphic boundaries, its clean design and polished animations give it mass appeal. It’s bright, engaging, and retains BTG’s distinctive charm without overwhelming the senses.

Gameplay Mechanics 

At its core, Pop runs on a highly volatile engine with 256 ways to win across a 4×4 grid. Wins are formed by landing three or four matching symbols from left to right starting from the first reel. Royals must connect across all four reels to pay, while balloon symbols can pay with only three. 

What makes Pop stand out is its reaction system, a signature BTG mechanic. When a winning combo lands, those symbols are removed, and the remaining balloons float up to fill the spaces. This can cause a chain reaction of wins, especially when wilds and multipliers are involved. Low-value royals, however, don’t contribute to reactions beyond the initial win, adding a touch of strategic frustration. Clearing them from the reels becomes essential to open pathways for balloon combinations and enhanced payouts. 

The floating mechanic where low pays fall downward and balloons float upward gives the game a unique rhythm, though it can take some getting used to. It’s a clever twist on traditional cascade mechanics that adds both visual flair and gameplay nuance.

Sound and Music 

The audio in Pop leans toward the minimalist side, featuring a mellow, stock-style electronic backing track that feels intentionally retro. It’s understated and perhaps even a little generic, but this suits the light-hearted tone of the game. A selection of arcade bleeps and celebratory chimes accompany wins and reactions, reinforcing the fairground aesthetic. 

BTG seems to have purposefully opted for a restrained soundtrack that allows the visuals and mechanics to shine without auditory overload. While not particularly memorable, the soundscape is pleasant enough and unlikely to irritate over longer sessions.

Bonus Features 

Pop builds its excitement through a mix of free spins, rainbow wilds, and scalable multipliers. The rainbow wild is the game’s standout feature. Appearing only on the second and third reels, these wilds not only substitute for all symbols except scatters but can also carry multipliers of up to 4x, which stack when involved in multiple wins. It’s possible to build significant payouts this way, particularly when the reaction mechanic triggers consecutive wins. 

Free Spins 

Landing three or more gold coin scatter symbols triggers 12 free spins, played on the same 4×4 grid but with enhanced win potential. The free spins bonus introduces sticky multipliers across all 16 positions on the grid. Each position that held a triggering scatter starts with a 2x to 4x multiplier, while all other positions begin at 1x. Whenever a win occurs on a balloon or wild at a specific reel position, that position’s multiplier increases by a random amount (1x to 3x). 

The bonus is retriggerable—landing three or more scatters during free spins grants +3 additional spins and boosts all active multipliers by +1, making it possible to generate vast win potential during extended sessions.

Betting Options and Payouts 

Pop is accessible to a wide range of players with a minimum bet of €0.20 and a maximum of €20 per spin. It’s a good balance for casual players and seasoned slot veterans looking to explore high-volatility games without overextending their bankrolls. 

In terms of payouts, the premiums offer respectable rewards. Four matching balloon symbols can pay between 0.8x and 2x the stake for a single line, while the game’s maximum win is an eye-popping 66,960x the bet—one of the highest in BTG’s 4×4 range, just nudging out Chocolates. 

While it’s worth noting that this max win is theoretically possible, actual outcomes are far more modest on average. That said, the consistent reaction mechanic and multiplying wilds offer engaging potential on nearly every spin, especially during bonus rounds.

Conclusion 

Pop by Big Time Gaming is a charming continuation of the developer’s 4×4 reel experiments. It doesn’t revolutionize the genre, but it smartly evolves the core ideas introduced in Donuts and Chocolates. The balloon theme is airy and appealing, the mechanics are refined, and the 66,960x win potential keeps high-stakes players intrigued. 

While some may find the motion of upward-floating premiums slightly disorienting at first, it quickly becomes second nature. The rainbow wild multipliers add depth to the gameplay without becoming too complex, and the sticky multiplier system in free spins offers real excitement when everything aligns just right. 

Ultimately, Pop is an enjoyable, occasionally explosive slot that will appeal to fans of BTG’s quirky reel configurations. Whether it matches the impact of Donuts remains to be seen, but it certainly offers plenty of fun for those ready to give it a spin.