Popinata

Who does not remember indulging in a bit of piñata fun? Blindfold your kid’s eyes, give him a bat, and pray to God almighty he hits the damn thing. Otherwise, you might find yourself cleaning up a proper mess, while swearing you are never going to do this again.

While the real thing can get ugly fast, smacking around digital piñatas for cash sounds just up our alley. And RTG is more than ready to provide with their 2017 release called Popinata. So if you ever find yourself in a need of a little stress relief? You know what to do!

We knew we were dealing with a Mexican themed video slot, but we have to admit, our expectations were shattered. We did not expect piñatas in the shape of sombreros and tacos, but here we are. The game was released in 2017, which was not RTG’s best year as far as graphics go. If you were hoping for impressive animations or gorgeous backdrops, we will have to disappoint you, dear readers.

Still, we have to give credit for effort. The reels are set between two large cacti and the spin button is a large sombrero. It is still the same layout they use in all of their desktop releases until 2018, but they did their best to make it work.

The title has a medium volatility. The jackpots are not quite as grand as high variance releases, but the gameplay is much more engaging to make up for it.

Swing and a Hit!

Popinata is played on a 5×3 board with 10 flexible paylines. This means players can decrease their minimum bet by turning off some or all paylines. By doing so, you lower your chances of winning later down the line.

We were unable to find any information on Popinata’s RTP. Because of that, we will have to recommend skipping this slot. Without knowing the house edge, you could be walking into a metaphorical trap that will drain your wallet.

By changing the number of active paylines and the line bet, gamblers are able to adjust their total stake. Wagers can be set between $0.01 up to $10 per spin. Great for casual players, not so much for high rollers.

With RTG, Autoplay feels like a lottery as to what you will get. In this game, pressing the button will immediately start auto spins, which continue until you press the button again to end it. You cannot set the number of spins, or even win and loss limits. This is a clear regression compared to previous titles, and we are baffled as to how it could even happen.

Wins are paid by collecting three or more identical symbols following one of ten active paylines, both left to right and right to left. The most valuable icon is the cactus, then the pepper, a firework, beer, a guitar, a sombrero and a taco.

All of the symbols are styled as piñatas to make them fit in better. The donkey icon does not have a cash prize of its own. Instead, it is a substitute symbol, able to replace any other icon on the reels.

Raining Bonuses

Wilds only appear on the second, third and fourth reel. When they do, they expand to cover the entire reel they are currently occupying. When a Wild expands, it grants a single re-spin.

Reels that have expanded donkeys are held in place, while all other parts of the playing field spin again. If another Wild has appeared on the board, another re-spin is granted. A maximum of three re-spins can be played this way.

Conclusion

This may not be the greatest slot machine of all time, but there certainly are worse ones out there. For the casual player, as opposed to the seasoned pro, this just may make your day. Well, for a little while at least.