Pop Bomber Slot
There can’t be many slot machines themed around explosive devices, but Pop Bomber, from BBIN has a variety of colourful weapons, timing devices and strange mechanical bits and pieces to ensure that it’s a blast to look at. It’s got some dynamite gameplay as well, where symbols that form a winning cluster will disappear to leave spaces for new ones to drop down into, hopefully creating new combinations that will also vanish, in a fast-moving, high-paying game which does away with conventional reels and instead has all the action taking place on a 6x6 grid.
This grid of detonating delights is surrounded by wheels, cogs, pipes and valves, which all look highly unstable and we can see a castle in the distance, perhaps where a mad scientist has built this contraption. We can only guess, but it certainly looks good and each round of the game sees the various cogs spinning to add even more charm to the design. But it’s not as if Pop Bomber is lacking in any other visual impact, as it’s an all action online casino game that can keep paying out win after win. Alongside the bomb symbols, there’s special modifier icons that rearrange them, or cause bigger explosions, while jackpot symbols and Fever wins can boost bankrolls in an instant.
BBIN Technology advertises itself as the leading gaming software supplier in Asia, and while that’s quite some boast, they have certainly made an impression on the regional market since opening in 1999. As well as developing around 200 of their own-label games, the company also provides a white label solution that offers all the services needed to run a casino or sports betting site.
Their range is mobile optimised, with all titles certified for fair gaming by Gaming Labs and GLI International Fair Games. Nominated for numerous awards including the prestigious White Label Partner and Live Casino Supplier at the 2018 EGR B2B ceremony, BBIN Technology games are popular at a wide range of casinos across Asia and now beyond.
Bombs Away!
There’s no reels or paylines here, as each click in the big green Spin button simply removes all the symbols on the grid and sees new ones dropping down into place. Winning combinations are formed by any 3 or more matching symbols adjacent to each other, in any layout at, so you could win with horizontal and vertical lines of a symbol, or have them landing in the shape of a banana, it doesn’t really matter, although diagonals don’t count, so you’ll need to see the sides touching, not just corners.
The amount won depends on which symbols made up the cluster and how many were in it. The small bombs with timers return the smallest prizes, ranging from 1 coin for each green timer in a combination, through the purple, blue and red ones, to the yellow timer, each of which pays you 4 coins. Bigger bombs are more classic devices, with fins and metal-effect casings although each has a different colour scheme. Blue and red bombs will each pay 8 coins, with the top wins in normal play being claimed when the purple bomb blasts away at the grid.
Here’s the clever bit though, as each explosion leaves empty spaces and when new symbols fall down to fill the gaps, you could easily see more winning clusters being formed and get another payout from the same initial bet. This goes on and on until no more are seen, but if you get 5 consecutive symbol drops, the unique Fever x2 feature doubles your winnings and getting 10 or more in a continuous sequence triggers the Fever x3, which triples any further wins.
More Symbols to Trigger More Features
Pop Bomber isn’t done yet, as there’s a number of special symbols that aren’t actually worth anything on their own but can deliver a payload of big prizes to you along with a unique Pattern Puzzle that can also triple wins.
Those modifier symbols include the black Jackpot device which awards the Mini progressive jackpot when 3 are seen side by side, the Minor prize is paid out when 4 are together, the Major jackpot is claimed with 5 of them and if 6 of this symbol are together, you collect the Grand jackpot. The current values are shown above the controls, and while the lower jackpots are nothing special, the Major and Grand can rise to tens or even hundreds of thousands of Dollars.
We also have a swirly Respin symbol that simply rearranges all bombs on the grid for a second shot at a prize, while the Explode Around icon does just what it sounds like and blows up all bombs adjacent to it, leaving lots more spaces for new ones to drop into. The crossed arrows symbol randomly explodes between 1 and 6 bombs on the grid, and the Cross symbol causes all bombs on the same row and column to go bang. Last but not least, we have a 2x2 Explode symbol which simply blows up 4 symbols in a square.
A purple orb to the side of the grid doesn’t have an immediately obvious use, but with each spin you will see a selection of black squares in the same 6x6 grid become highlighted. If you collect a pattern of exploding bombs that match these in the subsequent spins, your winnings can be tripled in value, which is a nice little surprise although we found it wasn’t as easy to do as we thought it would be.
Shelling out on These Shells
There’s 10 bet levels that can be selected, with each worth 50 coins for minimum and maximum stakes of 0.50 and 50.00 per spin. Those low and high limits should suit most players and as Pop Bomber comes with high returns plus guaranteed fair play, you could be blown away by the great payouts when the right symbols land in clusters.
It comes with an Autoplay function that keeps the spins going for as long as you want, while a fairground-style soundtrack can be played as the symbols drop into place and free Pop Bomber video slots can be tried out if you don’t mind playing without any chance of actually winning anything.
Other Arcade Games
If you like the fast gameplay and quick rewards that Pop Bomber can give you, then the Germinator video slot from Microgaming is sure to appeal as well. It comes with a similar 6x6 grid pattern and it’s filled with multi-coloured cartoon germs, each with funny expressions on their faces to give them some personality. Land any 3 germs in a horizontal or vertical line to trigger a cascading reels feature as they sneeze and burst in splashes of goo.
A Medi-Bonus round lets you remove any type of germ from the matrix, making it easier for others to complete winning lines, and a useful tip here is to take out the lowest-paying germs which tend to take up the most grid positions in each spin.
Time for a Bombshell Verdict?
Pop Bomber has an almost unique way of working, with Germinator being one of very few similar examples. It can take a few seconds to get used to the fast-paced gameplay, but there’s nothing complicated about landing clusters of matching symbols and winning prizes based on which ones land and how many at a time.
Those multiple bonus symbols can really boost the win rate and it top it all off, there’s the chance to claim a huge progressive jackpot in an instant. Available across desktop and mobile platforms, the Pop Bomber video slot might not have the advanced animations of Germinator, but on just about every other level it blows it away.
