Power Paws

Power Paws: Slot Overview

Humble domesticated pussy cats can often be found curled up on a lap, sleeping somewhere warm, or doing something else equally adorable around the home. Whilst accomplished hunters of birds and mice, they're not usually equated with mighty deeds. Till now, that is, as a group of cats play the role of heroes in software provider Push Gaming's cluster paying slot Power Paws. As well as displays of feline gallantry, this is a slot that follows the Reactoonz-style time-honoured tradition of charging a symbol collection meter in order to trigger various features and level-ups.

When first meeting Power Paws, it might not be immediately apparent why a group of 'courageous cat crusaders' are necessary. The futuristic city in the background, a bit like Xandar from Guardians of the Galaxy, looks very clean, orderly, and peaceful, as if every citizen dutifully goes about their day, contributing to the greater good in their own little way. Then again, perhaps before the cat heroes came along, this place was a total cesspit of crime and anarchy. Either way, these days, it's a peacefully pleasant place to hit spin, collect winning symbols, and see how far Power Paws' progression features can shimmy along.

Played on a 7x7 matrix, Power Paws is a cluster paying slot, so when 5 or more matching symbols are connected in horizontal or vertical directions, a win is created. Winning symbols are removed, collected by the Progression Meter, and replaced by other symbols cascading downwards to fill empty spaces. Cascades repeat as long as a new winning cluster appears on the reels. Out back is a medium volatile math model producing at best an RTP of 96.25%, when players are gambling 10c to $/€100 per spin.

Symbols on the paytable include four card suits, a hammer, a ninja star, a shield, and three feline heroes. Clusters consisting of 5 matching symbols pay 0.1x to 2x the bet, while at the other end of the scale, a cluster 30+ in size pays 3x to 250x the bet. Wilds replace any regular paying symbols in a winning combination.

Power Paws: Slot Features

In Power Paws, the cascading wins system is linked to collecting winning symbols, which leads to progressing through four levels, each level bestowing a different modifier or set of modifiers. As well as this is a random wild feature and Push Bets.

Progression Meter

Whenever a win happens, the winning symbols are collected by the Progression Meter until level 4 is reached. When the meter is full, no more symbols are collected. The Progression Meter resets when the spin is over, no more clusters are present, and no features are left to trigger. Meter Charge symbols may land during levels 0-3. When a Meter Charge symbol lands, it adds 5 points to the Progression Meter, leaving a random pay symbol behind when it is collected.

• Power Mysteries Feature Level 1 - triggered when 25 winning symbols have been collected, adding 5 to 10 mystery symbols to the grid. Mystery symbols reveal pay symbols or wild symbols.
• Power Wilds Feature Level 2 - triggered when 50 winning symbols have been collected, adding 5 to 10 wild symbols to the grid.
• Power Colossals Feature Level 3 - triggered when 75 winning symbols have been collected, adding 1 or 2 Colossal Mystery symbols to the grid. Possible sizes are 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4.
• Power Nudge Feature Level 4 - triggered when 100 winning symbols have been collected. A multiplier becomes active starting at x1. A 2x2 Colossal Nudging Mystery symbol is placed at the top of the grid, and respins are granted as long as it remains on the grid. Respins occur when there are no more clusters or Instant Prizes on the grid. The Colossal Nudging Mystery symbol nudges down 1 position, causing the multiplier to increase by +1. It reveals pay symbols, wilds, or Instant Prize symbols on each respin.

During the Power Nudge feature, Expander symbols may land, causing the Colossal Nudging Mystery symbol to increase in size by 1x1 up to a maximum of 7x7, as well as Multiplier Increaser symbols, which increase the win multiplier by the value shown. It is possible for the Colossal Nudging Mystery symbol to reveal Instant Prizes during the Power Nudge feature, worth x10 to x1,000. The bigger the symbol, the greater the minimum possible prize.

Random Wild Feature

During the baseline level 0 phase, when no winning clusters are on the grid and there are no more features to be played, the Random Wild Feature may trigger, adding 5 to 10 wild symbols to the grid.

Push Bet

Players can guarantee at least 25, 50, or 75 winning symbols on a spin by paying 5x, 20x, or 50x their bet.

Power Paws: Slot Verdict

The online gambling community is well acquainted with slots that collect winning symbols in order to trigger features at certain points down the line. It's a Play'n GO speciality for one thing, though other studios have gotten in on the act. However, this isn't a style that Push Gaming is big on. In fact, using the studio's own words, Power Paws is unique for its portfolio, and this deficit was one of the motivating factors behind Power Paws' development. What emerged from the creation process is a slot that is familiar a lot of the time, before spinning off somewhere less expected, and potentially quite exciting at its upper level.

The more familiar parts are toddling through the base game, level 0 as it is otherwise called, and the first three levels. Those phases are a fairly regular case of collecting winning symbols in order to trigger mystery symbols, wild symbols, and larger mystery symbols when reaching levels 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Hitting level 4 is where Power Paws steps up, with its excellent combination of nudging, growing mystery symbol and rising multiplier, capping a game that is good for hitting wins of up to 6,500x. Feature buys were a highlight of Power Paws, too. They're not ludicrously overpriced, and you get pretty good entertainment value from each choice, since they guarantee a minimum number of collected winning symbols, ergo, each buy is virtually guaranteed a winner. Naturally, not each buy will be a massive winner, but results generated during the test sessions were on the whole satisfactory - of course, other players may have completely different results.

Push Gaming has struck a nice balance with Power Paws. It's a cluster paying, meter charging slot that traverses a middle path, being neither brutally punishing nor overly soft. The familiar parts make it easy for players to coast through the onboarding stage before potentially being thrilled by the novelties on offer at level four, should they make it so far.