Candy Rush

Candy Rush: Slot Overview

Like a sugarholic with a formidable craving, software provider Pragmatic Play has a prolific appetite for candy-themed slots. As well as releasing some of the biggest hits in the genre, such as Sweet Bonanza 1000, the studio has made a load of other playable examples of the form. Another one of its smash hits was Sugar Rush, made popular by an ingenious grid multiplier feature, which the studio has capitalised on via various follow-ups (Sugar Rush Super Scatter) and reinterpretations (Sweet Rush Bonanza). Today's slot falls in the latter category. Titled Candy Rush, it takes the underlying grid multiplier concept into new, calorific territory.

As far as candy slots go, Candy Rush isn't as coated in sugar as these sorts of games often are. Its charming wee game world certainly has its share of tooth-busting items, but it also has a slightly more naturalistic look as well. The action is set by the water, in a tropical spot, where palm trees have pink and white striped trunks, as the scene flips between day and night. On the whole, Candy Rush doesn't overload the senses like some of Pragmatic Play's denser candy slots, but there's no denying that sweetness is the overriding taste in terms of look and sound.

A cluster pays slot, Candy Rush is played on a 7x7 grid, creating a win when 5 or more matching symbols are connected horizontally or vertically. The tumble mechanic removes winning symbols, causing new and existing symbols to tumble downwards, providing a new chance to win on the same spin. Tumbles continue until no new win appears. Rated 3 out of 5, Pragmatic Play has nevertheless classified the volatility as low, while the preferred RTP of the available options is 96.58%. The game comes dripping in special bets and features buys, while having a base bet range of $/€0.20 to $/€240.

Seven candy items are Candy Rush's regular paying symbols, appearing in various shapes and colours. A cluster made up of 5 matching symbols awards 0.2x to 1x the stake, increasing to 20x to 150x for a 15+ OAK hit. As for wild symbols, Candy Rush does not possess those.

Candy Rush: Slot Features

For features, Candy Rush has multiplier underlays, free spins, super free spins, special bets, and feature buys.

Multiplier Underlay

Randomly in the base game, a 2x2 to 7x7-sized underlay may appear under the symbols. The underlay has a multiplier of x2, which adds to a total multiplier for each symbol part of a winning cluster in positions above it. If at least one winning combination occurs on top of an underlay, after the tumble, the multiplier doubles up to x128. The underlay disappears, and the multiplier resets at the end of the spin.

Free Spins

Hitting 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 scatters randomly triggers the free spins or super free spins feature, along with 10, 12, 15, 20, or 30 spins, respectively. During free spins, 1 multiplier underlay of any random size is guaranteed to land on each spin. In super free spins, 1 multiplier underlay of 7x7 in size is guaranteed to land on each spin. Should 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 scatters hit during the round, players win an extra 10, 12, 15, 20, or 30 free spins, respectively.

Special Bets and Feature Buys

Candy Rush provides three special bets and three feature buys. For 4x the stake, the Ante Bet makes the chance of triggering free spins 10x higher. Super Spin 1 costs 10x to land an underlay with an x2-x8 multiplier on each base game spin, while Super Spin 2 costs 100x to land a 7x7 underlay with an x2-x32 multiplier on each spin. Free spins cannot trigger when either Super Spins option is active.

By paying 100x the stake, players can randomly trigger free spins or the super free feature. For 300x, Super Free Spins 1 may be bought, where a guaranteed 7x7 underlay lands on each spin. Or for 750x the stake, Super Free Spins 2 may be bought, where a random-sized underlay lands on each spin, and the multiplier increases persist throughout the feature and do not reset between spins.

Candy Rush: Slot Verdict

Candy Rush really is a quintessential Pragmatic Play candy slot. It's friendly, bright, it's thematically inviting, and after coaxing players in for a look, it keeps them hooked with simple but infectious gameplay. The assumption was Candy Rush would be some sort of Sugar Rush offshoot, and it is, yet the studio has worked in changes to alter the way the game can build a sweet momentum and rocket under the right conditions. And while it does the growing multipliers under symbols thing which Sugar Rush is famous for, the activation and delivery system is altered enough to create a different sort of ride. It is one which should attract players who liked what the studio has done when it has ventured into this space before.

One obvious difference is that underlays, in the base game, are totally random. Whereas Sugar Rush would start popping multipliers when enough consecutive wins on the same positions occurred, there is no way of telling when an underlay will turn up in Candy Rush's base game or where in its bonus round (not continuing the guaranteed 7x7). One of the neat things about underlays is the way winning combinations will be multiplied as long as just one symbol, in the combination, is over the underlay, meaning multiple combinations can be affected at the same time, doubling the multiplier value on each tumble. This leads to the next aspect of the game, which is crossing your fingers for as big an underlay as possible in order to capture as many combinations. This makes super free spins much more desirable since every spin in that phase gets the full 7x7 treatment.

It all ties into Candy Rush's biggest appeal, which is its ability to escalate modest clusters into chunky payouts when the right conditions align. A well-timed underlay combined with tumbles can create a rising multiplier snowball effect, especially during free spins, where consistency is higher, up to a win cap of 15,000x the bet. Overall, Candy Rush offers a colourful, easy-to-follow slot with enough punch in its features to coat lucky sessions in a thick layer of sugar.