Pixel Paws

Pixel Paws: Slot Overview

Pixels may be small, but collectively, they are mighty. Via pixels, we absorb information, consume content, chat amongst friends, flirt with strangers, and conduct our online lives thanks to their visual-forming abilities. We might be living in an age where more pixels mean better, yet, at the same time, blocky, pixelated images somehow manage to create feelings of nostalgic joy. They certainly do in the online gambling industry. Slots such as Thunderkick's Flame Busters and Red Tiger's NFT Megaways, to name but two, were retro, feel-good bonanzas. Another studio joining the blocky graphic fad is AvatarUX with the slot Pixel Paws.

Back in the day, video games, you know, didn't offer the rich graphical escape from reality they do today. However, in saying that, in 10 or 20 years' time, perhaps what we consider cutting-edge now will be judged as blocky, robotically animated trash. Maybe even further into the future, it will be impossible to tell reality and computer graphics apart. Anyway, you can definitely spot the blocky graphical nature of Pixel Paws, where a collection of jagged animals appear on the reels in a simply backgrounded screen. Hitting the paintbrush icon on the left changes the colours, which, while having zero effect on the way the game runs, is a fun cosmetic touch.

Pixel Paws' base game is played on a 5x5 gaming area, utilising 1,024 ways to win and a cascade mechanic. When winning combinations land, the symbols comprising them are removed and replaced by symbols dropping downwards from above. With a stake range of 10 c to $/€100 per spin, players should be aware of a medium volatile math machine and an RTP of 96% at the highest setting - two lower returns have also been created.

Tetris-y 10 to A card ranks are Pixel Paws' low pays, and its highs are a mouse, a fish, a bird, a dog and a cat. Winning combinations of 5 OAK pay 0.5x to 1x the bet for the lows or 2 to 5 times the bet for the highs. A hamburger is the game's wild symbol, substituting for all of the regular pay symbols.

Pixel Paws: Slot Features

Pixel Paws has a hold & win feature as its bonus game with a special Loaded Reel implanting various rewards on the board in both the base game and the bonus round.

Loaded Reel

The Loaded Reel sits to the left of the main reels. Its top cell is known as the Trigger Zone - it's always empty at the start of a spin. The cascades move the rewards and blanks from the bottom to the top of the Loaded Reel. When a reward lands in the Trigger Zone, it activates. In the base game, the Loaded Reel base game rewards are:

• Trigger Zone Expansion - the Trigger Zone expands 1 position downwards.
• Grid Expansion - all reels expand up to 3 positions upwards.
• Multiplier - the multiplier on the reward is applied to the on-screen win.
• Low Pay Upgrade - randomly upgrades up to 5 low pay symbols to higher paying symbols.
• Wilds and Colossal Wilds - they replace anything in a winning combination except Coin symbols.

Hold & Win

The bonus round is triggered when at least 5 Coins land on the grid. During the round, only Coins and rewards triggered by the Loaded Reel may appear. Possible Coin values are 10 to 100, while possible Colossal Coin values are 500 to 5,000. All Coins remain on the reels between spins.

Initially, 3 lives are awarded. A life is consumed when no new Coins land on a spin. If a new Coin does hit, the lives are replenished to 3. Also, when a new Coin hits, it cascades to the bottom of the grid, and more new Coins may land on the cascade, repeating the process. A new Loaded Reel reward appears every spin and moves up on each cascade. In the bonus game, the Loaded Reel rewards are:

• Coin and Colossal Coin.
• Coin Upgrade - visible Coins are upgraded to higher values.
• Extra Lives - players get up to 3 extra lives.
• Collect - a treasure chest symbol lands to collect all current Coins.
• Collect and Multiply - a treasure chest lands to collect all current Coins and multiplies them by the multiplier value.
• Grid Expansion & Trigger Zone Expansion.

Xpress

Open up the Xpress, and you will find these bonus buys: Fully Loaded - 5x the bet. Each spin has no blanks on the Loaded Reel; Bonus - starts the feature with 5 Coins on a 5x4 grid for 60x the bet; Bonus Plus - starts the feature with 6 Coins on a 5x5 grid for 120x the bet; Bonus Premium - starts the feature with 7 Coins on a 5x6 grid for 240x the bet; Bonus Max - starts the feature with 8 Coins on a 5x7 grid for 500x the bet.

Pixel Paws: Slot Verdict

Not completely so, but around the time of review, AvatarUX had made something of a divergence from its beloved PopWins mechanic. Collaborations with Mr Wu go some way to explaining the shift; see slots such as FloridaMan or Tik Talkers, for example. Pixel Paws, however, appears to be Wu-free, Pop-free, and has suffered no detrimental effects as a result. The retro theme is neatly done, giving Pixel Paws a fun, trip back in time, 90s effect that's easy to get on board with. On a side note, what explains the success of these heavily pixelated games such as those already mentioned, as well as slots like Brick Snake 2000 and Nine to Five? Is it because they make certain gamblers reminisce about their youth, the glamorization of a more simplistic era, or the anti-modernity expression? It's hard to pin down, but the effect works well in Pixel Paws, whatever the reason.

On to features, and like, say, LooneyPop, Pixel Paws relies on a set aside special reel to unload rewards onto the main gaming area. The feature reel injects an extra dose of life into the base game, from time to time expanding the play area, tossing in a multiplier, or upgrading symbols. All fine stuff and the Fully Loaded bet option was a good way to blast through and see their effects. However, the 5x per spin cost in real life might be a tad too steep to abide by. Loaded Reel rewards also inject extra life into the hold & win feature. Without it, well, there would be little to it except land Coins and collect them. Fortunately, the various rewards are, on the whole, quite handy. On a whiney note, apart from the delivery system, the features in themselves aren't particularly cutting edge, like there isn't much from them that hasn't been seen before.

However, when factoring in the delivery system and cascades (which do not turn up in many hold & wins), Pixel Paws' bonus is well put together. The retro-ness adds another positive aspect, all combining to create a blocky character with a 20,000x max win that provides a fun blast from the past, non-PopWins experience.