Runner Runner PopWins

Runner Runner PopWins: Slot Overview

Stakelogic's extensive 'Runner' range of slots does something unexpectedly different in a daring entry called Runner Runner PopWins. This one pulls the series into new territory in a number of ways. The first is mechanical, as it incorporates the PopWins feature on lease from AvatarUX. The second difference is thematic, and where previous 'Runner' slots have aimed for a physical cabinet feel, this one drops that idea altogether.

So, you don't feel like you're out in public, sitting behind a virtual slot machine when playing Runner Runner PopWins. For fans of the series, this turn of events might be a deal-breaker from the get-go. There are no blurry banks of slot machines in the background, no solid cabinet, and no 8-bit beeping sounds when reels stop spinning. All of that's been cleared to make way for an average looking fruit slot with purple shooting star wallpaper and an okay retro tune.

Numbers-wise, Runner Runner PopWins is quite good, at least when looking at the default numbers. It has an RTP of 96.5%, which seems to apply whether playing normally, buying free spins, or activating the Super Stake. Base bets range from 20 p/c to $/€10 per spin or increase to 40 p/c to $/€40 when switching on the Super Stake. The benefit of doing so is that multiplier symbols may land on the reels with values of x2 to x100, multiplying the win of the spin they appear on.

Pay symbols in Runner Runner PopWins, from low to high, include lemons, cherries, oranges, plums, pears, bells, strawberries, grapes, watermelons, sevens, stars, bars, and crowns. Each one pays out when matching symbols land left to right or right to left, starting from the outermost reels. Values range from 1x the bet for five lemons to 12.5x the bet for five crowns. At the starting 5x3 size, players get 486 ways to win, and via PopWins expansion, should all reels reach 9 rows high in the bonus round, 118,089 ways are in play.

Runner Runner PopWins: Slot Features

Running through the whole game is the PopWins feature. When a winning combination lands, the symbols involved are removed and replaced with two new ones, increasing the reel height and adding more ways to win. The PopWins process keeps repeating until no new win appears, then the grid resets to its original size.

Free Spins

If all reels reach 6 positions high in the base game, players win a random number of 8 to 15 free spins and a starting multiplier of x2 to x25. During free spins, the grid begins at 6 rows high, and the minimum reset height increases if all reels expand on a single spin – so if all reach 7 rows high, from then on, each free spin starts at 7 positions high rather than 6. The win multiplier increases by 1 for every win, or +2, when all the reels have reached the maximum of 9 rows in height.

Buy Bonus

Hit this button if it's there to buy one of the bonus round offerings. All award up to 15 free spins, with a starting multiplier of up to x10 for 80x the bet, up to x15 for 150x the bet, up to x25 for 400x the bet, or totally random for 200x the bet.

Gamble Feature

Following wins, players may be able to gamble their winnings by choosing the correct colour or suit of a face-down card to double, quadruple, or nothing their money.

Runner Runner PopWins: Slot Verdict

In 1961, businessman Ray Kroc bought McDonald's and made the decision to cook fries in beef tallow after learning about the technique from Sam's, his favourite hot dog stand in Chicago. In his 1977 memoir, 'Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's,' Kroc wrote that 'The French fry would become almost sacrosanct for me, its preparation a ritual to be followed religiously.' This all changed in the 1990s when the company switched from cooking fries in beef tallow to vegetable oil, following criticism from anti-cholesterol activists. However, the new flavour rankled many fans, one of them, author Malcolm Gladwell who said, 'If they had any balls at all, they would turn around and say, "We were wrong, and we're going back to fries the old way."'

That sort of tees Runner Runner PopWins up, as it's hard to see fans of the previous Runner games going gaga for this one in the same way. The physical casino on your device angle has been erased and replaced with a cut-price version of CherryPop. What AvatarUX is doing with the PopWins mechanic is in a different league altogether from this strangely lifeless release, exploring interesting themes, getting experimental with their artwork, and leading the series into uncharted waters. Removing the faux-live element, present in previous Runner incarnations, made Runner Runner PopWins feel a bit lonely, like social distancing for slots, as if there was a party going on somewhere, but we weren't invited. This was negated to an extent when a major multiplier had stacked up in free spins, powering out wins, and the game has a decent win cap of 10,000x the base bet.

Runner Runner PopWins has nothing that made the other Runner games stand out from the crowd and treads water rather than pushes PopWins somewhere new. What thrills arose during the review were never enough to cut through the suspicion Runner Runner PopWins was created out of obligation rather than being a labour of love, or a vaguely romantic interest, or even an emotionless hookup.