Last month AvatarUX announced the launch of its new Deluxe series with its staple slot title CherryPop marking its first entry.
Talking to CasinoBeats on the reasoning behind the creation of the series, Hubert Spala, Game Producer at AvatarUX, noted that the company wanted to please the old fans and the new by giving popular titles a “facelift and zest”.
Furthermore, Spala walks us through what to expect from the Deluxe series, a quick guide into the new title and how the studio is “stretching the boundaries of the design”.
CasinoBeats: Could you tell us why AvatarUX has released a deluxe edition of CherryPop?
Hubert Spala: It’s no secret that CherryPop is one of the all-time favourites from the PopWins family. It’s one of these games that players enjoy playing to date and we wanted to build on it, bringing back some favourite elements in an enhanced version.
In simple terms, I would say add to the player experience by bringing back the classic cherry theme and game elements in an innovative design, topped with some brand new features!
CB: What are differences from this version compared to its original format?
HS: The differences are deceptively subtle, but a closer look reveals the actual added value in CherryPop Deluxe. The variance when entering the free spins has increased, with the number of spins and machine sizes now not set in stone, but instead swaying within a certain set of numbers.
This enabled us to give an edge to the player, as they can win more free spins in the base bonus round to begin with or, more often than not, start the free spins with reels even closer to being unlocked for easier chase after the unlock reward that gives this game such potential.
In short, it’s more random nature allows for a chance to get the more exciting situations a bit easier.
CB: What enticed you to produce a Deluxe series?
HS: There are various considerations that lead us to this decision. Some of our games, like CherryPop, are classics, and giving them a bit of a facelift, adding a little spice and zest might just be what it needs to please old fans and find new ones.
When creating games we always think of various directions we could take. In the case of CherryPop Deluxe we thought that a new version which offers something unique to what is familiar is exactly what we need.
It is a way to enhance our earlier games with respect to the players who still surely want to see something fresh to invigorate them.
CB: Can you guide us through the title’s features and how it impacts the player’s experience compared to the original CherryPop title?
HS: The features are pretty much unchanged from the original title, but with a twist! Now instead of a solid number of free spins won on a gamble wheel or set in stone machine size when entering the bonus round, those values sit on a narrow set that will be randomly drawn from – this adds some extra excitement as well as potential for more spins and bigger reels to start the free spins.
And, of course, we cannot forget about the biggest addition – Bonus Buy MAX, which lets players get straight to the highest possible free spins variant without relying on gamble features.
CB: The description of your title on AvatarUX’s website states ‘stretching the boundaries of the design as far as possible’, can you highlight how this was achieved in CherryPop Deluxe?
HS: When it comes to the design we wanted to use the same idea, the same notion as with re-doing the mechanics – keep it same, but different! It is after all a sequel to the CherryPop game, so we want the players to feel at home here.
This is the reason why the symbols, the colours, the general vibe is the same. Even music harkens back to the familiar tones of its predecessor! But we wanted to spice it up, make it stand out and make it unique.
So, the idea was to go as far from the neon, techy vibe of the original and propose something whacky and bold; and the PopArt style was just the answer.
CB: What more can we expect from your Deluxe series moving forward?
HS: If we believe that we can add on to the player experience, we might decide to give a facelift to other titles using the same direction – take what is appreciated by players, enhance it by adding extra value and make sure that all changes bring in more excitement and more potential to the players.
