AvatarUX Studios has grown into one of the best small developers in the online gambling market in the last few years. The studio is known for its PopWins range of slots with popping colors and massive rewards. That love story continues in its next Pop installment, PopNoir.

As one might guess from the name, it’s another PopWins slot with popping mechanics that work just like tumbles. It runs on the Multiway mechanic with 1,024-32,768 winning ways and locked reels in the base game that hide many surprises. Aside from the base game, PopNoir also has a great bonus round where you can win the highest possible wins. The maximum win is projected at 20,000x the bet.

PopNoir’s criminal underworld theme is not the most innovative, but I can safely say it’s one of the best executed I’ve seen. The clean setup and dark-ish, noire look and feel make it stand out from the crowd. In combination with the amazing and rewarding features, it’s a slot well worth your time. Read my PopNoir review to learn how to play it.

If you know what the noire niche represents, you know what to expect in the PopNoir slot. It has a 5x3 setup and is most likely set in the early XX century. The grim yet immersive vibes are executed to perfection and paired with dark architectural outlines in the background. It looks like Chicago during the Prohibition era, although there’s no confirmation on the city.

Symbols include weapons, drinks, a femme fatale, and a hard-boiled detective. The overall dark theme is flooded by flashes of color that give the slot some warmth. In terms of layout, all the controls are on the right side. There’s a column on the left side that indicates the active multiplier, so you know what you’re playing for all the time.

Playing PopNoir is easy. The first thing you should do is set a bet. Choose 10c to $100 per spin and hit the Spin button to start the adventure. You have 32,768 ways to win and pops—also known as cascades or tumbles—in all game stages. The action begins on a 5x3 reel set, and each win triggers a pop. New symbols will replace the ones used in winning combinations, possibly creating new wins.

At the same time, each new pop also expands the grid. By opening up new reels, you get more winning opportunities. The maximum reel symbol height is six. You’ll get two free spins and a random multiplier when all reels are unlocked in the base game. Their highest-paying symbol is a golden eagle. It pays a maximum of 5x for five of a kind.

There are also two high symbols, two medium symbols, and a collection of five low-paying card royals. There are no other special features in the base game, but the game takes a wild turn in the bonus round.

Your ticket to the bonus round is the bonus symbol showing a glimpse of the eagle. Landing three, four, or five will trigger the free spins. Before the bonus begins, you’ll see a reward screen. The slot will randomly pick the number of free spins, starting ways, multipliers, and multiplier growth.

If all reels are unlocked during free spins, two extra spins are added to the free spins tally. Unlocking reels doesn’t reset in the bonus round. At least not fully – it only resets down to the shortest reel height. Also, the maximum reel symbol height in the bonus round is increased to eight.

All bonus symbols during the free spins round are collected. For each of the three collected, a super-high symbol is upgraded to a gilded version with higher payouts.

The basic version of the free spins round can be activated through the bonus buy slots feature for 80x. You can also buy an improved version of the bonus round for 160x, 400x, and 800x respectively.

I love the noir niche, and while a few slots do the job well, I feel like PopNoir is the best among them. The noir art style and the overall payout system are on point, and the expanding grid offers pretty decent wins across the board. It’s great that you expand the grid with pop wins instead of any other mechanic, as you’ll be winning and getting more winning ways straight off the bat.

I didn’t have luck with it in the base game, hitting just middling wins after around 30 spins. I ended up paying for the basic bonus round and didn’t regret it. In my opinion, the bonus round works much better and is more rewarding than the base game. It’s a bit pricey, except for the basic bonus round, but it has great winning potential.

PopNoir is a highly volatile slot game with an RTP of 96%. The maximum projected win is set to 20,000x the bet.

PopNoir is a great noir slot that will stay with you long after you’re done playing. It has some interesting features from the beginning, and the bonus round adds more fun to the game with symbol collections, higher multipliers, and more symbols per reel. On top of that, it’s a gorgeous noire slot that’s great to look at, making it a perfect choice for fans of the niche and everyone else as well.

There aren’t many noir-themed slots you can try, but if you like the mechanics, there are plenty of options at top casino sites. I can wholeheartedly recommend TikiPop and WildPops by AvatarUX. If you’re in for the noir vibes, try PearFiction’s Chicago Gold.