Book of Egypt

Platipus Gaming returns to the classic slot theme of the pharaohs in Book of Egypt. This 5x3 slot features free spins with expanding symbols that can fill all five reels, making for a potentially massive payday amidst an otherwise low-RTP game experience. The presence of only ten pay lines and absence of a wild symbol weaken its case further.

Theme

The wealth of the Ancient Egypt provides the setting for this slot, with handsome statues of Anubis flanking the five reels and a horde of gold beneath them. Gaming symbols include a pharaoh mask, scarab beetle, ankh, and Eye of Horus, all of them gleaming with gold and jewels. The playing card values ace through ten provide lower-value symbols, while a massive book acts as scatter, adding payouts of up to 200 total bets to the bargain when five such symbols launch the bonus feature. A mystical soundtrack does its best to invoke the majesty of the pharaohs with flute tones and rolling percussion, and the overall gaming feel is quite appealing visually.

Betting Options and Functions

Platipus Gaming has been somewhat uneven in the quality of its releases of late – there have been some excellent titles, some middle-of-the-road offerings, and more than a few forgettable entries. Book of Egypt seems to fall into the middle category, though it must be said that every release from this designer shows an admirable attention to detail. There are ten fixed paylines, all paying from left to right only. Bet per line can be set from 0.02–10.00, for an overall per-spin bet range of 0.20–100.00 times the betting currency. Autoplay is available for up to 1000 spins at a time, though players should exercise caution before choosing this option, as there are no optional loss limits available. A menu offers players sound options, paytable information, detailed game info, and hand history. Turbo play is also on offer for players who prefer a faster game tempo. The theoretical RTP sits below the industry average at 94.98%.

Features

The titular book scatter symbol opens the way to this slot’s bonus round, which is by far where the best payouts can be won. Ten free spins are awarded, during which time an expanding symbol, selected at random, is added to the reels. If enough symbols for a win are present, the symbol can expand to fill between two and five entire reels, even paying in non-adjacent positions. Especially when the expanding symbol is of high value, this offers the chances for massive payouts. What’s more, scatter symbols remain on the reels during the feature, allowing for the addition of ten more free spins at any time.

Our Take

Visually, Book of Egypt holds its own with any of the many slots of this thematic family, and this title’s bonus round is also worthy of note. With that said, it’s difficult to recommend any title with a below-average RTP, and the design team at Platipus simply has not done enough to overcome this shortcoming.