Say hello to the slot that started the Egyptian craze. Well, not literally, but it certainly popularised the idea. The tale it tells is quite a familiar one! There’s a big treasure hidden away in that pyramid, and it is our job to plunder and take it!
We loved Book of Ra when it first came out. Not for its exotic theme, but for the thrill and satisfaction its special feature brought. Anyone who played recent games will find the bonus quite familiar. Once again, physical machines being what they were, it is impossible to confirm that the special feature began with this release. But it was the key factor why Book of Ra became as popular as it did.
If you want to skip reading and jump straight into it, that is fine with us! Loyal Casino has the slot ready for you – all you have to do is register to enjoy it. But if you are not quite sold on the idea, we understand. Come for a brief history lesson, and let us show you why this 2005 game is worth your time.
Visuals
It is no surprise that the graphics have not aged gracefully, considering the year it came out. There is nothing individually bad about it. If anything, back in 2005, we remember being pleased with the visuals, if not impressed. The game launches ages ago, so our memory may be a bit fuzzy!
The Egyptian theme won many people over, regardless of how simplistic the visuals are. Book of Ra’s popularity would end up spawning numerous sequels and remakes. The vast majority of these wound up changing the way the original played. But if you want the same gameplay experience with updated graphics, Book of Ra Deluxe is the game for you.
Gameplay
Like many other slots from that era, Book of Ra is simple. Almost deceptively so, in fact! One look at the paytable will make you scoff – free spins and expanding reels? That sort of mentality is a quick way to get your wallet murdered, however. The game is torn between medium and high variance, and the RTP of 92.13% is not doing it any favours.
This means that there will be periods where all you can do is sit and spin. This is about the opposite of engaging gameplay, but it was par for course for high volatility slots. Games are better at masking this nowadays – usually with smaller wins, or special features to keep you on your toes.
Book of Ra does not subscribe to that ideology one bit. If you want its jackpot, you are going to have to grind through the boring parts. That said, a very lucrative jackpot awaits the luckiest players. Say what you will about high variance, but when you won the top prize back then, it meant something.
Special Features
Getting three or more Wild Scatters rewards ten free spins, with a randomly selected expanding symbol. This icon is picked from all symbols on the paytable, excluding Wilds or Scatters.
Once chosen, the expanding icon expands to cover all three positions on the playing field. Furthermore, it pays like a regular symbol, even on non-adjacent positions. That means it effectively pays like a Scatter: only counting how many of a symbol there are. Expanding symbols did not care for positioning, but were incredibly difficult to get as a result.
Summary
You may be surprised to find out that yes, this is everything. Book of Ra was never big on complexity – it was made in 2005, after all. Much like Mega Moolah, it had a great hook, and it was released at just the right time.
We really cannot remember any major slots that used the Egyptian theme before this one. We think that theme would have taken off regardless – but its developer now gets the bragging rights. Considering how popular ancient Egypt remains for video slots, we are certain they feel quite pleased with themselves.
But the theme was only part of the contributing factor. In our eyes, the free spins and expanding symbol were the real stars. The special feature was incredibly simple to understand, and it was super lucrative to win! This combination led many players to try for ‘one more spin’, only to end up with empty wallets.
Despite its significance, we do not believe Book of Ra is a must-play. As the years went by, other games did everything it has a lot better. But if you want a taste of slots history, or simply enjoy a mechanically simple game with great pays? You can enjoy Book of Ra and its many off-shoots over at Loyal Casino.