Pros
- Brilliant graphics and animations
- Special expanding symbols
- Unlimited free spins
Cons
- Lacking bonus features
- Highly volatile
Slot Overview
The mysteries of ancient Egypt continue to cast a spell on slot players, and few have proved quite as enticing as Book of Dead. Created by Play’n GO, it’s a simple 5 reel, 10 payline video slot that combines great design with some top gameplay. The main attraction in this highly volatile game is the Free Spins feature where expanding symbols can deliver jackpots fit for a Pharaoh. Find out more in our unbiased and detailed Book of Dead review.
Book of Dead Details, RTP, Payout and Volatility
Book of Dead is an extremely easy slot to understand. The action takes place on a 5×3 reel setup and comes with 10 fixed paylines. Land 3, 4 or 5 matching symbols or wilds from left to right in a payline, starting from reel 1 and you’ll land a winner. A minimum of just 2 is needed for the four highest paying symbols.
If you want to spin away with all 10 paylines active, you can play Book of Dead at bet levels of between £/€/$ 0.10 to 50.00 per spin. There’s an option to adjust the number of active paylines so, in theory, you can play from as little as £/€/$ 0.01 per spin with just a single live payline. Use the arrows next to the coins box to adjust your bet size.
In most cases, the Book of Dead RTP is a better than average 96.21%. There are versions with 94.25%, 91.25%, 87.25% or even 84.18% return to player rates, so check the paytable to make sure you’re playing the version you want to play at your chosen online casino.
The gameplay in Book of Dead is simple but this is a slot that can deliver a knockout punch. The Book of Dead volatility is high. The most you can potentially win from a single spin is 5,000 x bet.
Egypt Theme, Audio and Symbols
Book of Dead is a lavishly designed slot. The reels are dripping in gold. That might make this slot sound a bit too bling for some tastes but it’s all rather tastefully done. Sandstone walls covered in hieroglyphs form the backdrop to the reels. Those reels are set within ornately designed columns.
The Book of Dead soundtrack is a classic of the genre. The lush orchestration has just the right hint of Egypt which gives the game that all-important air of mystery. That’s certainly the case in the bonus round where the sound ramps up another level. Combine the silky sound with some of the best visuals you’ll find anywhere, and you have a slot that’s packed full of atmosphere.
On the regal deep purple reels, you’ll find A to 10 royals edged in gold plus the bird god Horus, the jackal god Anubis and a gold Tutankhamun-style burial mask. The most rewarding standard symbol is treasure hunter extraordinaire, rugged Rich Wilde. Land 5 of him in a line for a payout of 500 x bet. In the happy event of filling all 5 reels with Rich Wilde symbols, you’ll scoop the game’s top prize of 5,000 x bet.
The golden tomb symbol serves a dual role. It’s wild and substitutes for all the standard symbols in a winning combination, and also a scatter which can trigger the bonus round. Here’s a list of the symbols you’ll come across in the game and the payout info for each:
- 10: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.5, 2.5 or 10 x stake
- J: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.5, 2.5 or 10 x stake
- Q: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.5, 2.5 or 10 x stake
- K: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.5, 4 or 15 x stake
- A: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.5, 4 or 15 x stake
- Horus: 2, 3, 4 or 5 = 0.5, 3, 10 or 75 x stake
- Anubis: 2, 3, 4 or 5 = 0.5, 3, 10 or 75 x stake
- Osiris: 2, 3, 4 or 5 = 0.5, 4, 40 or 200 x stake
- Rich Wilde: 2, 3, 4 or 5 = 1, 10, 100 or 500 x stake
- Tomb Wild/Scatter: Substitutes, pays up to 200 x bet + triggers free spins
Book of Dead Mobile
Created using HTML5 technology, Book of Dead is available to play on all devices including PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. The vivid visuals work beautifully on the smaller devices and you won’t miss anything if you’re playing the Book of Dead mobile slot rather than the desktop version. The 5×3 reel setup looks great on smaller screens.
Bonus features
Play’n GO has kept things nice and simple as far as features in Book of Dead go. There’s only one bonus feature. It has some exciting potential though, offering free spins with expanding symbols. Let’s run you through the bonus feature so you can fully understand everything this slot has to offer.
Free Spins feature
Trigger the bonus round by landing 3, 4 or 5 tomb scatter symbols anywhere on the reels on the same spin. You’ll then receive a payout of 2, 20 or 200 x bet followed by 10 free spins. Before those spins begin, the Book of Dead will scroll through its pages and stop to reveal a single symbol. This will be the special expanding symbol throughout the round. Whenever this symbol lands, it expands to fill the whole off that reel. Expanding symbols don’t have to be next to each other in the payline to win either. For example, expanding symbols on reels 1, 3 and 5 would still result in a winner.
Book of Dead Verdict
There are hundreds of ancient Egyptian-themed slots available and Book of Dead is right up there with the very best of them. Play’n GO’s simple formula of free spins and expanding symbols has proved extremely popular. Combine that with some of the best sound and visuals you’ll find anywhere and it makes for a very appealing game. Online casinos often include Book of Dead as a slot you can use when claiming welcome bonuses, so keep an eye out for that as it’s a great way to test the game out.
The RTP of 96.21% is generous and very typical of a lot of Play’n GO slots. The volatile gameplay can deliver bumper payouts of up to 5,000 x bet.
Main character Rich Wilde’s treasure hunting has taken him around the world in a series of spin off slots. They include:
- Rich Wilde and the Tome of Madness
- Rich Wilde and the Amulet of Dead
- Rich Wilde and the Shield of Athena
They all have their charms but we usually come back to Book of Dead. If you like slots that offer a huge range of bonuses and features, this might not be for you. For everyone else, Book of Dead is a red-hot Egyptian classic.
If you’re on the hunt for Egyptian-themed slots that offer bigger win potential and more bonus features than this one, check out the likes of John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen from Pragmatic Play or Immortails of Egypt from Play’n GO. They come with 10,500 x bet and 10,000 x bet max wins respectively.
| Software | Play’n GO |
|---|---|
| Slot Type | Video slots |
| RTP | 96.21% |
| Special feature | Wild Scatter Free Spins |
