Book of Ra Magic Review

Book of Ra Magic slot by Novomatic is another installment of the popular Book of Ra series with a predictably ancient Egyptian theme. It looks a lot like the Book of Ra Deluxe, but it has some new magic up its sleeve that differentiates it from its predecessors. That is not to say that it strays too far from the other iterations of the Book of Ra series. The very first Book of Ra game was released in 2005, and proved to be very popular in the European land-based casinos in which it was launched.

The follow up Book of Ra Deluxe was released three years later and was also a huge success with players because of the improvements over the graphics and paylines to the original version. The Deluxe version did retain the popular expanding symbol feature that led to the fabled Book of Ra, which unlocked the oh-so crucial free spins mode. With so much inherited goodwill, it would be a mistake not to ride the coattails of brand recognition by changing Book of Ra Magic beyond recognition. The main difference between Deluxe and Magic is the fact that the expanding symbols is re-triggerable and can go up to nine in free spin mode, but there is so much more to explore.  Read on to find out more.

Book of Ra Magic Setup

The Book of Ra Magic slot has a 5×3 reel with 10 fixed paylines. This configuration and a low minimum bet of 0.01 make it possible for players with varying financial capacities to play a long game as they search for the Book of Ra.

Believed to bestow fabulous riches on its possessors, the Book of Ra Magic is certainly a worthy adventure on which to embark. The popularity of this theme has given rise to similar slot games, including Book of the Dead, which many believe is a copycat of Book of Ra. Whether it is or not, it is one of the most popular games developed by Play ‘n Go, possibly because of its relatively high RTP of 96.02%.

Book of Ra Magic players with deep pockets can make this Novomatic game more interesting and maximize payouts by hitting the max bet button, but should be aware of the risk. also, Book of Ra Magic is a highly volatile game, making it a challenge to hit high-paying wins, similar to Book of Dead.

The Highest Paying Symbol in the Game

Is again the adventurous explorer that forcibly brings to mind the intrepid and lucky archaeologist Indiana Jones jus like Pyramid Quest for Immortality. Landing five of this symbol on a payline can multiply the line wager by as much as 500.

Next in line in terms of value are the symbols of the golden sarcophagus and the Book of Ra itself, either one of which can give a player up to 200x the line wager if there are 5 of them.  The Book of Ra has a bit of an edge, however, because it is also the scatter symbol, which means the books do not have to be along the same payline, unlike the sarcophagus. Ra statues and scarab beetles are next highest in the pay table as they multiply the line wager by as much as 75 when they are five in a line.

Low-paying symbols are the usual playing cards 10, J, Q, K, and A, albeit designed as hieroglyphs. Landing 5 As or Ks in a payline multiplies the line wager by 15, while five 10s, Js, and Qs in a payline multiply the line wager by 10.

Features

Landing three or more of the Book of Ra scatter activates the free spins features, giving the player 10 free spins and no more. However, the player can keep collecting free spins by landing three scatters while the feature is activated. More importantly, every time the player retriggers the free spin feature, the game will choose a special expanding symbol at random. If the players lands that symbol, it will expand to cover the reel.

This means that with a lot of luck, a player can collect as many as 90 free spins and unlock up to 9 expanding symbols altogether. A high number of free spins increases a player’s chances of unlocking the highest-paying explorer symbol for expansion. An expanding explorer activated early in the game also increases the chances of a full screen of explorers, thus multiplying the wager by 5,000. Imagine the payout if the max bet is active at that time. It is unlikely in this highly volatile game, but potentially possible.

Verdict

Book of Ra Magic might feel a little light in the bonus features, but the re-triggerable expanding symbols I certainly an interesting one for serious players with the resources for a long game. That said, high volatility and relatively low RTP might be a deterrent for most players, given there is not much pure entertainment value in the gameplay.