There are quite a few slots that have earned the status of bestsellers in the gaming community. At the same time, not every legendary machine became the founder of the whole genre, combining dozens of developments of different providers. Book of Ra from Novomatic is a machine familiar to the vast majority of active players. The release took place more than 15 years ago and was so successful that manufacturers are still trying to repeat the success of the Austrian brand. Developments with a similar design, symbols and bonus features regularly appear in online casinos.
- History of the machine Book of Ra
- Main features
History of Book of Ra
Classic Book of Ra was released in the spring of 2005. It was a simple machine with these characteristics:
- Five reels.
- Nine paylines.
- RTP – only 92.13%.
In the game for the first time there was a symbol that became a key distinguishing feature of the genre. The image of the book combined the functions of a wild and scatter. It replaces in the paid combinations of any missing pictures, and falling out in the number of three or more, triggers free spins. The gameplay included a risk game, in which you can use up to 5 successful attempts in a row.
Three years later there was a release of the deluxe-version, which turned out to be the most popular re-release. The developers increased the number of lines to 10, and the RTP increased to 95.1%. Before the launch of freespins, a book appears on the screen. Its pages are flipped – they depict the symbols used in the machine. The animation stops on one of the sheets, and the pictogram applied to it acquires additional properties. During the free spins, each time it falls out, it increases to the full length of the drum. Combos with it are paid even if they are not located on adjacent reels.
In total, the video slot has been re-released more than 15 times. In 2015, a version with six reels was released, supplemented by the Extra-Bet bet.
After another 2 years, the release of a five-reel slot with a jackpot took place. In 2018, the provider released Book of Ra Magic and one re-release – Book of Ra Dice. In it, the familiar to players pictograms fall out on cells with the image of dice.
In the fall of 2018, the game Book of Ra Mystic Fortunes was released. The most interesting innovation in it was an additional prize round, in which players had the opportunity to snap the jackpot by collecting three coins of the same kind. In the same period, Novomatic released a themed bingo based on the iconic Egyptian slot. In 2019, the Book of Ra Deluxe 10 slot machine saw the light of day. It involves a non-standard playing field with five additional reels. With each reissue, the manufacturer improved the visual and sound content of its legendary brainchild. If the first machine of the series had modest visual characteristics, the latest developments use high-quality modern graphics.
Main features
Slot machines about books are recognizable, have a clear gameplay and an established set of bonuses. Even the names of the machines often sound like “Book Of…” or “…of Ra”. In the process of evolution slots of this genre have acquired additional features, but the basic set of characteristics remains unchanged.
Structure and rules
Most machines have five reels. Winning combos are formed on lines, clusters or directions. Before the start of the rotation, the user sets the size of the bet. Prize payments are due for combinations of identical symbols that fell out according to the rules of the game.
Theme and design
Most of the machines of this genre are dedicated to Ancient Egypt. The action can unfold at the foot of the pyramid, in the tomb and other similar locations. On the drums appears a standard set of symbols.
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
| Character portraits | The highest coefficients in the game, as a rule, have portraits of Egyptian rulers: Ramses II, Cleopatra, Nefertiti, and statues of pharaohs. Often in the machines appears the image of the hero who went in search of ancient treasures. For example, in the original Novomatic development is a man resembling Indiana Jones. |
| Images of the gods | The slots use portraits of Anubis with the upper body of a dog, Bastet in the image of a cat, Ra with the head of a falcon and other mythological characters |
| Paraphernalia | This category of pictograms includes the cross-ankh, the eye of Horus, rods and other objects with which the gods of the ancient Egyptian pantheon were often depicted |
| Sacred animals | Almost every slot machine in this thematic segment has pictograms in the form of a cat or scarab beetle |
| Card denominations | In the role of low-paying symbols most often act as alphanumeric designations of card values from nine to ace. The older the card, the higher the odds of winning. |
Bonuses
One of the main attributes – free spins, which are launched after falling out the required number of pictograms in the form of a book.
If one of the symbols acquires additional properties during the freespins, it can be selected by flipping pages, Wheel of Fortune or randomly
If one of the symbols acquires additional properties during the freespins, it can be selected by flipping pages, Fortune wheel or randomly.
Sometimes the prize feature is activated by another picture, and the book is used only as a wild, but these are rare exceptions to the rules. Some providers experiment with the established genre, applying its characteristic features in slots of other themes. For example, in the New Year’s Eve machine Book of Santa involves both the traditional icon, and the bonus with freespins, and even the mechanics of choosing the expanding symbol with the help of book pages. At the same time, the slot has a classic Christmas design, and the main character is Santa Claus.
Top 5 machines about “books” from other providers
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then Novomatic can safely claim the status of the most ennobled by competitors manufacturer. New Egyptian apparatuses with books, replacing other symbols and triggering free spins, are released every month.
Book of Dead from Play’n Go. The apparatus almost completely copies the original from the Austrian developers. In place and the symbol in the form of a book, and freespins with expanding pictogram, and even the main character. The slot has a high volatility and RTP equal to 95%. The player can count on payouts by collecting only 2 identical pictures on the active line.
Temple of Dead from Evoplay. One of the latest releases of the manufacturer introduces players to the new adventures of the character who has already appeared in other apparatuses of the brand. Prize functions are standard – three books trigger freespins, before their start is selected expanding symbol.
Book of Kingdoms from Pragmatic Play. In addition to the usual bonuses, the slot, released in the fall of 2020, offers a fixed jackpot. It is played on three levels. In addition to the traditional symbols, a sultan, a monkey and a woman’s portrait appear on the five reels.
Imhotep Monuscript Fugaso. The manufacturer did not follow the established scheme, endowing the machine with a number of differences from typical developments of the genre.
The number of drums increased to seven, and on one of them fall out only symbols-multipliers. The book triggers free spins, and the powers of the wild are transferred to the scarab beetle
The number of reels is increased to seven, and one of them fall out only multiplier symbols. The book triggers free spins, and the powers of the wild are transferred to the scarab beetle.
Book of the Pryncessot Spearhead. In the machine with high volatility the central character was a charming girl researcher. Her portrait has the highest coefficients, and all special functions are traditionally assigned to the image of an ancient folio.
Book of Symbols from Gamzix. The machine is created according to the gold standard of the genre with one favorable difference. During the free spins in the game can enter at once two expanding symbols, depending on the mode of freespins.
Book of Gods by BF Games. In this machine free games are held without the expanding symbol. Instead, an additional scatter appears on the field in the form of another book.
Book of Sheba by Betixon. Another non-standard variation on the theme of books offers players cascading spins and 243 combo options in the main mode. Additional functions of the title picture are limited to symbol replacement, but freespins are triggered by another pictogram – a statue of a cat.
Book of Gold: Double Chanceot Playson. The slot was a reissue of the traditional apparatus with a book symbol that triggers freespins. The difference between this version is that during the free spins expand two pictograms.