Book of Ra Slot

In 2005, Novomatic released a game that had an impact on the casino industry that was so profound the ripples caused by its release can still be seen and felt today. The game is Book of Ra. In its wake, many sequels, revamps, and updates have come out and have been managed by Novomatic’s subsidiary business Greentube. Games have included Book of Ra Deluxe, Book of Ra Cash Connection, Book of Ra Magic, and even Book of Ra Bingo to name a few. 

For this review, I go back in time to explore the game that brought the popularity of Ancient Egyptian-themed slots into the world of online casinos. This is a retrospective look, and as I delve back into the design, settings, features, and performance, I encourage you to play the free demo of this game. Experience the beginning of an online movement in gaming. Revel in the nostalgic setting, and if you would like to play Book of Ra for real money, then Casinos.com can guide you to the casino sites that support this game. 

Given the impact of this game on book-themed slots, you’d expect Book of Ra to look more ‘ahead of its time’. Alas, the design and animation were still embedded to a quality that now looks aged and dated. The Book of Ra slot sits on a silhouetted backdrop of the great pyramids. The layout of the game provides five reels, three rows, and nine paylines. The paylines are adjustable, and you can lower them to play just one payline. The more paylines you have, your chances of forming a winning outcome increase. 

Playing the free demo and the game in its real money format is no different. First, you must obtain the Book of Ra slot from a reputable source, especially when gambling with your money. When the game loads, begin by choosing the value of your bet. By using the – and + buttons on the Bet/Line tab, you can lower and increase the cost that you will pay per spin. The minimum is $0.01, and the maximum bet is $5.

To begin the game, press the Start button or the option to play in Autoplay mode. Doing this will cause the reels to spin, and the drama commences. To win, you need two or more of the top symbols to fall onto any one of the nine paylines. Alternatively, you might land three or more of the lower symbols to extract a smaller win from the game. 

The top symbols are the explorer, the sarcophagus of Ra, the statue of Ra, the scarab beetle, and the Book of Ra scatter symbol.  The lower-valued symbols of this game are the 10, J, Q, K, and A.

All you are required to do is spin the reels until you have lost interest or decided to end the game and cash out what you have won. 

The Book of Ra slot machine came with an important innovation, as well as offering players a chance to activate the game’s free spins bonus round.

Free Spins Bonus

By landing three of the game’s Book of Ra scatter symbols, you will unlock the free spins bonus game, from which you will have ten free spins to play. Before the game begins, the book will randomly select a symbol that will become an expanding symbol to help you win more. This was an innovative first and essentially took slot games in a new direction. 

Playing the Book of Ra slot by Novomatic and Greentube two decades after its release is certainly a trip back in time. I am not particularly one for nostalgic games, given that their gaming dynamics are so far behind modern standards that it becomes almost laughable that we played these real money slots. 

I play Book of Ra with my bet set to $1 per spin, and I opt to play the game with its Autoplay mode. Note that this Autoplay option is an on/off switch and doesn’t give you a set number of spins to pick and play. 

Now, if you have not played a game this old before, I warn you the sound is quite something. Old-style electronic sounds make it feel like you’ve walked into a 90s arcade. The gaming is void of any excitement due to there being no in-play features at all. The first win lands on spin eight and followed again on spin eleven, both times returning a $0.30 win. I then experience a period of nothing, as fifteen spins are made with nothing in return. 

What you get from this game is a sense of needing bonus scatter symbols to land for there to be a chance of even winning something big. You find yourself not even bothered about landing the higher-paying symbols because at least the bonus is something different.

Spins thirty-three, forty, forty-five, and forty-seven are what win in the spins that follow. What they return are values less than my $1 bet, all with the exception of a $4 win. This is not gaming I am fond of or would like to return to.

The Book of Ra slot by Novomatic and Greentube comes with an RTP score of 92.13%. The game comes with a high volatility setting. The maximum you can win when playing this game is 5,000 times the value of your bet. 

By today’s standards, the Book of Ra slot game is awful. This slot has not aged well, and it’s really odd to think how important the game was when it was released. On reflection, the RTP is horrendously low, the jackpot was terrible, and with no in-play features, the gameplay becomes a bore. With this said, I would still ask you to play the free demo game and let me know what you think of Book of Ra in the comments section.

If you want to see how far slot machines have come in two decades, check out these free slots that bring ancient Egypt into modern times. 

Book of Dead by Play’n GO

John Hunter and the Book of Tut Respin by Pragmatic Play

Hand of Anubis by Hacksaw Gaming

Enjoy these free-to-play demo games and hundreds more at Casinos.com. If you would like to play any of these slots for real money, sign up for any new casino through Casinos.com and claim yourself a first deposit welcome bonus.