Mysterious Egypt is definitely a step forward for Pragmatic Play in the “Book of” saga. Their last release in this crowded genre, Book of Vikings, was a pure clone that offered a slightly improved math model. However, their latest effort brings some changes to the standard formula. Tectonic plates aren’t exactly shifting here, but at least they’ve made an honest attempt to be somewhat original.
The base game comes with a random expansion symbol , and you get 2 expansion symbols in the bonus round. That pretty much sums up what this game is all about, and you will also benefit from a decent standard RTP of 96.5% (beware of RTP ranges) and a potential that is slightly higher than the usual 5,000x . Visually, however, the game is not impressive, since it includes a very generic and outdated version of the standard Egyptian theme.
Mysterious Egypt Slot Features
Each base game spin comes with a randomly selected mystery symbol in a carousel box above the reels. All regular payout symbols can be selected, and the selected symbol will expand if you land enough of them to trigger a win. In practice, this means at least 2 matching premium symbols or 3+ matching royal symbols.
The mystery symbol expands to cover the entire reel, and it doesn’t matter where the symbols land as long as you have enough to create a winning combination. This is typical of the book slot mechanic in the bonus round, but here you get it during the base game as well.
The book symbol is usually the scatter / wild, but in this game it has been replaced by an Egyptian queen symbol. It will still display all the regular symbols to help you form winning combinations, and it pays up to 200 times your bet for 5 on a payline. Remember that the wild cannot intervene for expanded symbols.
If you land at least 3 scatters / wilds, the bonus round is triggered and you get 10 free spins, regardless of how many scatters you landed. Normally you get 1 special symbol selected in the bonus round, but in Mysterious Egypt you get 2. These special symbols are expanded just like in the base game, which can lead to higher payouts where both symbols are expanded alternately.
You can retrigger the free spins by landing more than 3 scatters anywhere on the same free spins. This will give you 10 new spins, but the special symbols selected will remain the same. There is no limit to the number of spins you can get this way. Non-UK players can purchase the 10 free spins bonus round for 100 times your bet.
The 200 Spins Mysterious Egypt Slot Experience
We participated in the base game, but without much luck. We therefore gave in after a while and opted for the bonus buy option. You can jump up to 1 minute into the highlights video if you want to see how the free spins feature works. We got a pretty solid “double” expansion symbol win towards the end, which is worth a highlight.
Summary
Just as numerous projects have been launched as “improved Bitcoin”, countless developers have tried to improve Book of Dead. In both cases, the “original” seems to remain untouched (yes, we know Dead is a Ra clone, but you catch our drift). With Mysterious Egypt, Pragmatic Play at least tries to improve the features instead of just creating a clone with slightly better stats, as was the case with Book of Vikings.
The Expanding Mystery symbol in the base game can theoretically lead to payouts of up to 5,000 times your bet. This feature makes it less difficult, and the bonus buy option (not for UK players) is also a nice touch. Having 2 selected symbols in the bonus round is also pretty neat, as they expand in turn if you land enough of both on the same spin. With its “improved” math model and features, will Mysterious Egypt finally dethrone the Book of the Dead? We hardly think so, but it’s still a decent alternative.
Pros
Randomly selected expansion symbol in the base game.
Bonus round with 2 expansion symbols selected
The 5,533x potential is slightly above the 5,000x “norm”.
Bonus buy option for players outside the UK (price tag: 100x).
Cons
Visually generic, with the standard ancient Egypt theme
Mysterious Egypt Slot FAQs
What is the RTP of Mysterious Egypt Slot?
The highest standard payout percentage of this game is 96.5%, which is slightly higher than Book of Dead. However, this game also comes with adjustable RTP ranges, which means that operators can lower the returns within certain limits. Available RTP values are 96.50%, 95.50% and 94.50%.
How volatile is Mysterious Egypt slot?
Volatility is high in this game, as it is with most Ra clones, and it gets 5 out of 5 points on Pragmatic’s own volatility scale.
What is the biggest possible win?
You can win up to 5,533 times your bet, which is slightly higher than the standard 5,000 times offered on most Book slots. In Mysterious Egypt, you can win up to 5,000x even in the base game thanks to the Mystery Expanding symbol feature.
How does the Random Mystery Expanding symbol feature work?
One random symbol is selected as the expanding symbol per spin. Land at least 2 premium instances of the chosen symbol anywhere (or 3+ Royals) and it will expand to give you a win of up to 5,000x.
Is there a free spins mode in Mysterious Egypt slot?
Yes, it comes with 2 selected expanding symbols instead of the usual 1. Land enough instances of both, and they will expand alternately to give you bigger wins.
Can I play the Mysterious Egypt slot for free?
Yes, you can try out the free demo game Mysterious Egypt at the very top of this page (UK players must confirm their age first).