Book of Shai

Review of the Game

Some games are uneven when it comes to overall quality. Some are quite interesting and worth it, while others are bad. In this review, we’ll examine the online game that launched in the first quarter of 2023 and that brings a new twist to the classic formula. There’s nothing new about its playing field, though, as it offers your usual combination of 5 reels, 3 rows and 20 fixed paylines.

The theme of the game is somewhat unimaginative as well, since it’s all about taking players to the fascinating pyramids of ancient Egypt. That’s a setting that still has at least some charm, but it feels that we’ve been there so many times already that it’s hard to get excited. It has to be said, though, that the game’s production values are above average, and that there’s a lot to be said for its colorful and detailed symbols.

As for the mathematical model, it has a high volatility level and a very juicy jackpot worth 10,325x your bet. That’s a nice sum to play for, and the game’s hit frequency is also rather high at 28.29%. The least that you can play for is then £0.20 per spin, while high rollers can risk up to £20 per game round. Unfortunately, the theoretical RTP is only 93.93%, which is more than two percent below the current industry average.

Game Features

The paytable is dynamic, and it offers a set of 11 pay symbols, which are split into 6 low pays and 5 high pays. For the former, there are your usual card ranks from Nines to Aces, and these can net you up to 2.5x your bet for a combination. Then, there are more thematic symbols with ankhs, birds, cats, eyes, and even scarabs. Scarabs are the game’s most valuable symbols, and you’ll win 15x your stake if you manage to line up 5 on a payline.

For specials, there are just Wilds and Scatters. Wilds can substitute for any of the pay symbols in winning combos, and they also come with their own payout values. Scatters, meanwhile, are there to trigger both symbol transformations and free spins.

Now – if you land a single Scatter in the base game, it will open to reveal one of the pay symbols. Then, all of its instances will transform into Wilds, improving your winning chances in the process. That also happens if you land two Scatters, but you’ll get Expanding Wilds instead of classic Wilds if those Scatters reveal the same symbol.

If you land 3 Scatters, you’ll trigger the Free Spins feature with 8 free spins. And, if they open and reveal matching symbols, you’ll get Expanding Wilds with a win multiplier of 2x, 3x, or 5x.

Symbol transformations are then in play during free spins as well, though with a small twist. Even one Scatter is enough for Expanding Wilds, you see, and win multipliers are then added whenever you flip matching symbols via two or three Scatters. It’s these win multipliers that can lead you to the game’s biggest wins, so watch out!

At any point of the game, you can decide to use the Buy Feature option and simply purchase a free spins trigger outright. Doing so will cost you 100x your bet, however, and that’s a pretty hefty price tag.

Review Summary

To sum things up, the game does deliver an interesting concept, but its math model comes with such a low RTP that we simply can’t recommend the entire package to anyone. If you’re interested in the game, check out its free demo, but playing for real money simply isn’t a good deal. It’s a shame, really, but games need to take a big step forward in that regard if they are to be competitive.