Secrets of the Pharaohs Slot
It’s time to head once again to ancient Egypt, surely the most popular destination for the creators of online casino slot machines to visit. The Secrets of the Pharaohs comes from Daub, and like many games from this incredibly popular genre, has symbols of dog-headed gods, Cleopatra, the Sphinx and a golden Ankh decorating the reels, which some could say is unimaginative, while others will be more than happy to see familiar objects in a different setting.
Whatever your view on ancient Egyptian-themed casino slot games, this one comes with a couple of reliable bonus features that help spinners land extra prizes across the 5 reels and 30 paylines, such as wild substitutions, scatter awards and free spins with multipliers. There’s nothing unique about these and nor does there need to be, as this is a game that takes few risks.
Players won’t be taking much of a risk either, as it has a return of over 93%, while thanks to an independent assessment, fairness is guaranteed. A minimum stake of just 0.30 will be needed to spin the reels and get real cash rewards, and while free Secrets of the Pharaohs video slots are available, it’s an easy game to learn, so most punters will just dive right into the treasures of Egypt and start claiming some coin rewards.
Unearthing the Secrets
We’re not entirely sure what the Secrets are, and why the Pharaoh’s want to keep them quiet, but it’s a good-looking slot machine that has some computer-generated symbols sitting alongside the lower value playing card icons. The overall design has a realistic image of the pyramids, surrounded by stones carved with hieroglyphics, while the actual symbol positions and reels are separated by stripy lines reminiscent of the staffs that Egyptians seem to carry around in these games.
Standard winnings are made up of matching symbols stopping across a payline, on adjacent reels from the left side and smaller payouts come from the playing card 9, 10, J, Q, K and A, all of which are given a nice gold effect and decorated with vaguely Egyptian-themed items. Returns range from 5x, 50x, or 100x the line bet when the 9 or 10 land on 3, 4, or 5 reels, to 25x, 100x, or 300x when the A appears.
The statue of a Pharaoh pays the same, while Anubis the dog-headed god pays out 3x the line bet when landing on just 2 reels, with full lines being worth 400x. Cleopatra, who looks quite seductive in a strange CGI sort of way, will pay out a high limit of 500x the line bet.
Special Wild and Scatter Symbols
The Sphinx is a majestic wild symbol which acts as any listed above if it’s then able to complete a payline. If players get a break in a line of matching symbols, the wild will be able to substitute for the missing piece and it still counts for a win, although it doesn’t have any value of its own, and can’t replace the scatter symbol.
The Ankh is a scatter icon, meaning that it can be scattered around the reels to pay a prize, without needing to be on a defined line. Unusually though, it will still need to be on separate reels, so having 3 scatters on the same reel won’t help, but any 3 across the game will pay out 2x the total triggering bet, with 4 worth a prize of 5x and landing 5 scatters will be worth a nice 50x the bet amount.
A special free spins bonus round will also follow any 3 or more scatters appearing, with 15 or 30 games beginning if 3 or 4 landed, and a massive 100 free spins commencing when 5 scatters land at once. No matter how many extra games play out, all winnings are doubled during them and the wild symbol will be stacked on the reels, making it easier for it to complete lines. As an added treat, the free games can be retriggered if more scatter symbols appear.
Other Treasures of Egypt
There’s a huge number of Egyptian themed online casino slot games, in just about every shape, style, design and layout. Which you regard as the best of the bunch is simply a matter of personal preference, but IGT’s Cleopatra and Cleopatra Megajackpots are certainly near the top of the pyramid.
Novomatic’s Book of Ra is an interesting spin on the Indiana Jones type adventure, while those players who like a bit of a sexy slot machine should take A Night with Cleo, from Propriety Games for a ride.
The Verdict on Secrets of the Pharaohs
A standard layout, theme and choice of symbols is nothing bad, especially when players are so attracted to Egyptian styled slot games. There’s a couple of nice bonus features to enjoy here, particularly the stacked wilds in the free spins games, and while most players won’t get the full 100 bonus spins, those who do should see some impressive returns.
If you like the topic, then the Secrets of the Pharaohs video slot is a worthy addition to the range of games from Daub, which, like the rest of their collection is of course, mobile optimised.
