Ra vs Osiris

Ra vs Osiris: Slot Overview

Software provider Pragmatic Play has resurrected its popular 'vs' concept by designing Ra vs Osiris, a follow-up that swaps Greek mythology for ancient Egypt, while keeping several of the elements which made Zeus vs Hades Gods of War such a hit. The studio's earlier clash of titanic forces went on to become Bigwinboard's Slot of the Year 2023, setting the bar high with its dual volatility set-up and explosive features. Ra vs Osiris builds on that formula by pitting the sun god against the ruler of the underworld, giving the features a shake-up, while expanding the winning potential, to create an even bigger showdown between two titans of the ancient world.

At Ra vs Osiris' home screen, players must choose to play the game in Ra mode or Osiris mode. If you accidentally slip and choose the wrong deity, don't worry; this can be changed later in the base game. Ra bathes the screen in a red light, Osiris in green, though beneath the colour filter, similar background imagery is on display. Mighty it is too, depicting a great pyramid, and towering obelisks glowing in their chosen colour. Pragmatic Play has gone big on the light and sound show, and Ra vs Osiris commands attention, whether that is in the base or bonus round, or lapping up the animated sequences in between. If Pragmatic Play is gunning for another slot of the year award, it's pulled out the audiovisual stops to garner attention.

As in Zeus vs Hades, players are able to choose one of two modes to play the game in. Ra is highly volatile, while Osiris mode is very highly volatile. As well as the cosmetic differences, Ra mode has a higher chance of triggering free spins, but the average bonus win is lower, while the opposite applies in Osiris mode. The RTP is slightly different as well, clocking in at 96.53% in Ra mode and 96.54% in Osiris. No matter the mode, a 5x5 grid with 15 paylines is the playing field and stakes of $/€0.10 to $/€250 are available.

Each mode has its own set of symbols. Both are made up of 10-A royals, four animal symbols, and either Ra or Osiris as the most valuable. The payout values are the same in each: 1x when landing 5 matching royals or 5x-20x when 5 matching premium symbols hit. Wilds appear on all reels, substituting all regular pay symbols. Wilds pay 20x for a line of five of them.

Ra vs Osiris: Slot Features

Ra vs Osiris conducts its matchup with the use of Expanding Wilds with multipliers, free spins, special bets along with feature buys.

Expanding Wilds With Multiplier

VS symbols are Expanding Wild symbols which appear on all reels. When one of them hits in the base game or free spins, if there would be a win after expansion, it expands to cover the entire reel. The two characters appear, and the winner determines a multiplier for the wild of x2 to x1,000. The multiplier applies to all wins passing through it, and when more than one multiplier is part of the same win, the values are added.

Free Spins

Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters in the main game triggers 6 free spins with minimum wild multiplier values of x2, x4, or x8, respectively. Before free spins begin, players may gamble on a wheel to increase the minimum multiplier up to x100, though they risk losing the entire round.

During free spins, all Expanding Wilds are also Walking Wilds. When Expanding Wilds are on the grid, respins occur. Walking Wilds move one reel to the left on each respin, moving off the grid after reaching the leftmost reel, and no more respins trigger for that symbol. If more Expanding Wilds are on the grid at the same time, respins continue until they have all left the screen. Should 3, 4, or 5 scatters land, 6 extra free spins are awarded, and with each retrigger, the minimum multiplier increases by 1, 2, or 3 levels, respectively - up to x1,000.

Special Bets & Feature Buys

The three special bets in Ra mode are Super Spin 1 costing 20x to guarantee an Expanding or Walking Wild, Super Spin 2 at 100x to guarantee an Expanding or Walking Wild with an x8 or greater multiplier, or Super Spin 3 for 1,000x to guarantee an Expanding or Walking Wild with a minimum multiplier of x100. In all options, Expanding Wilds can become Walking Wilds, triggering respins. Wilds expand if there will be a winning combination. The cost of each special bet is double in Osiris mode. That leaves two feature buys, and in Ra mode, players can buy standard free spins for 100x, or super free spins where the minimum multiplier on Walking Wilds is x8, for 250x the stake - again, the prices are doubled in Osiris mode. In Osiris mode, the cheaper buy comes with minimum multiplier values of x2, x4, or x8.

Ra vs Osiris: Slot Verdict

Given the success of Zeus vs Hades Gods of War, and Pragmatic Plays wont for squeezing max mileage out of its catalogue, it's surprising the studio hasn't tried to get more out of the winning formula. There was Zeus vs Hades Gods of War 250, which increased some of the key numbers, and at a push Zeus vs Typhon kind of counts, though the gameplay is very different; but Ra vs Osiris is a follow-up with a major thematic refresh and tweaks to the expanded wild multiplier action that gave the original its punchiness. As before, the heavyweight title fight involves a volatility choice. It might be tricky to see the difference when symbols are spinning on the reels, yet the two modes have a big impact on bonus buy and special bet players, and is something for gamblers to consider beyond just affecting the colour scheme.

While both slots have expanding wild multipliers, Ra vs Osiris does things with them that were not found in its Greek brother. As a quick refresh, the expanding wilds in Zeus vs Hades never walked anywhere. They stayed where they were in free spins, sticking in place on the reels for the bonus round's full duration, leading to some of the game's best bits. Thrills are generated in a different way in Ra vs Osiris, which arms its expanding wilds with respins (in free spins) and much greater multiplier values - up to x1,000 vs the original's x100. A logical consequence of this massive multiplier increase is a significantly greater winning potential, as payouts are capped at 25,000x the bet (though this does equal Zeus vs Hades Gods of War 250). That said, bigger numbers do not necessarily make Ra vs Osiris a straight upgrade, as Zeus vs Hades is still able to hold its own, several years later.

Ra vs Osiris feels like a natural evolution, even if the altered gameplay includes walking wilds and respins, which are proven features rather than brand new ones. Still, they can be potent, especially when more than one wild is walking across the reels. Pragmatic Play has created quite a spectacle here, using very shiny visuals and punchy mechanics to make Ra vs Osiris a worthy successor that stands strong on its own merits. It might not end up reaching the lofty heights of its predecessor, but this Egyptian heavyweight is able to deliver a solid one-two knockout.