2020 might have been the year of Megaways and sequels, but it was also in many ways a year for ‘Book of‘ styled slots. Then again, what year isn’t really? Those infamous expanding symbols which were started so long ago have proven irresistible to countless studios ever since. One that’s put a more individual stamp on the format than most is Nolimit City in their slot Book of Shadows.
The first obvious difference is a change of theme. Nolimit has gone for a Wiccan motif, so we get spooky forests and images of the occult rather Ancient Egypt for a change. Secondly, the grid layout has been expanded by the use of Shadow Rows. Increasing the bet allows players to activate up to five rows instead of the standard three. This not only adds an extra gaming element, but it also provides more potential than just about every other ‘book’ slot out there.
The lucky player in this clip might not have hit Book of Shadow’s max win, but they did a great job of tapping what the slot can do. There are two ways of accessing free spins – buy them or trigger them organically, which is what occurs here when three scatters land. Before the round begins, a symbol is randomly selected to be a special expanding one. This time, the book settles on the most valuable premium symbol in the game. In some ways, this is a double-edged sword since it doesn’t tend to land as often as lesser paying symbols, yet as we can see, when it does, rewards are much higher.
A ‘Blood Magic’ win on the second spin gets the bonus off to a decent start when the special symbol expands to cover three reels. This is followed up a few spins later with a retrigger happens on the same spin as another ‘Blood Magic’ win. Upping the ante, a ‘Hellfire’ win occurs off the back of four expanding symbols shortly after worth a tidy 200x, getting the ball well and truly rolling. Amazingly, when it looks like game over, another retrigger swoops in topping up the round with an additional 10 free spins. Fortune was certainly smiling that day because the miracle moment every ‘Book of’ player dreams of hits on one of the final spins – expanding the highest paying symbol across all five reels. In this case, doing so equates to an outstanding 10,000x the bet payout!
One unique factor contributing to the stellar win is the fact all Shadow Rows are active. This means bets are pricier, yet the payoff can be worth it as this clip clearly shows. As impressive as this win is, it’s interesting to note it’s ‘only’ around a third of the 30,338x Book of Shadows is capable of. It’s unlikely the player in this video will be quibbling over technicalities after an astonishing run, which netted a cool €53,527.50. Not only was it a massive win, but further evidence (if it was needed) of the thrill ride full reel expanding symbols continue to produce.
