Book of Shai: Slot Overview
Despite releasing a fair few games over the years, this is the first time we've dared cross swords with Malta-based casino game designer Swintt. The occasion is an online slot titled Book of Shai. Yep, we know what some of you might be thinking; we needed another 'Book' slot like we needed a Dim Mak to the groin. Hol' up, though, Book of Shai is not quite a run-of-the-mill regular common 'Book of' slot. There are similarities, of course, but Swintt has made several modifications to the template to create something which steps out from the norm.
Well, it steps out from the norm to a degree, in certain areas. Audio visually, players are hurled back to Ancient Egypt and all the sights and sounds that usually entails. In Book of Shai, it means burning braziers, stone statues, stone structures, hieroglyphics, pharaohs, the whole Egyptian slot shebang. If you were wondering who or what Shai is, according to our friend Wikipedia, at times, Shai had a masculine aspect and at others a feminine. Shai could be equated to fate, and had a say in the length of lifespans and was there at the Duat for the judgement of souls. A pretty interesting character, in other words, and a wonder Shai hasn't popped up in a 'Book' slot before.
Well, Shai's here now, in a game played on a 5-reel, 3-row gaming panel. Book of Shai doubles the usual number of paylines to 20, which appears to have made a contribution to the significant increase in winning potential. On a practical level, across these paylines, wins are formed when matching symbols land from the leftmost side of the game grid onwards. A highly volatile gambling machine, Book of Shai comes with more than one RTP model, where the highest is 95.9%, and where players may select a stake of 20 p/c to $/€20 per spin.
Symbols now, and while the number of paylines is double what you'd find in a typical 'Book' slot, the symbol values are pretty pitiful by comparison. On the lower side of the paytable are 9-A card ranks worth 1 to 2.5 times the bet, then comes jewellery versions of an Ankh, bird, cat, eye, and scarab, worth 4 to 15 times the bet for a 5-of-a-kind win. Better value may be gained from the wild symbols which are present on all reels. Wilds pay up to 25 times the bet for 5 OAK or may be used to replace any regular pay symbol for win evaluations.
Book of Shai: Slot Features
One of Book of Shai's little foibles is that its wild is not the bonus symbol. The wild displays a Pharaoh, while the bonus symbol is a trusty book. When a book lands in the base game (available on reels 2, 3 and 4), it opens to reveal a high or low-pay symbol. All instances of this randomly selected symbol in view on the reels are transformed into wild symbols. If 2 book symbols land and reveal the same symbol, that symbol then transforms into an expanding wild symbol. If 3 book symbols land and reveal the same symbol, that symbol transforms into expanding wild symbols with a random multiplier of x2, x3, or x5. Multiplier values are added together where applicable.
Free Spins
Hitting 3 book symbols in the base game also awards 8 free spins. In free spins, a single landed book symbol reveals a random pay symbol and all instances of it on the reels transform to expanding wilds. If 2 books hit and reveal the same pay symbol, that symbol is transformed into expanding wilds with a random multiplier of x2, x3, or x5. Multipliers are added as in the base game. If 3 books land and reveal the same pay symbol, an extra multiplier is added. When 3 books hit, +8 additional free spins are also awarded.
Finally, clicking the feature buy button lets players buy their way to the free games section for the cost of 100 times the bet.
Book of Shai: Slot Verdict
As you can see, Book of Shai might be a descendant of Book of Ra, but Swintt has decided to put its unique spin on the game rather than deliver straightforward expanding symbols as these games usually do. A double-edged sword in some ways, perhaps, as some players who want a classic 'Book of' slot experience won't exactly get that here and might be better off sticking to the classics. Book of Dead, let's say, or a hundred and one other similarly functioning slots.
However, 'Book' fans looking for a new twist might be intrigued by Swintt's ideas. Overall, not bad ideas either. More paylines, added multipliers, and a max win figure of 10,325 times the bet put up quite a compelling argument. It would seem then that when Book of Shai got a massif roll on, it would have the ability to dial up some pretty thrilling action. It can also be pretty slow going too. For example, take the whole sequence of books revealing a symbol, converting instances of the revealed symbol on the grid into wilds and expanding to cover the full reel. When you can see good and well that it is not going to lead to a win, the procedure might feel tedious. The features in Book of Shai are not like straight-up expanding symbols, which only trigger when they can make a win. Then, you know you're going to get something. In Book of Shai, it's possible to work out when you are going to get something and when you are not going to get something after a book reveal. This system builds the thrills in the first instance when you can see wins lining up, and dashes them when they aren't.
But hey, no need to pick Book of Shai if you are after a regular expanding symbol Egyptian-themed game. There are a lot of other slots out there willing to provide that sort of action, like, a lot. Instead, Book of Shai goes about things in its own way, which might not be to all tastes, but gives players a new flavour to try.
Book of Shai is a fully competent book slot, but one that is rather unremarkable when compared to other entries in what is an otherwise saturated genre.
