Eye of Atum: Slot Overview
Eye of Atum is an online slot from software provider Play'n GO that combines two of the studio's favourite things. One is Play'n GO's enduring interest in all things Egyptian; the other is expanding symbols. However, despite the 'of' in the title, Eye of Atum is no Book of Ra style slot. Instead, it's basically a copy of the iconic Merkur game Eye of Horus, so only wilds expand around here. However, it does offer a handy symbol upgrade feature during free spins in lieu of regular paying symbols expanding. The feature is fairly potent, but this is no big Play'n GO rager. On the contrary, Eye of Atum is fairly weak, which is a shame because disappointing numbers do nothing to make up for the commonplace visuals Eye of Atum possesses. You'll see, let's take a look.
Eye of Atum looks, well, it looks plain, really. This is more noticeable since it comes from a studio famous for creating eye-catching slots. Unsurprisingly, there's a bit of a land-based feel going on in Eye of Atum, as well as something of an acknowledgement of previous slots like Book of Dead. The most striking thing about Eye of Atum is just how un-striking it is. According to certain belief systems, Atum was the first god, who created himself as well as a selection of other gods. Others debate this. Either way, Atum is honoured in the slot that bears his name by appearing on the wild symbol and is the key to Eye of Atum's finest moments.
Play'n GO might have a reputation for creating big, lumbering Egypt slots, but Eye of Atum isn't exactly one of them. The 2,000x potential isn't great, though it has been matched with a fairly volatile math model, rated as 7 out of 10. Since Eye of Atum comes in several configurations, keep an eye out for RTP, which tops out at 96.2% in the default setting. Playable on both desktop and handheld devices, bets vary from 10 p/c to $/€100.
Played on a 5x3, 10 payline game grid, players score a win when matching symbols land left to right from the first reel. Low pays include J-A card royals, while high pays are made up of five fairly common icons of Ancient Egypt you find in slots. Hitting a five of a kind win consisting of low-value symbols will get you a payout worth 10x the bet, rising to 20 to 50 times the stake for a winning line of five premium symbols. Wilds land on reels 2, 3, or 4 and expand when they land to cover all positions on their reel. The wild's first duty is to replace any paying symbols to help complete winning lines.
Eye of Atum: Slot Features
Blink, and you'll miss Eye of Atum's features as there isn't much to them. As well as expanding wilds, there is a bonus game, triggered when 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols land to award 12 free spins, plus a payout of 2, 20, or 500x the bet, respectively. In free spins, when wild symbols land, they expand as in the base game, but they also upgrade the lowest value high paying symbol on the reels to the next one up on the paytable. Land enough wilds and you can upgrade all premiums to the highest value symbol for the rest of the feature. In addition, landing 1, 2, or 3 wild symbols on a spin awards 1, 2, or 5 extra free spins, respectively. The number of free spins you can win is capped at 150.
Eye of Atum: Slot Verdict
It kind of feels like Play'n GO phoned this one in. Eye of Atum's straightforward gameplay might appeal to players after something simple and easy, or at a stretch, Egyptian slot veterans might appreciate a different version of Merkur's Eye of Horus slot (which was probably the point with this release). However, there are several issues here that you don't usually encounter in a Play'n GO game, which might be off-putting for both old and new players. Namely, poor potential and flat looks. Usually, it's the opposite when reviewing a Play'n GO release - sizing up a big win number while being dazzled by glossy graphics. By contrast, Eye of Atum did nothing to catch our eye and stayed stuck in low gear for the rest of the review.
If we are being generous, perhaps players enchanted by Eye of Horus style gameplay will be intrigued by Eye of Atum's expanding wild/upgrading symbol antics. The wild is far and away the highlight of the show. Should the dream scenario of upgrading all high pays to the top premium occur, then the thought of hitting solid wins on just about every spin is quite attractive. What kills the mood is the fact max win in Eye of Atum has been limited to 2,000x the bet. If that had been higher, Eye of Atum might have made more sense, but the low potential, plain looks, and limited gameplay added up to a slot that just barely manages to keep itself above mediocracy.
That's just too bad because the expanding wild being able to upgrade pay symbols is a winning feature. It's certainly been enjoyed by players in other Eye of Horus games for many a year. If Play'n GO had been a bit more generous with the payouts, it might have helped prevent Eye of Atum feeling like you're settling for second best.
If Play'n GO had been a bit more generous with the payouts it might have helped prevent Eye of Atum feeling like you're settling for second best.
