Jewels of Ra

Jewels of Ra: Slot Overview

Ancient Egypt is like catnip to casino game makers, and the current studio being tractor-beamed into the exotic land of pharaohs, pyramids, and scarabs is software provider Pragmatic Play. The team has come back from its dig with Jewels of Ra, a slot that possesses modest ambitions. The problem with a lot of Egyptian slots is they sort of blur into one another after a while, and it takes a really striking release to make its mark on the genre. Will Jewels of Ra be one that emerges from this ancient land, offering adventurous players something they've never seen before, nay, never dreamed possible? Maybe, but spoiler alert, no, not really.

No offence, but if you asked AI to paint an average-looking Egyptian-themed online slot, there is a chance it might not look a million kilometres away from Jewels of Ra. To be fair, a lot of Egyptian games look like this; it's not just Jewels of Ra. There are columns holding up each side of the screen, pyramids, a lot of sand, plenty of sunlight. There's no Nile, but as far as plain-looking Egypt slots go, this is a textbook example. Pragmatic Play is pitching to a ready-made audience with this one, as it's not a very adventurous game, so don't expect to find never-before-seen wonders on this trek, whether artistically or technically. If you've played one Egyptian-themed slot, you'll probably feel very cosy here, as Jewels of Ra offers familiar sights and sounds rather than doing anything wow that makes it pop from the bunch.

There are 1,024 ways to win on the 5x4 grid, with winning combinations starting from the leftmost reel and connecting across adjacent reels. By hitting the coins icon, players can pick a stake from $/€0.25 to $/€250 per spin. Hidden in the sands is a highly volatile math model, producing an RTP of 96.53% on the highest setting.

As for pay symbols, Jewels of Ra has 10-A royals, ankhs, an Eye of Horus, a jackal-headed entity representing Anubis, and a Cleopatra-type character. Winning combinations containing 5 matching royals award 0.6x the bet to the player, or a payout of 1.2x to 2.4x is made when landing 5 of the premium symbols. Wilds appear on all reels except the leftmost reel. They substitute for all regular pay symbols. Wilds may have a multiplier of x2 to x5, which applies to all wins passing through them. Multipliers multiply each other when more than one is part of the same win.

Jewels of Ra: Slot Features

The features to uncover in this desert escapade are synchronised reels, Money symbols, a respin round, special bets, and a feature buy.

Synchronised Reels

In the base game, reels can randomly become synchronised. When this occurs, the synchronised reels land identical symbols. 

Money Symbols

Money symbols land with a value of 1x to 100x the bet. They can also appear with the 200x Minor, 500x Major, or 2,500x Mega prize. Landing 5 Money symbols triggers a respin with the triggering Money symbols sticky, providing an increased chance of landing a sixth Money symbol.

Respin Feature 

When 6 or more Money symbols land, players are awarded 3 respins in the respin feature. During this round, only Money, Collect symbols, or blanks may land. The feature starts with the triggering Money symbols locked in position. Each time a Money or Collect symbol lands, or a full-screen collecting occurs, the respins are reset to 3. Also, a multiplier appears at the top of the grid, which applies to all Money symbols except the Minor, Major, or Mega. When a Collect symbol hits, it collects and awards all Money symbols in view after the multiplier is applied. Each time a collection occurs, the multiplier increases to the next level, starting at x1 and going to x2, x3, x5, and finally x10. If all 20 positions are filled with Money symbols, a collection occurs without the Collect symbol. Money symbols are multiplied, awarded, then the multiplier increases to the next level. 

Special Bets & Feature Buy

The two special bets are the ante bet, which costs 3x to make the chance of getting the respin feature 5 times higher, and the Super Spin at 20x to guarantee 2-5 synchronised reels. The respin feature cannot be triggered from a Super Spin, but it can be bought for 60x the bet.

Jewels of Ra: Slot Verdict

Not saying Egyptian-themed slots are an easy standby option when you've just got to release something quickly. Some developers might pour their hearts and souls into making an ancient Egyptian fantasy. It's just that with Jewels of Ra, there is a sneaky suspicion Pragmatic Play was able to push this one out in a hurry, with little love lavished over its pyramidal ways. That said, the game may have an appeal with certain gamblers who are happy remaining firmly on the beaten path, playing slots that they feel completely familiar with. In this case, Jewels of Ra should be a perfect fit. It looks like about 50 other games, has a jackpot prize element, and has at its heart an uncomplicated Money symbol respins feature. 

The respins feature does differ slightly from the norm, though. It's not a round that sticks Money symbols to the reels then awards their values when the feature concludes. Instead, you need to land Collect symbols to collect Money symbol values, which removes them from the grid, making space to land more Money symbols on subsequent spins. This also increases the collection multiplier, which may make a big difference for future collections, should they occur. Shunning the usual hold 'n' win format for collection respins does give Jewels of Ra a modicum of individuality that might resonate with the right punter.

Jewels of Ra comes across as a case of cosy comforts winning out over raging innovation. The potential for multiplier-boosted collections, a 5,000x max win, and jackpot-style prizes gives the bonus round some interest, but the conventional presentation and relatively straightforward action do little to distinguish it from the many Egyptian-themed alternatives already available. Pragmatic Play has designed a functional slot rather than a hidden treasure, making Jewels of Ra an option worth considering for fans of comfortable ideas, but hardly an essential trip to the dunes for anyone else.