Luck of Ra, developed by Microgaming partner Plank Gaming, fits well within the expanding ‘book of’ with a twist sub-genre. Luck of Ra’s main draw is its expanding symbol free spins, yet there are other features and modes to experiment with as well. If you’re in the mood for some Ra-themed bantamweight action and are open to trying something new, Luck of Ra may be for you. Let’s see if there’s a good match.
Players are transported to an Ancient Egyptian environment after a brief load screen featuring the falcon-headed deity Horus. The massive 5×3 reel configuration with enormous, chunky symbols and 10 fixed paylines takes up the most of the screen real estate. Instead of pyramids, there are two massive sculptures on either side of the reels, the scale of which is shown by the stunted trees in the foreground. The music is pleasant, with an Egypt-inspired sound and a sensuous beat perfect for belly dance. In terms of the numbers, you can anticipate substantial volatility alongside a rather low hit rate of 16.91% and a solid 96.06% RTP. It has a small betting spread, with bets as little as 10 p/c and as high as £/€10.
The game’s three modes, including the default Standard Mode, are where Luck or Ra begins to stray from the usual. The other two modes, Super Mode and Mega Mode, are similar in that they also halt all five reels from spinning. Instead, in Super Mode, when you press the play button, a miniature wheel divided into red and green segments revolves around the needle. If it falls on green, the reels will spin in rhythm for the current round. When in Mega Mode, free games are triggered by landing on the green section. The spin cost for each mode is the same.
When two or three matching symbols appear on a payline, beginning with the first reel, the player is a winner. The value of these slots cannot compare to the top tier ‘book of’ ones. There are just three symbols needed to win big: Anubis as a jackal, a Pharaoh, and a queen who looks like Liz Taylor. Only two of these symbols are required for a payout, with 20–30 times your wager for a full house. Royals with cards ranked 10–A are worth between 5 and 10 times the wager placed on a hand with five of a kind. The Horus wild card is the most valuable icon. The maximum payout for a string of five of them is 75 times the wager.
Functions of the Slot Game “Luck of Ra”
In addition to the adjustable Modes, you may take advantage of synchronized reels, gigantic symbols, and free games. In the main game, free spins, or by sheer chance in Super Mode, synchronized reels might appear at any time. The symbols on any three neighboring reels will synchronize and spin at the same time. Mega Symbols also appear at random. These are 3×3 squares that may appear in full or in part.
When one of the scroll symbols appears in full view during a regular spin or after a successful Mega Mode spin, free spins are awarded. There will be 8 bonus spins awarded. Prior to the start of the free spins, two symbols will be selected at random to be the unique expanding symbols. If there are enough of these symbols on the reels to win, they will grow to fill the entire reel and pay out in any combination. This step follows the payment of any standard winners. If a 3×3 scroll lands in view, it will trigger 8 more bonus spins.
The bonus purchase offers a last avenue to free spins. This option costs 85 times the wager and takes you right to the screen where you may pick your unique symbols.
Ra’s Genie Slots – The Results
Like I said, you may think of Luck of Ra as a ‘book of’ slot machine with a few extra bells and whistles thrown in. You should sample a few of the variations before committing to a purchase. It’s encouraging to see studios taking risks, but it remains to be seen whether or not audiences will embrace these new additions. In this case, we’re referring to the Modes, and we have mixed sentiments about both of these alternatives to the Standard. The Super Mode is the least thrilling because winning only triggers one spin of the synchronized reels feature, which may or may not result in a reward.
The free spins you get at the conclusion of Mega Mode may become old fast, and there’s always the risk that you’ll spend more time and money mashing the spin button than you would have if you’d just paid the 85x up front. Still, you never know what will happen unless you give Mega Mode a try. In practice, however, Mega Mode and Super Mode proved to be more frustrating than rewarding, not to mention tedious, as they required constant gazing at a little wheel while hoping for a needle. To everyone his or her own.
We don’t have any hard data, but our gut tells us that Luck of Ra isn’t a particularly high-paying option. The fact that 15 wild symbols would have to magically appear for a payout of 750x the wager, which seems quite unlikely, is a dead giveaway. The fact that wilds may be made into expanding special symbols during free spins is a glimmer of optimism. Even still, even when things are going well, Luck of Ra victories aren’t anything to brag about.
Overall, Luck of Ra is not a game that will easily appeal to sophisticated players of games like Book of Dead, which have the same ‘book of’ theme. The two places are in distinct leagues of competition. You might as well attempt to dunk on Shaq with Muggsy Bogues and expect to fail, broheme. The base gameplay in Luck of Ra provides some enjoyable ‘book’ moments, but the game’s additional Modes are questionable.
Recent Comments