Return of the Dead Slot Review
For fans of an ancient Egyptian treasure hunting game, Pragmatic Play has released the Return of the Dead slot machine. Expect volatile action on 10 paylines of an Indiana Jones inspired adventure.
Don your Fedora hat and grab your history book for a new journey into the popular genre. Promising big wins of 5000x and a free spins bonus with expanding symbols, the game sounds very familiar. Can this slot promise enough of a new experience to stand out from all the others?
Let’s take a closer look as we test the release out in our Return of the Dead slot review.
Unearth the Treasures of the Pyramids
Harrison Ford in the blockbuster Indiana Jones films made the scholarly action hero an international hit. But it was Novomatic with the Book of Ra slot that first popularized the theme in the igaming industry. This early game has been replicated, improved upon or has just inspired so many new slots that the theme has become a genre in its own right.
A new slots release for this theme, therefore, has to offer players something really outstanding to make an impact. So, how does the Return of the Dead slot machine stand up then? Well, our review team weren’t that inspired.
Design-wise you get much of what you’d expect from the theme. 5x3 reels are filled with ancient Egyptian imagery with an explorer character as the highest paying symbol. The book symbol acts as both wild and scatter, promising base game cash boosts as well as triggering the game’s single bonus round.
The strong development team at Pragmatic Play teamed up with new kid on the block, Reel Kingdom to produce this Egyptian-themed slots game. The younger studio can’t quite match Pragmatic for its design quality and the graphics are decent, but a bit outdated.
On the plus side the Return of the Dead slot machine boasts an RTP of 96.71%, which is better than the average for the theme. All in all our review team thinks this is a decent standalone game that is perfectly playable. It’s just that when you compare it to the scores of other slots in the genre, it’ll struggle to stick in the memory.
Get Volatile Play on 10 Paylines
Any fan of the theme will be familiar with the setup here. There are 10 fixed paylines across the 5x3 reels and volatility is high. A range of flexible bets ensures players of every budget can play the Return of the Dead slot online.
Place from 1-10 coins with a value of 0.01- 2.50. You can, therefore, stake from just 0.10 to a max of 250.00 per spin.
Have a look at our paytable below for a snapshot of the prize payouts you can expect from winning combinations per line bet.
The max win potential from a symbol win is 5000x line bet. The bonus game will maximize your chances of hitting multiple win lines but, you’re sure to hit plenty of dry spells before you score a big payout. Keep a handle on your bank balance and the game has the potential to reward well.
Open the Book on a Cash Boosting Bonus Game
All the action, plus the best chances of hitting top prizes for the Return of the Dead slot machine lie in its free spins bonus round. Land three Return of the Dead book scatters anywhere on the reels to trigger it.
Before your 10 spins start, you’ll be allocated a special symbol randomly from those on the reels. This then becomes an expanding symbol during the bonus. It acts like a scatter symbol, forming wins across the screen, even if reels are unconnected.
The special symbol expands to fill all three positions on its reel, creating multiple win lines in one spin. A five of a kind win will, of course, fill the entire reelset, and promises chances of bumper prizes. Free spins can also retrigger, limitlessly. So, get lucky with a valuable expanding symbol and you are sure to score big.
Explore More Egyptian Themed Slots Games
Fans of the theme and Pragmatic Play’s catalog will know this isn’t the developer’s first book of themed slot.
The company’s John Hunter series of slots explores the same theme with variations in features and gameplay. The most dynamic of these is the John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen slot with 25 paylines of volatile action and a hatful of bonus features to add flavor and cash.
Play’n GO’s Book of Dead slot is surely the most successful title of the genre. This 10 payline game is hugely popular thanks to a massive jackpot prize and a well-balanced game.
And, reinvigorating the theme for a modern audience, you can also enjoy an adventure with Cat Wilde, the daughter of Play’n GO’s famous hero. Cat Wilde and the Doom of Dead slot is another superb slot of the theme, not to be missed.
Play the Return of the Dead Slot for Free
As a standalone game our Return of the Dead slot review team were more than happy with gameplay and features here. Graphics aren’t its greatest strength but, there’s punch where it counts, namely in the paytable. The biggest drawback to this Pragmatic Play title is that it’ll struggle to stand out when there are so many stronger titles in the genre.
Check out the Return of the Dead slot for free to decide for yourself. Plus, we have a whole back catalog of thrilling Pragmatic Play slots demos to explore in our list below.
