Alternatives

Book of Dead vs Book of Ra: What Actually Differs

In short: Book of Dead and Book of Ra run the same engine: one book symbol that is wild and scatter at once, ten free spins on three of them, and a single ordinary symbol picked at random to expand. Play'n GO built the younger of the two.

The ten symbol expanded across three reels of Book of Dead
This is the mechanic the whole game rests on. The 10 was drawn at random for the sequence, filled three reels, and paid 1,550 coins on the cheapest symbol in the table. Source: our own screenshot.

Strip the art away and these two slots share one mechanic, down to the term Play'n GO borrowed for it. What separates them is who publishes what.

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Published

Book of Dead intro screen explaining the free spins trigger
The game explains itself before the first spin. This is the developer's own illustration of a filled grid, not a screenshot of a win we hit. Source: our own screenshot.

What the Two Studios Actually Publish

ItemBook of Ra (Novomatic / Greentube)Book of Dead (Play'n GO)
Release date published by the studionot published
Return builds documentednot publishedfive, 96.21% / 94.25% / 91.25% / 87.25% / 84.18%
Win ceiling as the client prints itnot published250,000 coins
Wild and scatterone book symbol does bothone tomb symbol does both
Free spins on three scattersyesyes, 10, re-triggered by three more
Symbol that expandsdrawn at random before the rounddrawn at random before the round

Alternatives in Detail

Why look for a replacement: Neither Novomatic nor Greentube publishes a release date for any Book of Ra title. Every year you see attached to it comes from a catalogue rather than from the studio. Book slots hide their real return behind configuration. Play'n GO documents five builds of Book of Dead, from 96.21% down to 84.18%, and your casino picks one of them. The screenshot that sold you the game is the best case. In both of our recorded sessions the symbol drawn to expand was the 10, the cheapest thing on the paytable. One round carries the whole game. Our two features paid 13.5 and 65 times the triggering bet, off the same trigger and the same drawn symbol, in runs made minutes apart on the same client at the same stake.

Play'n GO's Book of Dead

The Play'n GO slot that took Novomatic's mechanic, kept its wording, and put the maths in a public document.

Better than Book of Ra by Novomatic and Greentube

  • Play'n GO publishes a signed rules document that prints all five return builds and states the ceiling as 250,000 coins

Weaker

  • Its return is not one number, and nothing on screen tells you whether you are on the 96.21% build or the 84.18% one

The GO Collect Build of Book of Dead

Play'n GO's tenth-anniversary build, released on as a separate game rather than a sequel.

Better than Book of Ra by Novomatic and Greentube

  • Adds a Gold Stater meter, a Treasure Vault and a Treasure Gamble on top of the free-spin round you already know

Weaker

  • We have not recorded a session on it, and in Italy we could confirm it in one lobby only

Rich Wilde and the Amulet of Dead

The later Rich Wilde entry that reuses the Book of Dead template most directly.

Better than Book of Ra by Novomatic and Greentube

  • Keeps the series art and the expanding-symbol round a Book of Ra player already understands

Weaker

  • We have not played it, so everything we could say comes from the studio's catalogue rather than our own session

Key Terms Used on This Page

Special Expanding Symbol
Novomatic's term for the ordinary symbol promoted at random before a free-spin round. Play'n GO uses the same words for its own 10 free spins.
Book slot
A slot whose single book symbol is wild and scatter at once. In Book of Dead it pays 200, 20 and 2 times the total bet on five, four and three.
RTP configuration
One certified return build of a game. Play'n GO ships five for Book of Dead, from 96.21% down to 84.18%, and the casino picks one.
Payline
One of the 10 lines Book of Dead pays on, always switched on in numerical order starting at line 1.

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