Just when you think you’ve seen every type of ancient Egyptian slot imaginable, along comes Pragmatic Play with another, and it’s not as if they’ve never thought of doing it before because they have a roster of these themed games housed within their slots vault. After a deal was struck between Pragmatic Play and Reel Kingdom in 2020, the Return of the Dead slot landed in the autumn and they promised fans a more vivid exploration of the ancient lands than ever before.
Stunning graphics draw you in with each spin, but the key to big wins doesn’t lie within the Hieroglyphics, it hides within a single symbol – the book detailing the secrets of the Return of Dead and it’s your job to hunt it down!
Best Sites to Play Return of the Dead Slot
Return of the Dead Slot Bets and Pays
Minimum stake cost just 10p per spin while the maximum will set you back £250 per spin, making it a high roller slot machine. To get to the highest of bets, you will need to manually press the stake adjuster button, which can take some time as it scrolls through coins per line and total coin value each time.
Symbols on the reels are in-keeping with the theme, which isn’t surprising. Card values (low paying) make an appearance too with 10, J, Q, K and A very much on the reels. The only difference between these card values and those found on the thousands of other games is these ones come with a small reference to ancient Egypt stamped on their front.
Medium to high-value symbols are the golden scarab beetle, ibis (bird), pharaoh, the explorer who accompanies you on this wonderful quest and the key to the free spins – the book detailing the secrets of the Return of Dead. Pays will be determined by the value of your stake, with the low card values paying between £2,500 and £3,750, the scarab beetle and ibis (bird) paying up to £18,750 respectively, pharaoh up to £50K while the explorer and the book each pay up to £125,000!
The control panel is situated to the lower of the reel engine and provides quick links to the rules on how to play and the paytable as well as sound options. Balance, bets and wins are displayed on this same panel with manual and auto play positioned to the lower right. On mobile, the layout may change slightly, depending on the device being used to play with, and you may even have to rotate your device to landscape mode.
Return of the Dead Slot Features
Just the one feature to benefit from here – free spins. Three, four or five scattered book symbols (which also acts as a wild!) will instantly trigger a prize of 2x, 20x or 200x respectively and grant 10 free games.
Before each spin gets underway, a symbol is chosen at random to become a wild and when at least 3 (or 2 for higher-paying symbols) appear in view, all instances of that specially chosen symbol will become wild and expand to cover the entire reel(s) in which they sit. The more randomly chosen symbol in the view, the larger the win.
What’s the Verdict?
If you’ve ever played Book of Dead by Play’N Go or any of the Book of Ra slots in the series by Novomatic (Greentube), you’ll instantly recognise the layout and how to win with Return of Dead, which is a little disappointing. The graphics may be a little more up to date than the competition however, once you’ve played one ancient Egyptian slot, you’ve played them all!
Wins are few and far between meaning you’ll have to work at it to see generous returns and even when you land the free spins feature, there’s no guarantee you’re going to win!
There are no unique features with Return of Dead, nothing that will draw the players back because these same features are present in so many other online slots.
Return of the Dead Slot FAQ
What game provider developed the Return of the Dead slot?
Pragmatic Play/Reel Kingdom created the Return of the Dead slot title.
When was the Return of the Dead slot released?
Return of the Dead was released on 11.10.2020.
What is the RTP of the Return of the Dead slot game?
Return of the Dead has an RTP of 96.71%.
What's the layout?
5-reels, 3 rows and 10 win lines.
What theme is used in this slot?
Return of the Dead is an ancient Egyptian themed slot.
Can I play this game on mobile?
Return of the Dead is a mobile-optimised slot.
What is the variance of the Return of the Dead slot machine?
Return of the Dead is a high variance slot game. High volatility slot games pay out less often on average but the chance to hit big wins in a short time span is higher.
What is the minimum bet and the top prize?
The minimum bet on the Return of the Dead slot is 10p and the top prize is £125,000!
Are there any free spins and bonus rounds?
Return of the Dead offers a free spins bonus where a specially chosen symbol will become the wild and can expand on up to 5 reels per spin.
Are there any jackpots?
A fixed base game jackpot of up to £125K which can be triggered on either the explorer symbol or the book.
Is there anything else that I should know about the Return of the Dead slot?
UK players cannot benefit from the turbo spin feature, but the spins are quick regardless.
If I like this game, what else should I look at?
Try Legacy of Dead by Play’N Go as it offers more of an immersive experience with life-like graphics.
Rachel Pine
Slots Expert
Rachel Pine is our slots expert who has worked in the online gambling industry for 10+ years. Over the course of her career, Rachel has reviewed more than 3,000 slots.