It is not esoteric knowledge that Egyptian-themed slots are – if not the most popular of themes – among the most popular. What we are referring to, of course, is not Mo Salah but the ancient Egyptian themes based on Gods and Queens. Crown of Egypt slot, unsurprisingly, will fall into the latter category. Sorry, Liverpool fans.
From Cleopatra to Book of Dead, Egyptian themed slots tend to dominate online casinos and slots which are land-based. For some reason, they have always gone down very well with players, and in the world of casino games, this automatically leads to either widespread plagiarism or subtle imitation.
Much like when a pop star or band hits the mark with a popular and unique style, you can bet that there will be a slew of imitators out there. That is a fact of life. Designers want their games to be hits, and many will focus exclusively on producing software or themes which have the highest chance of success among players. Just like the “luck of the Irish, leprechaun-style” games are popular, so are Egyptian-themed slots.
We digress, let’s take a look at Crown of Egypt.
Crown of Egypt slot is essentially an IGT video slot with 40 pay lines and a generous 1,024 ways to win. In order to play all 40 pay lines and the 1,024 ways to win, you will need to play with 80 coins, with 20 reels independent of one another. There is a decent-sized 5,000 coin jackpot, which can be played from 80p a spin up to an eyebrow-raising £400 a spin.
The game uses the popular MultiWay Xtra wagering system which means that players can avail of up to 1,024 ways to win on each spin. MultiWay Xtra symbols pay out on matching symbols in any position on adjacent columns, typically from left to right.
As with most Egyptian-themed slots, the colour schemes tend to be heavy on the use of bright hues, with lots of purples and golds. The message designers want to get across is that there is a potential for opulence and unimaginative glory which would be generally synonymous with the lives of the Egyptian royals. A few modest wins on 20p spins are hardly going to get you your face on a mountain, or a pyramid named after you, so there really has to be something to pull you in.
Typically, this is where the bonus features and free spins come into the equation. Generally speaking, these bonus games are where players can earn a variety of wins, which are either multiplied or heavy on special symbols. Crown of Egypt is not huge on bonuses, but what the game does have seems to be moderately popular among players with a love of that classic Egyptian theme.
There are two main bonus features on this slot, with neither really capturing the imagination in comparison to others out there. Besides the point that some may find the whole Egyptian thing a little hacky and played-out at this stage of software development, it is really unimaginative to expect players to fall in love with a slot without a series of changeable or potentially profitable bonus games.
This is not to say that you cannot make money playing this slot.
MultiWay Xtra Pays: Where this game accomplishes something unique is that the MultiWay Xtra Pays pays out from left to right and up and down as well. This is triggered when the same icon appears on 4 or 5 rows. This is definitely the best way of landing a big win, given the opportunity for multiplying wins.
Free Spins: Two Bonus icons on the centre reels triggers the free spins bonus game. For 2 icons you’ll receive 10 free games, 15 free spins for 3 and 20 free spins for 4. Free spins can be re-triggered up to 130, which can get you a sweet multiplier of 500x your bet. It is unlikely that you will be lucky enough to experience this amount of free spins, but it is a possibility, meaning that it will come down to the luck you enjoy in a session.
Another day, another Egyptian themed slot. Personally speaking, we are fans of the theme, but more interested in the development of new ways of delivering these games based on the Pharaohs and Cleopatra. There will invariably be a ton of more games which are based on the legendary North African kingdom, but how many of these will be unique is anyone’s guess.
Crown of Egypt slot is a good game. It is well-designed. It is nice to play it. Is it special, or would it stand out among other games with similar designs? It’s not likely to, in all honesty. For new players or those simply looking to play something different from the same old slot they tend to go to, it may be a nice change. Expecting a unique and embracing experience? You may not find it here.