Displaying the sort of dedication to Tutankhamun that might've pleased Howard Carter, Pragmatic Play's resident Indiana Jones wannabe John Hunter is back for another crack. This one is titled John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways, and as the name lays out, it's a game using 'book of' style features in combination with the Megaways mechanic. It's hard to think of anything else needed to introduce the game than that, really, so if you're in the mood for an Egyptian adventure with one of the most enduring characters in slots, come take a look.
If you've played any of the previous John Hunter and the Book of Tut games, then John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways' appearance will no doubt be familiar. Pragmatic Play hasn't really tinkered with the view much, so gamblers get the same romantic reproduction of Ancient Egypt made up of pyramids, palms, gorgeous sky, sand, and river. The only real jolt comes from the expanded gaming area consisting of 6 reels, landing 2 to 7 symbols on each, which can vary from spin to spin. This clinging to what's been done before could be considered unimaginative or cosily familiar, players pick.
Just as the number of symbols on the reels can vary, so do the number of ways to win, maxing out at 117,649. Regular winning combinations begin from the first reel and pay left to right, whereas expanding symbols pay from anywhere. Several RTP versions of John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways have been designed, where the highest value is 96%, while the math model is highly volatile. When picking a bet, base options range from 20 p/c to $/€240. With the Ante Bet activated, the stake increases by 25%, and the RTP shifts to 96.01%. The benefit of switching the Ante Bet on is the chance of triggering free spins increases as more scatter symbols are present on the reels.
Moving to the lower paying symbols, now we come across 10-A card ranks, worth a payout of 0.4 to 0.5 times the bet when a 6 OAK winning way hits. Next are the high pays – scarab jewellery, a cat statue, a pharaoh, and John Hunter, awarding 0.6 to 2 times the bet for a six symbol win. Present on the three central reels is the wild symbol, which substitutes for any regular pay symbol. The wild and the scatter are two separate symbols.
John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways keeps the expanding special symbol feature common in these sorts of slots, but in this game, it's available in the base game and in free spins.
On any base game spin, one pay symbol may randomly be chosen to be the special expanding symbol. After regular win evaluations have been made, the chosen symbols expand to cover all positions on their reels. Expanded symbols pay from any position; however, they will only expand if doing so would create a win.
A total of 10 free spins are awarded when at least 3 scatter symbols land in view. In addition, a payout of 3x, 15x, 100x, or 500x the bet is made when 3, 4, 5, or 6 scatters land, respectively. At the start of the free spins round, one pay symbol is randomly chosen to be the special expanding symbol for the duration of the feature. Hitting 3 or more scatters awards an extra 10 free spins.
Players may buy free spins for the cost of 100 times the bet. When buying free spins, the return value comes out at 96.06%.
On the topic of dedication, Mr Hunter has done a commendable job of squeezing just about all he can from Book of Tut by now. From John Hunter and the Book of Tut to John Hunter and the Book of Tut Respins, to John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways. What's next? Maybe some sort of John Hunter and the Book of Tut/Gates of Olympus scatter pay mashup, or… gasp, John Hunter and the Book of Tut engages in some sort of Big Bass Bonanza fishing on the Nile? Okay, we're being silly Billy's, because John Tut games do tend to be pretty solid, and the gambling public clearly enjoys them, which would explain why Pragmatic Play keeps slinging JH slots at them.
John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways is another decent example that does what it says on the label – deliver 'book of' style gaming on a Megaways game board with John Hunter adding his gruff grizzled charm. It's not the first 'book of' game to be blended with Megaways. An earlier example of this combination came from Blueprint Gaming in Legacy of Ra Megaways or Skywind in Book of Gems Megaways with its odd Tom Hardy in a Fedora look alike.
As mentioned, John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways does what it says on the tin, no more really, nor any less. It gives players who enjoy expanding special symbol action a lot more grid space to operate in than normal and possesses solid figures to boot along with a decent 10,000x winning potential. It wouldn't have been awful if Pragmatic Play had included some kind of technical innovation, something we hadn't seen before, to really celebrate the occasion. Maybe next time, perhaps, as there's a good chance John Hunter will return to uncover antiquities at some point in the future.
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