It seems like we're still getting over the sunburn from the last Egyptian-themed slot review, so soon after each other are these sorts of games released. This one is called Diamonds of Egypt and comes from busy software designer Pragmatic Play. It introduces a brand new character going by the name of Emelia Lionheart, who, with her fedora and devious look, could be some distant relation of John or his sister Jane Hunter. Jane, we met not that long ago in Jane Hunter and the Mask of Montezuma. Aside from a new character, the rest of Diamonds of Egypt isn't overly new, delivering features such as multiplier wilds, a pick-me Jackpot Bonus Game, and free spins with royal symbols removed.
If you like sand, you might like Diamonds of Egypt, though, because there is a lot of it here. In the base game, it's lying around much of the background; it's there in big win count-ups, and a sandstorm blows through between game phases. It is Egypt, after all, which does have a large quantity of sand within its borders. Egypt also has some insanely interesting history, architecture, and antiquities; some of them appear in Diamonds of Egypt at various points. We're talking about a pyramid, a Sphinx, statues, flaming braziers, and gold - all classic Egypt slot items. Not exactly raging with innovation so far, but it's early days.
>Diamonds of Egypt is a game that feels aimed at a more casual gambling audience, and maybe even one with an Asian connection with all the references to the number 8 going on. For instance, bet levels vary from 88 p/c to $/€140.88 per spin, so not exactly wallet-friendly for those looking to stretch a bankroll to its limit. It's got 243 ways to win on its 5-reel, 3-row grid matrix, where wins must start from the left-hand side of the grid and land across adjacent reels. Highly volatile (rated 4 out of 5), Diamonds of Egypt has a default theoretical return value of 96.49%.
Symbol time now and Diamonds of Egypt has 11 regular pays split into 9-A low pay card royals, and higher value scarab jewellery, a cup, a ring, bracelets, and a Pharaoh mask. Hitting a 5-of-a-kind winning way pays approximately 0.17x the bet for the royals or approximately 1.45x to 7.73x the bet for the premiums. Emelia appears on wild symbols, which are present on reels 2, 3, and 4. Wilds are able to substitute for anything, including scatters. There's also a multiplier wild as well, which substitutes for anything except scatters. In the base game and in free spins, the multiplier wild appears only on reel 3 and has a value of x5. When it lands, all wins are multiplied by x5.
>Whenever at least 1 wild symbol lands, there is a chance the Jackpot Bonus Game is triggered. As well as this, Diamonds of Egypt has a free spins bonus round as its final extra.
When triggered, a bunch of pots are displayed on the screen for players to pick one at a time. Picking a pot reveals one of the 4 Jackpots. When 3 of the same Jackpot is visible, players win its corresponding prize. This amounts to 10x, 20x, 100x, or 1,000x the bet for getting the Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand Jackpot, respectively.
Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatter symbols awards 5, 10, or 50 times the bet, respectively, as well as triggering 8 free spins. Landing 3 or more scatter symbols during the round triggers an additional 8 free spins with no limits. For the round, low-pay royal symbols are removed from the reel strips.
>For a game about adventuring in the spirit of, say, Indiana Jones, Diamonds of Egypt feels pretty darn tame. It's like Pragmatic Play set out to make a game that would cater to the widest bunch of gamblers it possibly could. There's nothing offensive, nothing unusually unique, nothing that stands out from the crowd in any way. Ancient Egypt is about as safe a slot genre as they come. A significant number of gamblers are familiar with the scene or likely will be sooner or later, and Diamonds of Egypt is packed with the usual visuals. Agreeable visuals, to be sure, with the glossy quasi-land-based effect common in a Pragmatic Play slot, but nothing particularly noteworthy.
The same goes for Diamonds of Egypt when it's in action. The features, from the multiplier wild, the pick 'n click Jackpot Bonus Game to the non-royal free spins, are all pretty commonplace stuff. Nothing wrong with them, of course, but there were no 'ooh la la, what's this?' moments either. Everything fits together just so and does what it does to the best of its abilities, but it feels like the game had modest goals from the outset. Modest is one way of describing Diamonds of Egypt's winning potential, held in check with a 2,500 times the bet cap.
Eh, what is there to say, really? It's not too difficult to visualise some players going a little gaga for Diamonds of Egypt, perhaps. The game is relatively easy going in some ways (aside from the odd bet levels), has an okay flow and two bonus rounds it can branch off into. A glossy game all up, but one that feels destined to struggle to make much of a mark. In saying that, it's not super likely Pragmatic Play set out to flip the gambling world over with Diamonds of Egypt in the first place.
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