As 2021 begins, Dr. Wild returns for yet another treasure hunt in the new ancient Egypt-inspired slot, Eye of Dead, which is basically a clone of Blueprint’s older slot,Eye of Horus. Featuring the same gameplay and classic look, it might appeal to those who’re into such type of games, but those not into the genre won’t find anything here to get super fired.
Blueprint retained the classic look of the Eye of Horus slot, so don’t expect to see any modern graphics here. A standard 5×3 grid with 10 ways to play dominates the view, while the backdrop showcases familiar Egyptian surroundings. Eye of Dead is set somewhere in an Egyptian temple of a tomb, with walls covered in numerous ornamental symbols and drawings. As for the music, there’s no soundtrack at all, but just annoying classic arcade sound effects that pop out from your speakers when you hit the spin or land a win. Luckily, the mute button comes to the rescue.
When it comes to the stats, Eye of Dead comes with figures almost identical to those found in the Eye of Horus slot. The volatility tends to the middle side of the spectrum, while the RTP is slightly above the average level at 96.31%. Players drop in by placing wagers from 0.1$ to 1$ per spin, though, with the Premium Play feature the total bet can be raised up to 10$ per spin. There are 4 options to choose from, including 1.5$, 2$, 5$, and 10$, and each upgrades the least valuable premium symbol to the next symbol in the hierarchy. With the highest level Premium Play bet chosen, there will only be only two highest-paying premiums available to land, alongside the low-pays, of course. Yet note that the Premium Play bets don’t affect symbol values.
As we head over to the paytable, we see a bunch of recognizable symbols that have been used in countless slots deeply inspired by ancient Egypt. On the lower side, the pay symbols start with classic A-J royals, and next are six premiums, including in ascending order scarabs, jars, bird amulets, Anubis, pharaoh, and Dr. Wild himself. Individual values are decent, with lows awarding 10x the stake for 5-of-a-kind combinations, and premiums from 20x to 50x.
Even though Wild symbols don’t have any own value, they’re are surely the most desired symbols in the Eye of Dead slot. Whenever one lands anywhere on the grid during both the base and the bonus games, it expands to cover the respective reel entirely, substituting for all other regular symbols.
Like its older sibling, Eye of Dead relies heavily on the Free Spins feature. Landing 3, 4, or 5 Scatter symbols simultaneously during the base game will give 12 spins to start, as well as award a cash prize of 2x, 20x, and 50x respectively. The bonus game operates in the same way as the base game for the most part, though, a big difference is that Expanding Wild symbols now play even a bigger role. Whenever a Wild symbol lands, it upgrades premium symbols, plus when 1, 2, or 3 of them lands on a given spin, players will receive 1, 3, or 5 additional free spins.
Well, while Eye of Dead comes with some well-known features laid down at its core, it still fails to compete with other popular titles in the niche of Egyptian-themed games. The problem is the relatively low potential, as a full screen of top-paying premium symbols will only award 500x of the bet. Thus, there’s little point in giving it a try while there are countless Egyptian slots offering prizes of up to 5,000x, likeBook of Dead, just to give an example.
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