John Hunter and the Tomb of Scarab Queen Pokie
Software | Pragmatic Play |
Slot theme | Adventure |
Reel | 5 |
Paylines | 25 |
Progressive | No |
Reviewed & updated:
01.12.2024 By gambling expert
Andrew R.
John Hunter and the Tomb of Scarab Queen Pokie Review
Many players from New Zealand could remember John Hunter from such Pragmatic Play pokies as Aztec Treasure, Book of Mystery, Mayan Gods, Book of Tut and Da Vinci’s Treasure. All features applied in that series have gained recognition among online casino regulars. John Hunter and the Tomb of Scarab Queen is no exception and offers John Hunter’s followers some excellent entertainment along with a chance to win up to x10,500 a line bet. The pokie also includes interesting solutions for a multi-option bonus feature and free spins awarding a chance for extra payouts. The slot machine is easily found in online casinos powered by Pragmatic Play and makes a perfect companion for players stationed at home or giving preference to online gaming on the go. To play the pokie players are free to use desktop or Android, Windows and iOS mobile device, the slot machine performs well and bug-free. It is advisable to read this pokie review before giving it a play as the pokie is equipped with some intricate bonus features that may need some clarification.Base game, symbols and payouts
The playfield has 5 reels, 3 rows and 25 fixed lines. To start playing, it is necessary to place a bet. Depending on an online casino, stakes may be placed in NZ dollars or bitcoin. The minimum line bet is only NZ$0.01 thus a spin costs just NZ$0.25. High rollers may follow John to the Tomb of Scarab Queen betting as much as NZ$5 per line and NZ$125 per spin. Again, in online casinos accepting bitcoin, stakes may be placed in this cryptocurrency.
As soon as the bet is made, symbols are ready to perform. Peculiarity of this pokie is that the amount of feature symbols is the same as of non-feature ones. There are eight regular icons including vintage playing cards (J, Q, K and A), John’s travel bag, his .45 Peacemaker in a brown leather holster, Anubis and Mr. John Hunter himself. These icons work in favor of the player all the time, in the base game and during free spins. They pay from left to right, cards offers wins between x5 and x100 a line bet or up to NZ$500 at max. John’s belongings, Anubis and John himself award x5 to x800 a line bet. It is up to NZ$4,000 at a NZ$5 line bet.
Both key figures of the game are special symbols. The Scarab Queen plays a role of a wild. She never visits reel 1 but keeps visiting reels 2, 3, 4 and 5. When she hits the screen, she substitutes for any non-feature symbol. Her Majesty does not though do the job of a scatter or any bonus symbol. The Tomb of the Scarab Queen looks like a pyramid and acts as a scatter which offers a twofold bonus: it pays an award and triggers a feature. To make use of these bonuses, a player needs to land three Scatters. This is a good achievement since it pays x1 the total bet to the balance and activates free spins.
There are also two sorts of bonus symbols. The first is a Money Symbol looking like a sacral insect, scarab. In the base play scarabs crawl upon any reel except for reel 5 as it is reserved for the second kind of bonus icons, five different Collect symbols.
Their roles in the pokie machine are pretty well described by their name: they assist online casino players in collecting the Scarab Queen’s riches, to which luck and John Hunter lead the most resolute fans. When a scarab lands on the reels with any Collect Symbol, it triggers a bonus feature. A nice extra: both types of bonus symbols may award an additional prize during free spins (sure, if you play for real money).
Free Spins feature
The Scarab Queen has as many as 3 pyramid Tombs. Having found all the three of them in a single spin, players get an award of x1 the total bet and unlock free spins.
The feature starts with 8 free spins and awards 8 extra free spins every time three Scatters appear again. A lucky player from New Zealand is allowed to retrigger the feature an unlimited number of times.
The feature plays as any regular FS round in any slot machine found in online casinos but bonus symbols also play an important role here. Money Symbols land on reels 1 to 4 and each has a certain value on top. These values are collected in the Bonus Pot, a sort of a piggy bank. This is an extra award meant for a player. To get it, a player needs to play all initial and extra free spins, at which point he will be awarded an extra spin.
During this extra spin, the total amount accumulated in the Bonus Pot is converted into a huge 3×4 Money Symbol which occupies the first four reels. The ultimate goal of this bonus spin is to get any one out of five available Collect Symbols on reel 5. If this happens, the total amount from the Bonus Pot is added to wins earned during free spins and paid to a player. This could be a really nice and round online casino award but its actual monetary value depends only on one game parameter, line bet: the higher the bet the bigger the prize, as simple as that.
It is worth noting that wagering settings in the video pokie are active only during the base game and disabled when any feature activates. This is why it advisable to consider the winning capacity of features and adjust the stake accordingly in advance.
Money Collect bonus
During the base game, Money symbols keep popping up on reels 1 to 4 with no effect until at least one Collect symbol hits reel 5 along with them, which activates the Money Collect bonus round.
Every Money symbol appears on a respective pokie reel with a random value attached. This is a cash award to be paid when the feature ultimately activates. What exactly happens with the values displayed on Money symbols depends on Collect Symbols appearing on reel 5. There are as many as five Collect icons, each with certain functionality.
Every Collect symbol tells what it does for a player, in other words, the bonus it brings is written upon it. The icon with a “Collect” word takes values displayed on all Money Symbols in the triggering spin and pays the total. Chances are to have 1 to 12 Money Symbols in a spin, at that all the 12 can have the best available value assigned.
The “Extra Credit Collect” icon is in fact an additional Money Symbol as it has its own value which is added to the sum of Money Symbols on reels 1-4 in the triggering spin. The total goes to a player with no deduction.
A “Multiplier Collect” sign on the icon on reel 5 means a random multiplier to be applied to the total value of awards displayed on Money Symbols. The pokie selects the multiplier from the range of x2 to x25. By dint of this special icon, a player may expect the best payout of x10,500 a line bet.
Creative and imagination of the Scarab Queen and Pragmatic Play are inexhaustible: there is also an “Expanding Collect” icon. It makes all Money Symbols expand and occupy the respective reels entirely. All extra Money Symbols are assigned random values. When the expansion is over, the values are added and the total is paid.
Finally, there is also “Respin Collect”. It freezes all Money Symbols on the positions where they appear and makes all other positions produce randomly selected icons, some of which may also be Money Symbols. Then the values of initial and additional Money Symbols are summed up and added to the balance.
There is no rule to prevent the feature from producing as many as three Collect Icons on reel 5 in a single spin. Thus there is a chance to hit some amazing combination and win up to x10,500.
Summary
An exciting and lucrative 5-reel 25-line pokie, John Hunter and the Tomb of Scarab Queen by Pragmatic Play is a highly entertaining game offering a chance to trigger a multi-option bonus feature and win up to x10,500 a line bet and play retriggerable free spins with an extra bonus endlessly.