John Hunter and the Book of Tut: Overview

When you hear the phrase ‘Book of’ in the slot world, it’s almost impossible not to think of the iconic Novomatic title Book of Ra that kicked off the trend. Pragmatic Play clearly understands that pull, because the fourth entry in their John Hunter series follows a very similar blueprint. It’s not even the first time they’ve taken this approach either, as shown by Ancient Egypt Classic, so let’s crack open yet another Book of Ra-inspired slot and see what’s inside.

One thing that stands out immediately is the visual upgrade compared to the original. With over a decade of tech improvements, you’d expect a cleaner, sharper look, and John Hunter and the Book of Tut delivers. The 5-reel, 3-row setup sits against a bright desert scene, with pyramids visible in the distance. John Hunter returns from his South America and Italy adventures, wearing his fedora and giving off serious Indiana Jones vibes—just with a more TV-friendly polish. Choose your stake from 10 p/c to $/€100 per spin, and you’re ready to Ra—sorry, Tut!

Even with the refreshed backdrop, the reel action keeps that old-school flavour. For starters, the 10 paylines flash whenever you land a win—triggered by at least two premium symbols or three low pays. There’s also a Ra-style spin jingle that plays each time, which can sound pretty amusing if you run the game in turbo mode.

Much like the classic formula, the base game doesn’t offer much beyond picking up occasional wins while waiting for the powerful book symbol to show. The symbol values are familiar too, featuring low-paying 10-A royals dressed up with small decorative icons. For the higher-value symbols, Pragmatic has gone with a scarab, a cat, Tut, and John Hunter as the top payer at 500 times the stake for five of a kind.

As expected for this style of slot, the math model is very high volatility, earning a full 5/5 on Pragmatic’s lightning bolt volatility scale. The 96.5% RTP is also among the most generous we’ve seen in a Book slot so far. That said, it’s the default configuration and could be set lower depending on the casino. For comparison, Book of Dead comes in at 96.21% RTP, while Book of Ra Deluxe is notably lower at 95.10%. If you’re hunting for a Book slot with strong RTP, Book of Atem from All41Studios is also respectable at 96.45%.

John Hunter and the Book of Tut: Features

Another element that stays true to the template is the feature set, where the book symbol rules everything. It serves two purposes by acting as both wild and scatter. As a wild, the book substitutes for any paytable symbol to help complete winning combinations. As a scatter, landing 3 or more books anywhere triggers 10 free spins. On top of that, 3, 4, or 5 book symbols also award payouts of 2x, 20x, or 200x the stake, giving the bonus round a boosted start.

Before Free Spins begin, the book opens and randomly selects one regular pay symbol. Throughout free spins, whenever this chosen symbol lands, it expands to fill an entire reel. While low pays still require 3 matching symbols to pay, premiums only need 2. The real highlight is that wins count even when the matching symbols aren’t next to each other. The feature can also keep rolling, since book symbols remain active and 3 or more will award 10 more free sins with no cap.

John Hunter and the Book of Tut: Verdict

There’s no getting around it: John Hunter and the Book of Tut is essentially another Book of Ra-style clone. Still, a few small math tweaks help it avoid being a perfect copy. The slightly higher RTP, for instance, reduces the house edge a bit, which is always welcome.

Anyone who loved the original formula will be pleased that the core appeal carries over into John Hunter and the Book of Tut. The base game is fairly uneventful, but the real brilliance remains in the bonus round, where expanding special symbols that pay anywhere can completely transform a spin. One moment nothing’s happening, and the next the reels fill up and the excitement kicks in.

Sure, other slots can deliver that kind of turnaround too, but the special symbol mechanics make it more likely—and it’s just as entertaining when it lands. The maximum potential is 5,000 times the stake, which may sound modest for Pragmatic, but it’s realistically attainable by landing five expanding John Hunters during free spins.

After a scorching, sand-filled session, the takeaway is simple: John Hunter and the Book of Tut provides a strong serving of Egyptian-themed slot action. Pragmatic Play has arguably refined the Book of Ra experience with sharper visuals and better stats. Even so, it’s hard to imagine it becoming the default Book slot for many players, mainly because Book of Ra Deluxe and Book of Dead hold such a powerful “cultural” position in the industry, for lack of a better term. That said, the bonus game remains highly enjoyable, and fans of the original style should come away satisfied.