Slots review Play'n GO Scroll of Dead

Scroll of Dead: Slot Overview

Spotting the word ‘of’ in a slot’s name is often a strong hint about what you’re in for. Think expanding symbols, hefty paytables, volatile gameplay, and—more often than not—Egyptian-themed visuals. There are so many titles like this now that they’ve practically become a genre of their own, and if you grouped them together officially, they’d easily rank among the biggest categories in many casino lobbies. Towering over the rest is Play’n GO’s classic Book of Dead, widely regarded by fans as the definitive ‘book’ slot.

Scroll of Dead taps into Play’n GO’s know-how in this space, delivering all the hallmarks you’d expect from the format—while adding a twist. The twist is the kind of change that feels obvious once you see it, and it makes you wonder why it hasn’t been used more often. When it kicks in, the new element doesn’t just enlarge the game; it also boosts the potential payouts along the way.

Inside a torchlit, brazier-packed temple, two details stand out straight away. First is the extra 6th reel, which remains locked until you land enough scatters to release it. Second, Rich Wilde is nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’s back at the institute teaching, or cataloguing relics somewhere off the grid. Either way, his absence isn’t a big deal, as Play’n GO appear to be gradually swapping him out in favour of his lively daughter Cat. Beyond those two differences, the game strongly echoes Book of Dead, from the striped reel separators to the familiar-looking symbol set.

Scroll of Dead keeps to the long-standing formula of being a highly volatile ride, rated 9 out of 10. As usual, the RTP varies, with the best version set at 96.28%, falling to 94.28% or even lower in certain cases. Any device will do for exploring the temple, and bets of 1 p/c to $/€100 may be selected. Those low-entry stakes are possible because players can set between 1 and 10 paylines.

The symbol lineup blends familiar and fresh. Lower values are the 10 to A card royals in a recognisable style, while the higher-paying icons include Ankhs, birds, snakes, and Cleopatra-like figures. In the base game, five-of-a-kind premium wins pay 50 to 500 times the bet—rising to 100 to 750 times the bet once the extra reel is in play, since six-of-a-kind combinations become available.

Scroll of Dead: Slot Features

Rather than using a book as the wild/scatter, Scroll of Dead opts for another classic Egyptian emblem: the scarab. As the wild, scarabs can appear on any reel and substitute for standard paying symbols to help complete line wins. As the scatter, landing 3, 4, or 5 scarabs on screen awards 8 free spins along with a payout of 2x, 20x, or 200x the bet.

Before free spins start, two steps take place. First, the 6th reel is opened and stays active throughout the free spins round. Second, 1 pay symbol is randomly chosen to become the special expanding symbol. When the selected symbol can create a win, it expands to fill every position on its reel—something that can happen even if the symbols aren’t next to each other. Expanded symbols also pay all ways. Keep in mind that wilds do not substitute for expanded chosen symbols.

There’s also an optional gamble feature after base-game wins. If you correctly predict the colour or suit of a face-down card, you can double or quadruple the win. You can use the gamble feature up to 5 times consecutively.

Scroll of Dead: Slot Verdict

The core idea behind Scroll of Dead is a fairly straightforward adjustment, yet adding a 6th reel undeniably brings something extra to the table. Fans of the format will know that a sixth reel isn’t entirely unprecedented. Greentube got there roughly six years earlier with Book of Ra Deluxe 6, which also included a 6th reel. The key difference was that you had to raise the stake via the ‘Extra Bet’ option to keep it active in every part of the game, instead of unlocking it only when free spins are triggered.

In terms of upside, the additional reel clearly helps, lifting the maximum payout above standard ‘book’ slots by 50%. While Book of Dead capped out at 5,000x the bet, Scroll of Dead pushes that ceiling to 7,500x. At least in theory, reaching the top prize remains as simple as ever—land the highest expanding premium symbol on every reel during free spins.

Aside from the added reel, Scroll of Dead largely sticks to the familiar formula. Strong line win values keep the base game engaging, and the overall presentation is polished. In many respects it’s a straightforwardly built slot, but it delivers in the typical Triple-A Play’n GO style, with appealing visuals and smooth animations that pull the experience together.

With the ‘book of’ space now extremely crowded, it’s become difficult to introduce genuinely fresh ideas. Scroll of Dead may not reinvent the wheel, but the 6th reel and the bigger-than-usual win potential do help it stand out from much of the competition. Add Play’n GO’s proven track record, and Scroll of Dead has plenty to excite players who enjoy this type of slot.