Wings of Ra (Red Tiger): Overview

It hasn’t been long since we covered another Egyptian-themed slot from Red Tiger. That one, Jewel Scarabs, revolved around a simpler star of the show: the humble but sacred scarab beetle. With Wings of Ra, Red Tiger turns the spotlight toward enigmatic Pharaohs and Gods. The setting is familiar territory, sure, but it’s a theme that never really goes away. Games like the ‘Book of’ series are a big reason why, and Wings of Ra feels clearly influenced by that classic style. It’s not a straight copy by any means, but there are several clear nods to the Book range and to old-school slot design in general.

It’s not only the title that hints at a more traditional era. The visuals are pleasant, though they don’t aim for the ultra-polished modern look of, say, the latest Play’n GO Egyptian releases. Instead, it leans more toward simplicity and practicality. Here, the 5 reel, 3 row playfield sits inside a temple-like frame, though it feels more like a Las Vegas take on Ancient Egypt than an authentic one. Everything looks a bit too spotless and staged, without much atmosphere. You can almost picture muscular actors in costume stepping out from behind the columns to charge tourists a dollar for a photo. Either way, play begins with fixed bet sizes ranging from 10 p/c up to $/€20 per spin – the betting range may have expanded since Jewel Scarabs, but most other stats have gone the other way. RTP dips slightly to 95.69%, volatility comes across as gentler, and the overall max potential is reduced – more on that shortly.

At its core, the goal is to hit matching symbols in groups of three or more on a payline. There are 10 fixed paylines, and when a win hits, the lines illuminate with a distinctly old-school effect. Here’s the first variation: instead of needing to start from the leftmost reel, winning combinations can form anywhere. That might be the first three reels, the middle set, or the final three. It’s a neat idea, although these oddly placed wins don’t seem to show up particularly often.

Wings of Ra is also the kind of slot where completely filled screens of symbols aren’t just possible—they happen far more often than you might expect. Another throwback to the Ra-style classics appears when you check the paytable. The low-paying 10 – A royals use almost the same typeface as Book of Ra Deluxe. Above those are an eye symbol, the bird god Horus, a Nefertiti-like ruler, and a pharaoh. The pharaoh is the top payer, awarding 30 times the stake for five on a line. Notably, there’s no wild symbol here, though there is a scatter—so let’s move on to that.

Wings of Ra (Red Tiger): Features

Stepping in for the lack of a wild is the Mystery Coin symbol. As expected, when these land, they spin and then all reveal the same randomly selected symbol. It can be a bit of a tease, since the spinning animation flashes through various regular symbols before finally locking in the result.

Mystery Symbols also have an added purpose during free spins. The Free Spins symbol acts as the scatter, and landing 3 or more anywhere on the reels triggers the bonus – awarding 12, 15, or 18 free spins when 3, 4, or 5 scatters appear. What makes the round different is that each time Mystery Symbols land, they contribute to a progress bar above the reels. Once 14 Mystery Symbols have landed, the bar fills. This then converts the lowest-paying symbol into Mystery Symbols for the rest of the free spins, and the bar resets to empty.

The cycle repeats, with the bar filling again and the lowest symbols being upgraded until the free spins are over. Naturally, the more low-value symbols that get converted, the stronger your chances become of hitting higher-paying combinations. That’s partly because premium symbols become more common, and partly because the total number of Mystery Symbols can climb dramatically.

Wings of Ra (Red Tiger): Verdict

Wings of Ra is a decent enough release, and it clearly tips its hat to older, more celebrated slots. It’s not going to redefine the genre the way Book of Ra once did, but it does include a few touches that fans may enjoy. First, there’s the classic slot feel—modern enough on the surface, yet the payline win animation adds a retro(ish) edge. Second, the anywhere-win mechanic is entertaining, even if it doesn’t seem to trigger as frequently as you might expect (or want). More broadly, though, the win levels can feel underwhelming. The first real letdown often arrives when you land your first full screen—usually thanks to Mystery Symbols. That initial moment of excitement can quickly turn into “wait, that’s it?” once the payout is counted.

During free spins, full screens (or near-full screens) of symbols show up fairly often, largely because so many Mystery Symbols can appear in the feature. The catch is that full grids simply don’t pay that much by themselves. Even the best symbol only returns 300 times the stake (compared to 5,000x in Book of Ra Deluxe). The overall max potential also isn’t especially thrilling at 3,166 times the stake. It’s respectable, but a quick look through Red Tigers’ catalogue shows Jewel Scarabs comfortably beating that number. Overall, Wings of Ra is fine, with a couple of small ideas of its own, but it tends to leave you wishing there was a bit more to it once you’re done playing.