Scales of Dead Slot Overview
Scales of Dead is another entry in Play'n GO's long-running Dead series, and it follows the classic Book of format on a 5-reel, 3-row grid with 10 fixed paylines. I've spent a good stretch with this one, and if I'm honest with chat, the Egyptian desert backdrop with distant pyramids is about as standard as it gets for this genre. Visually polished, sure, but not much imagination on display.
What sets it apart from predecessors like Book of Dead and Pilgrim of Dead is the Sandstorm Free Spins feature, which bolts multipliers of up to x4 onto expanding symbols. Volatility is rated 9 out of 10, and the default RTP sits at 96.21%. Bets range from 10p up to 100 quid, so the spread covers most bankrolls.
Symbols and Payouts
Nine regular pay symbols populate the reels. Five low pays are the 10 through A card royals, worth 8x to 15x the bet for a five of a kind line. Premium symbols are the Ankh, Bird, Anubis (Cat), and Cobra. The Cobra is the big one; five across a line pays 500x your stake, while Anubis delivers 200x. Both premiums pay from just two of a kind, which keeps the base game ticking along.
Golden Tomb is both Wild and Scatter in one symbol. It substitutes for everything except the special expanding symbol and sits on all five reels. Landing 3, 4, or 5 Tomb scatters awards scatter pays of 20x, 200x, or 1,000x the bet respectively, on top of triggering the Free Spins bonus.
Symbol Payouts
Cobra (Snake)
Highest paying regular symbol in the game.
Anubis (Cat)
Second highest paying premium symbol.
Ankh
Mid-tier premium symbol paying from 2 of a kind.
K
Higher tier card royal symbol.
10
Lowest paying card royal symbol.
Bonus Features Breakdown
Landing 3 or more Golden Tomb scatters kicks off 8 Free Spins. Right away, one regular pay symbol is randomly selected as the special expanding symbol. Whenever enough of that chosen symbol lands, they expand to fill every position on their respective reels and pay across all 10 lines. They do not need to be adjacent, which is key.
Here is the twist. During standard free spins, landing 2 or more Tomb scatters triggers Sandstorm Free Spins with 4 initial spins. A random x2, x3, or x4 multiplier is applied to each expanding symbol for the duration of that sandstorm round. Landing 2+ scatters again adds another 2 spins, up to a cap of 30 per sandstorm trigger. You can trigger multiple sandstorm rounds within a single bonus session.
Outside the bonus, there is a Gamble Feature available after any base game win. Guess the colour of a face-down card to double, or guess the suit to quadruple. You can gamble up to 5 consecutive times. Risky, obviously, but the option is there for viewers who like that sort of thing.
Bonus Buy Options
Land 3 or more Golden Tomb scatters to trigger 8 free spins. One random regular symbol becomes a special expanding symbol that covers entire reels when enough land.
Triggered by landing 2 or more Tomb scatters during Free Spins. Awards 4 spins with a random x2, x3, or x4 multiplier applied to expanding symbols. Can retrigger up to 30 spins.
After any base game win, guess the colour of a face-down card to double your win, or guess the suit to quadruple it. Can be played up to 5 times in a row.
RTP, Volatility and Max Win
Five different RTP configurations exist: 96.21%, 94.21%, 91.21%, 87.21%, and 84.21%. Always check which version you are playing. Volatility is high at 9 out of 10, so expect stretches of very little followed by bursts of action. Max win is 10,000x the bet. A full screen of the top Cobra symbol alone pays 5,000x, and if that lines up during a sandstorm round with a x4 multiplier attached, you hit the ceiling.
For a stream session, this means patience. The base game can drag a bit because there is genuinely nothing happening feature-wise until you land scatters. But when the bonus hits and sandstorm triggers inside it, the potential is real.
