John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways Slot by Pragmatic Play

The Book of Tut Formula, Supersized

Pragmatic Play's John Hunter franchise has 10+ entries at this point, and the Book of Tut Megaways is exactly what the name promises: take the original 2020 Book of Tut, swap fixed paylines for a Megaways engine, and let the math scale up. Six reels, 2 to 7 symbols each, up to 117,649 ways. The "book of" mechanic stays unchanged - land 3+ Book of Tut scatters, get 10 free spins, and a random symbol becomes an expanding symbol for the entire round.

John Hunter sits at the top of the paytable at 2x bet for six-of-a-kind, which is modest by Megaways standards. The real weight comes from expanding symbols filling full reels across 117,649 ways. A premium expanding symbol on 4+ reels during free spins is where the 10,000x cap comes into play.

What the Megaways Engine Changes

The original Book of Tut ran on a 5x3 grid with 10 paylines. That made it a direct Book of Dead competitor, and honestly, it didn't win that fight. Megaways at least gives the game its own identity. Variable reel heights mean every spin looks different, and the ways count creates more frequent small wins to offset the high volatility.

Base game has a random expanding symbol feature too - any spin can select a symbol to fill its reel. It's a nice touch that the original lacked.

Ante Bet and Buy Feature

The ante bet adds 25% to your stake and increases scatter frequency. Worth noting: max win drops from 10,000x to 8,000x with ante active. That's a 20% cut to your ceiling for better trigger rates, which might not be the trade most players want on a very high volatility game.

Buy feature sits at a standard price point and bumps RTP slightly to 96.06%. The base game runs at 96.00% flat - functional but not generous by 2023 standards.

Where It Fits in the Franchise

This is the ninth John Hunter title. The series covers Egyptian tombs, Aztec temples, Bermuda mysteries, and ancient Rome. Most entries share the same DNA: mid-range max win, adventure theme, one signature mechanic per game. Book of Tut Megaways is the first to use the Megaways engine, which is the main selling point.

If you've played any "book of" slot before, you know the bonus structure. The question is whether Megaways makes it different enough. The answer: somewhat. The variable grid keeps base game spins interesting, and the expanding symbol mechanic works better across 6 reels than 5. But there's nothing here that a Book of Ra Megaways or Book of Dead fan hasn't seen in some form already. Solid franchise entry, safe sequel, no surprises.