Rise of Khepri

Rise of Khepri: Slot Overview

Software developer Light & Wonder (formally SG Digital) are no stranger to the ancient world but are perhaps better known for its association with the Greek segment of it thanks to games like 300 Shields Mighty Ways. This time, the studio ships to the other side of the Mediterranean Sea for an Ancient Egyptian sojourn in an online slot titled Rise of Khepri. Egyptian slots are about as fecund a gaming category as they get, so to stand out, Rise of Khepri uses a progressive scatter prize feature in free games where players influence the volatility or, if they're really lucky, trigger Super Free Games.

Ancient Egypt is one of the best preserved ancient civilizations on earth, and it's hard not to wonder what it must have looked like back in the day. Rise of Khepri gives players a glimpse of the splendour in a game filled with pristine pyramids, obelisks, and other symmetrically laid masonry. Khepri was the god of the morning sun or the rising sun and was sometimes depicted as a scarab, a popular symbol in Ancient Egyptian belief and in online slots. The belief was that the sun was reborn each day, which Khepri moved across the sky, the way a beetle pushes dung balls across the ground. A fascinating interpretation of nature, and it makes one wonder how, in thousands of years' time, future humans will view our perceptions of the universe around us. Perhaps there's something obvious we've missed or some layer to reality we are yet to pierce that will upend all we know?

One thing we know for certain is that Rise of Khepri is played on a 5-reel, 3-row game matrix using a 243-ways-to-win system. Landing at least matching three symbols on three adjacent reels from the left creates a winning way. While players can influence the volatility in free games, Light & Wonder rated the general volatility as medium and made three RTP models, the highest being 96.12%. Bet levels vary from 20 p/c to $/€50 per spin, and Rise of Khepri can be played on a tablet, mobile, or desktop device.

Amongst the lower band of regular paying symbols are 10-A card royals, followed by a scroll, vase, Ankh, eye, and a pyramid/sphinx combo, all premiums quite attractively detailed. In terms of values, a five-of-a-kind win pays 2x to 2.5x the bet for the royals or 4x to 15x the bet for the premiums. Wilds can help complete winning lines by substituting for any pay symbol. Wilds are present on all but the leftmost reel.

Rise of Khepri: Slot Features

Rise of Khepri's features aren't crazy innovative, but they can be quite fun and consist of scarab cash prizes, free games, Super Free Games, plus bonus buys.

Scarabs and Mega Scarabs

Scarabs and Mega Scarab symbols can appear on any reel. Landing 1 Mega Scarab awards a cash prize, whereas landing 2 Mega Scarabs award a cash prize and a multiplier. Landing 3 Mega Scarabs awards a cash prize, multiplied twice, then Super Free Games are triggered.

Free Games

Landing 3 regular Scarabs triggers the regular free games round. Once activated, players pick one of these options:

• 12 free spins with a starting Scarab value of x1.
• 9 free spins with a starting Scarab value of x2.
• 6 free spins with a starting Scarab value of x5.
• A random mix of the above values.

During free games, the Scarab multiplier value is displayed next to the reels. Whenever a Scarab symbol hits, the current multiplier value is awarded, then the multiplier is increased by the Scarab symbol's starting value – the x1, x2, or x3 that was picked at the beginning. For example, when the multiplier is at x1, and four x1 Scarabs land, they award 4x the bet, then they increase the multiplier by +4. The multiplier maxes at x200, and free games cannot be retriggered.

Super Free Games

When triggered by landing 3 Mega Scarabs, this bonus awards 12 free games where the Scarab value for the multiplier increment is x5. Also, all ways wins are multiplied by x3. Mega Free Games cannot be retriggered.

Bonus Buys

Where allowed, players can buy entry to the regular free games round for 50x the bet or entry to Super Free Games for 300x the base bet.

Rise of Khepri: Slot Verdict

Rise of Khepri isn't raging with innovation or high-octane ambience, but it's a nice Ancient Egyptian-themed slot with features which might resonate with some. It definitely didn't have the air of danger about it that 300 Shields Mighty Ways had; there's no hacking or slashing or anything like that. Its demeanour is a lot gentler both on the outside and the inside due to the less volatile math model. Players do have some say in the volatility matter, though, once free games trigger since there are four choices with varying degrees of spins and multiplier increments. It's quite competitively priced, too, if buying the regular free games round at 50x the bet is an option, compared to what a lot of the competition is doing.

The 300x for Super Free Games is pricier, obviously, but Super Free Games did turn in some of the more exciting moments during testing. It largely rests on how many Scarab symbols hit during the round, as greater numbers of them not only mean extra cash prize awards but they help ramp up the multiplier the more that land. When a good multiplier had accrued, and Scarabs were landing stacked, then Rise of Khepri was quite fun. Super Free Games are presumably the best place to hit the game's full potential, which in the game sheet was noted as 7,500x the bet. For the record, outside of Super Free Games, there was a noticeable drop off in enjoyment.

In summing up, it doesn't feel like Rise of Khepri will upend the genre like a 300 Shields-style event, but its positives outweigh the negatives on the online slot scales. Rise of Khepri provided a decent level of entertainment and should be a match for Ancient Egyptian fans looking for a different set of features to experiment with.