John Hunter: Scarab Queen – What Is This Slot?
John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen by Pragmatic Play was released on 26 September 2019. This slot is played on a 5x3 grid with 25 fixed paylines that pay out from left to right. Ancient Egypt and adventure themes are featured in this slot game, where players play as John Hunter, the flame-wielding explorer, alongside the Scarab Queen, Egyptian Gods and artifacts.
The main feature of this slot game is the Money Collect feature. When a Money Symbol on reels 1 to 4 is collected by any of the five types of Collect Symbols on reel 5, the player wins a payout. Additionally, there is also a bonus round of Free Spins with a bonus pot for players to win more during the game.
How to Play John Hunter: Scarab Queen
The slot game has a 5x3 layout with 25 paylines. All symbols pay out from left to right and only the highest win is paid to the player. The Scarab Queen, a Wild symbol, appears on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5 and can replace any symbol except for the Scatter, the Money and the Collect symbols. The Money symbol appears on reels 1 to 4 while the Collect symbols only appear on reel 5.
- The bet players want to place on this slot game can be customized using the plus and minus buttons. The minimum bet is €0.25 while the maximum bet a player can make on any given spin is €125. All 25 paylines are active at all times.
- Pressing the Spin button will start the reels spinning. A win is paid when 3, 4 or 5 matching symbols appear on the screen from left to right starting from reel 1. The Scarab Queen can replace any symbol except for the Scatter, the Money and Collect symbols.
- The Scatter symbol is a golden pyramid and appears on reels 2, 3 and 4. If 3 of these symbols land at the same time, the player wins 1x the total bet placed and enters the Free Spins round with 8 spins.
- The Money symbol is a golden scarab beetle that can land on reels 1, 2, 3 and 4. When it lands on the screen, it takes a random value between 1x and 35x the total bet.
- There are 5 types of Collect symbols that appear on reel 5 only. Whenever a player lands one or more Money symbols and any type of Collect symbol on reel 5 on the same spin, the Money Collect feature gets triggered for the player.
- During the Free Spin round, the values of the Money Symbols that land on the screen will not be paid to the player. The total value of the Money Symbols will be added to a bonus pot. At the end of the Free Spins round, this bonus pot will be placed on reels 1 to 4 as a giant Money Symbol and the reels will make one final respin. Should any type of Collect symbol land on reel 5 during this final respin, the bonus pot will be paid out to the player.
Bonus Features
Wild Symbol
The Wild symbol is the Scarab Queen. She is on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5 and replaces all other symbols on these reels except for the Scatter, the Money and Collect symbols.
Money Symbol
The Money Symbol is a golden scarab beetle that appears on reels 1, 2, 3 and 4. It takes a random value on every spin between 1x, 2x, 3x, 5x, 8x, 10x, 12x, 15x, 18x, 20x, 25x, 30x or 35x the total bet. The value shown on the symbol is the value the Money Symbol will take on that specific spin. These Money Symbols get collected by the Collect Symbols on reel 5. Should there be no Collect Symbols on reel 5, the value of the Money Symbols is not paid to the player for that specific spin.
Money Collect Feature
The Money Collect feature gets triggered if there is at least one Money Symbol on the screen and any type of Collect symbol on reel 5 on the same spin. The type of Collect symbol that gets triggered determines the outcome of the win from the Money Symbols that landed on the screen. Should a Collect symbol land, the game will either add extra value to the Money Symbols, multiply the value of the Money Symbols, expand the reels to contain more Money Symbols or make a respin of the slot to award more Money Symbols.
Free Spins
If 3 Scatter symbols land on reels 2, 3 and 4 on the screen at the same time, the player will earn 8 free spins. All 5 types of Collect symbols are active during this round. The Money Symbols that land during this round will not be paid to the player but added to a bonus pot. At the end of the 8 spins, the bonus pot will be awarded to the player as a giant Money Symbol on reels 1 to 4 and one final respin will be made for the player. If a Collect symbol lands on reel 5, the bonus pot will be paid out to the player. Should 3 Scatter symbols land during this round, the player will earn another 8 free spins and there is no limit to how many times this feature can be triggered.
Money Collect Feature – Five Collect Symbol Types
The Money Collect feature is the main winning feature of this slot game. Whenever there is at least one Money Symbol on the screen and any Collect symbol on reel 5 on the same spin, the Money Collect feature will be triggered. The Money Symbol has a value of 1x to 35x the total bet each time it lands on the screen. The type of Collect Symbol on reel 5 will determine what happens to the value of the Money Symbols that landed on the screen. Each of the 5 types of Collect Symbols will pay out differently.
| Collect Symbol | What It Does | Extra Values |
|---|---|---|
| Collect | Adds all Money Symbol values on screen together and pays the total | — |
| Extra Credit Collect | Adds a bonus credit value to all Money Symbols first, then adds all values together and pays the total | Extra credit: 1×, 2×, 3×, 5× or 10× total bet |
| Multiplier Collect | Multiplies all Money Symbol values by a multiplier, then adds them together and pays the total | Multiplier: 2×, 3×, 5×, 10× or 25× |
| Expanding Collect | Every reel that contains at least one Money Symbol expands to fill the entire reel with Money Symbols (each taking a new random value), then all values are added together and paid | New random Money Symbol values assigned |
| Respin Collect | All Money Symbols currently on screen stay locked in place; all other cells respin once to reveal a new result; then all Money Symbol values visible at the end of the respin are added together and paid | New Money Symbols may land during respin |
Free Spins Round – Bonus Pot & Final Respin
To trigger the Free Spins round for this slot game, players have to land 3 Scatter symbols on reels 2, 3 and 4 at the same time. Players will earn 8 free spins. During these 8 spins, all 5 types of the Collect symbols will be active and work in the same way as during the base game, except that the value of the Money Symbols that land will not be paid to the player but added to a bonus pot. After these 8 spins, the bonus pot will be awarded to the player as a giant Money Symbol on reels 1 to 4. One final respin will be made for the player. If any type of Collect symbol lands on reel 5 during that final respin, the bonus pot will be paid to the player. These special reels will be in play during the Free Spins round for the player.
| Free Spins Event | Effect |
|---|---|
| 3 Scatters on reels 2, 3 and 4 | Triggers Free Spins — 8 free spins awarded |
| Money Symbol lands during Free Spins | Value added to the bonus pot — not paid immediately |
| Collect Symbol + Money Symbol during Free Spins | Money Collect feature activates — result added to bonus pot |
| After all free spins end | Bonus pot placed as giant Money Symbol on reels 1–4; final respin triggered |
| Collect Symbol on reel 5 during final respin | Entire bonus pot paid out |
| Retrigger (3 Scatters during Free Spins) | 8 additional free spins added — no limit on retriggers |
| Special reels | In play for the entire Free Spins round |
RTP & Variance Explained
The theoretical RTP of this slot game is 96.5%. This is the same as the average RTP of all slot games by Pragmatic Play. It is considered to be a medium volatility slot game. The Money Collect feature will ensure that players have an active session while playing the slot. Additionally, every spin will pay out to players if it contains at least one Money Symbol and one Collect Symbol. The 5 types of Collect Symbols will pay out differently for players. The maximum win for players on this slot game is 10,500 times the total bet that they placed.
| Bet Mode | RTP |
|---|---|
| Normal play | 96.5% |
Our Verdict
✅ Pros
- This slot game features 5 types of Collect symbols that pay out differently.
- The Money Collect feature will keep the base game active and pay out to the player on every spin that features at least one Money and one Collect Symbol.
- The bonus pot will be awarded to the player at the end of the Free Spins round.
- This game has medium volatility meaning it will pay out more wins than high volatility slots by Pragmatic Play.
- The RTP percentage of 96.5% is the same as all other slot games by Pragmatic Play.
- The maximum win is 10,500 times the total bet placed on the slot game.
- The Free Spin round can be retriggered unlimited times with 8 additional spins each time.
- The free play demo can be accessed instantly without having to create an account on the site.
❌ Cons
- The bonus pot may not be paid to the player, so it is not guaranteed.
- Additionally, there is no Buy Feature for players to buy in Free Spins. Hence, players will have to land 3 Scatter symbols to earn their Free Spins.
- Furthermore, the value of the Money Symbols will not be paid to the player unless a Collect symbol lands on reel 5 at the same time.
John Hunter: Scarab Queen FAQ
The theoretical RTP of the slot game is 96.5% and applies to all play on this slot game.
The Money Collect feature will be triggered if there is at least one Money Symbol on the screen and a Collect symbol on reel 5 at the same time. The Money Symbol takes a value of 1x to 35x on each game spin. Additionally, there are 5 types of the Collect symbols on reel 5.
The Collect symbol will pay out the total value of the Money Symbols on the screen. The Extra Credit Collect symbol will pay out the total value of the Money Symbols but with an additional value added to each Money Symbol before paying out. The Multiplier Collect symbol will pay out the total value of the Money Symbols but each Money Symbol will be multiplied by a specific number or multiplier before paying out to the player. The Expanding Collect symbol will pay out the total value of the Money Symbols on the screen but the game will expand each reel that contains a Money Symbol to fill that reel with Money Symbols. The Respin Collect will pay out the total value of the Money Symbols on screen but it will hold the Money Symbols and make a respin of the other symbols on the screen.
If 3 Scatter symbols are landed on reels 2, 3 and 4 at the same time, players will earn 8 free spins. Should 3 Scatter symbols land again during this round on reels 2, 3 and 4, the player will earn 8 more free spins and the Free Spin round can be entered again with no limit on the number of times the Free Spin round can be retriggered.
During the Free Spin round, the value of the Money Symbols will be added to a bonus pot. The bonus pot is paid at the end of the 8 spins in the form of a giant Money Symbol on reels 1 to 4. One final respin will be made for the player. Should a Collect symbol land on reel 5 during this final respin, the bonus pot will be paid to the player.
The maximum win that a player can win on this slot game is 10,500 times the total amount they bet on the slot game.
Yes, the free play demo is available for John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen. Players do not have to create an account on the site to play the free demo game. Additionally, all game features including the Money Collect feature, the Free Spin round and the bonus pot can be used during the free play mode for the player to enjoy the game without having to place any money.