Scara-Bucks Slot Review
Embark on a magical adventure in Yggdrasil Gaming’s most recent instalment, Scara-Bucks. Unlock the mysteries of Ancient Egypt in this 7×7, Cluster-Pays video slot, offering up to 3,100x your bet in potential.
Ancient magic and mystical treasures are buried in the tombs of this Egyptian-themed slot release, in addition to Avalanche cycles and Ankh-powered features, triggered under the watchful eye of a cute animated Cat guide.
It wasn’t long ago that we found ourselves in the grips of an Aztec adventure in MexoMax 2. While there’s not a jungle in sight, Yggdrasil Gaming has transported us back to another ancient civilisation, to a time when Cats were considered royalty (and still are to all those feline worshipers out there).
The Egyptian period has always been shrouded in mystery for us history buffs. However, in the iGaming industry, that mystery has become one of the most sought-after themes for software developers in their upcoming releases.
One provider we’re confident has the most influence in this particular subject is Play’n GO, through their extensive collection of ‘Book’ games, including Book of Dead & Legacy of Dead. We’ve also come across our fair share of games that intersect Egyptians with another inspirational theme – take 4ThePlayer’s 4 Fantastic Fish in Egypt as a great example of this.
In Scara-Bucks, you can uncover jewelled sarcophagi, powerful scarabs, and glowing hieroglyphs, which lead the way towards the secrets of the Pharaohs. With a fixed RTP of 96% and a high volatility score, this game can achieve up to 3,100x in max win potential.
Continue reading our full Scara-Bucks slot review for insights into gameplay, statistics, mechanics, and our honest & unbiased verdict…
Base Game & Features
Scara-Bucks is a highly volatile 7×7 Video Slot, consisting of the Cluster Pays mechanic. Winning combinations and their payouts are awarded when 5-15 identical symbols connect horizontally or vertically on the grid.
The 4 highest-paying symbols each represent Egyptian Characters, followed by 4 low-paying Ancient Artefacts. When winning combinations are evaluated, a fixed payout between 0.1x and 750x your bet is applied, where possible.
Furthermore, Wild symbols, in the form os Scarabs, can only appear during the Special Features, substituting for all paytable symbols when completing a winning cluster. Wild symbols are unaffected by the Golden Lotus feature, and can only appear as part of the Wild Scarab, Scarab Shift, & Golden Lotus features.
Lastly, the Avalanche Feature destroys all winning clusters from the grid, creating space for new symbols to drop in from above. The avalanche cycle continues until no new clusters are produced in a single spin
Wild Scarab
At the start of each base game spin, a random Low-paying symbol is marked as the next Wild Scarab symbol. After selection, if the marked symbol participates in a winning cluster, it will leave behind 2 Scarab Wilds before the next avalanche cycle.
Devine Blessing
When 4 symbols create part of a winning cluster, in a Square formation, they will merge into a single 2×2 Big symbol. Each winning cluster that occurs as part of the Big symbol will double the payout value of the winning cluster.
Scarab Shift
During any random non-winning spin, the Scarab Shift Feature may trigger. Once active, between 4 & 8 Scarab Wilds are added to random grid positions for a chance to trigger winning clusters.
Golden Lotus Feature
Each win to come from a single spin is collected into the Golden Lotus Charge to the right of the grid. There are 5 Levels of the Golden Lotus Charge, each triggering a Special Feature when enough winning symbols have been collected:
- Wild Blessing: Transforms 3-6 paytable symbols into Scarab Wilds, destroying all adjacent symbols in a specific area
- Wild Wrath: Removes all Low-paying symbols from the grid
- Wild Surge: Positions a Scarab Wild in the centre of the grid, creating two intersecting diagonal lines. Both lines display the same high or low-paying symbol, excluding Scarab Wilds.
- Wild Enchant: Selects a random low-paying symbol and transforms all instances into another paytable symbol, excluding Scarab Wilds. If no low-paying symbols are visible, a random high-paying symbol is selected.
- Pharaoh Rush: When all 5 Levels of the Golden Lotus Charge are filled, the Pharaoh Rush feature adds a 3×3 Pharaoh Wild to a random grid position, which moves and splits with each avalanche cycle. The first split reveals two 2×2 Pharaoh Wilds, and the second split reveals nine 1×1 Pharaoh Wilds.
Our Honest Verdict
We’ll be the first to admit that we’re getting a little tired of the Egyptian theme, especially when the Fishing theme has us hook, line, and sinker, but that doesn’t mean we instantly write off every new Egyptian release that comes our way.
Taking us into the blistering heat and dry sands of Ancient Egypt this time is Yggdrasil Gaming, in an introduction to their 7×7 Cluster Pays slot, Scara-Bucks. In the nicest way possible, when we first loaded into the game, we thought we had stepped back in time for a minute, due to the game’s classic aesthetics and toned-down graphics.
While this may deter the more experienced players straight off the bat, it’s important not to judge a book by its cover, so to speak, as we have done many times before. Looking past the game’s aesthetics, we’re rather pleased with the Cluster Pays mechanic and 7×7 grid formation.
There was a time when almost every release utilised this very mechanic, with the bulk of Cluster Pays games falling to Pragmatic Play, at one time or another. The Cluster Pays mechanic is great as it often comes with a bigger grid and Avalanche feature, making it slightly easier to achieve wins, albeit the wins are smaller.
The in-game features are very reminiscent of Play’n GO’s Reactoonz series, where filling the charge meter will result in several exciting features, but we can’t help but feel that Yggdrasil Gaming has played it a little too safe.
Another disappointing factor is the lack of a Free Spins mode or Bonus Buy option (for those outside the UK). Without putting a unique stamp on it, Scara-Bucks will get lost in the hundreds of existing Cluster Pays slots, especially when ELK Studios and other providers are going above and beyond in games like ZapLab.
All in all, Scara-Bucks has iconic features and mechanics, as well as a much-loved theme, but it’s a safe alternative against the vast majority of Egyptian slots, with a disappointing max win potential of 3,100x your bet.
*The images found in this slot review are currently from Demo Play. On average, our reviews are written prior to the initial release date and before real play is available.
