Book of Shadows

Book of Shadows Slot Review

NOTE: Screenshots on this page were taken whilst we played this game for real money at Casumo Casino

Game Scorecard

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

Overall Score

9.0

A totally original take on the famous Book Of ... slots genre where NLC first dabbled in horror and mind-bending top payouts!

Game Information

  • Name: Book of Shadows
  • Game Suppplier: Nolimit City
  • Release Date: August 2020
  • Theme: Horror
  • RTP: 96.01%, 94.09%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 30,338x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Minimum Stake: £0.10
  • Reels: 5
  • Rows: Up To 5
  • Paylines: 20
  • Features: Free Spins, Locked Symbols, Wheel of Bonus Gamble

About Book of Shadows

Back in 2020 when No Limit City were not yet known for the rich seam of adult-themed slots that was to follow, they released Book of Shadows to new UK casinos and gave us a different take on the ever-popular Book Of series of games. It follows pretty much the standard Book Of gameplay model with expanders in the bonus round, but the creepy atmosphere invoked by the witch-type girl, eerie backdrop, spooky symbols and horror sound affects are striking for first time players and take this popular series in a new direction.

Here is how it starts … the action takes place in a dark forest like something out of the Blair Witch project, with red and black lighting and twisted tree branch visuals. Red sparks of light flutter around the screen, while  howling wolves, hooting owls, distant shouts and screams, clanging bells and electronic organ sounds welcome you in. Yep, before you’ve even spun a reel you know it’s going to be another ball-busting slot from one of the best game providers out there right now.

And we haven’t even mentioned the 30,000x top payout out yet! Let’s unpick this game for you …

What We Liked

  • Superb horror-theme take on Book of game
  • Choose your own rows and paylines
  • Very high value premiums
  • Free Spins with Expanding symbols
  • Massive 30,338x stake jackpot

What We Didn't like

  • Extreme volatility is tough to play
  • Too scary for some!

About The Developer

  • Name: Nolimit City
  • Established: 2016
  • UK License: Remote 052097-R-329532-005
  • Total Games: 50 +
  • Known For: Super high variance, super high maximum wins, adult themes, irreverent humour
  • Popular Slots: San Quentin xWays, Mental, Book of Shadows, Tombstone RIP

RTP and Variance 8/10

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

Book of Shadows has an RTP of 96.01%, standard for No Limit City slots. If you are looking for a better return you should try Oktroberfest at 96.75% or Casino Win Spin at 96.74% by the same provider. However, neither of those has the killer touch of this one!

The variance, as with all good Book of … slots is set to high. Don’t expect an easy ride here. It’s all about hitting the free spins round wtih a high value expander symbol to drive the big wins. NLC are famous for their high risk slots and if you want to try one with an off-the-scale variance you could drop into the world of Tombstone RIP with a 300,000x top win and vertiginous volatility.

As for the top win, it’s capped at 30,338x, which makes this the highest paying Book of … slot we know. For comparison, classics like Book of Dead (Play n Go) and Book of Ra (Novomatic) come in at 5,000x.

The hit frequency (number of winning spins) is 33.18% and the free spins frequency is 1 in 154 spins on average. That’s a lot of spinning to unlock the bonus round but probably about average for a high risk slot.

You can spin with the undead from just 10p per play.

Paytable 9/10

Visually, Book of Shadows is built to give you the shivers. This is the studio who went on to create great games like Mental and San Quentin xWays so you know its going to deliver a punch to the gut at some point. Right on queue we have that misty, dead forest and a reel set filled with dark symbols. Here are the highlights of the paytable:

  • The reel set is 5 reels by 3 rows. However, you can increase your bet to expand to FOUR (1.5x) or FIVE (2x) rows. This impacts the RTP in fact – 3 rows is at 96.01%, 4 rows is at 96.07% and 5 rows is at 96.19%.
  • There are 10 paylines in play at 3 rows, 15 at 4 rows and 20 at 5 rows.
  • Wins are triggered by landing 3 or more identical symbols from left to right on a payline.
  • The low value symbols are the 10 through to Ace, valued at up to 25x for five on a line.
  • The premiums are the eye, the butterfly, the goats head, the cat, the goth girl and the book itself. The book comes in at a whopping 500x for five on a line. Those are BIG values!!
  • Finally the Book doubles up as both WILD AND SCATTER to unlock the free spins round.

Gameplay & Features 10/10

Let’s dive into the features. It’s not as action-packed as more recent NLC slots but Book of Shadows still throws up some interesting and unusual moments alongside the classic expanders in the free spins round. Here is how it works.

Lucky Locks Helps Land More Scatters

In your goal of getting to the bonus round, after EVERY spin, you get the chance to lock up to 4 reels. This means you could lock two Scatter symbols and try to hit a third on the next spin to trigger Free Spins. The cost of doing this is variable (no, it’s not free!). It will depend on whats on the reels you lock and the odds of landing wins based on that.

50/50 Gamble For More … A Book of Classic

Another standard Book of … feature is the ability to gamble for any win for more. This happens after any win – base game or free spins. You can bet red or black on the turn of a card to double your winnings up to FIVE times. Careful though … if you lose, you lose!

Or .. Gamble for Free Spins in the Wheel of Bonus

You can also gamble your wins to enter the free spins round. This is only possible if your wins do not exceed 60x. The wheel is segmented and if the pointer hits the correct segment on the Wheel of Bonus , you’ll get 10 Free Spins at your current row height.

And the Headline Act is … Free Spins

Hitting 3 or more Book of Shadows scatters triggers 10 Free Spins.

Like all Book of Games, before they start a symbol is chosen at random to become an expanding Golden Symbol. You can gamble to get a better symbol, but it could turn out worse, so beware!

During the round, whatever the Golden Symbols are they expand to fill the entire reel and can pay in any position. This means you could hit a max win of 10,000x stake if you manage to match 5 of the witch girl!

And … hitting 3 more Scatters will re-trigger the round.

 

Further Recommendations – More Slot Sites With NLC Games

Before we give our verdict, here are two more slot sites with the full NLC catalogue, including Book of Shadows.

Casumo Casino

  • Over 2,500 slots in total including NLC games and others like Big Time Gaming
  • Reel Races with leaderboards and a £1,000s prizes every day
  • Get 20 Book of Dead spins when you make your first deposit
  • £10 minimum deposit
  • Fully licensed, independent UK slot site

Luckland Casino

  • Over 1,000 games to try
  • 50 Starburst Spins for first time depositors
  • Paypal deposits accepted
  • An Aspire Global Casino

 

Our Verdict 9.0/10

Book of Shadows is a great choice for fans of horror themes and high variance play alike. There are tons of Book of .. games on the market right now so to make splash you have to do something a bit different and NLC did just that.

It’s all about unlocking free spins and we recommend utilising those Lucky Locks to try, though remember they do come at a cost. Once you’re there, you should aim to land a high value Golden Symbol to get the max wins. Remember, it’s the witch girl who gets you the best benefits here, so try for that.

With its big potential, Book of Shadows is best suited to players keen on big risks who love the scary theme and aren’t afraid to take a gamble when the chance comes their way. If that’s you, turn the lights down and get ready to be very afraid!

Good luck!