Obsidian Pharaoh review: a book slot with a separate wild
Ten free spins, one sacred symbol and up to sixty spins in total. How Nocturn Play's Egyptian slot handles the classic book formula, and what it changes.
Published 4 October 2026 · Updated 5 October 2026 · Nocturn Play
Obsidian Pharaoh is a five-reel, three-row Egyptian line slot from Nocturn Play built on the "book" mechanic. You play 1 to 20 lines; three sacred books start 10 free spins in which a randomly chosen symbol expands over full reels and pays on every active line. The obsidian pyramid is a separate wild. Released on 3 October 2026, its ceiling is 5,000× the total stake, and nocturnplay.com lets you spin it without paying anything.
A temple of gold and black glass
The reels sit inside a temple of gold, obsidian and turquoise, flanked by a queen on one side and an Anubis guardian on the other. The symbols are the ones you expect from the genre, done with care: Anubis, a pharaoh mask, a scarab, the Eye of Horus, an ankh, a jewelled collar, and the card royals for the smaller wins.
Setting up your bet
Unlike many modern slots, Obsidian Pharaoh lets you choose how many lines are active, anywhere from 1 to 20, and the stake per line. Twenty lines give the most coverage and matter most in the bonus, because the expanding symbol only pays on lines that are switched on. Most players will leave all twenty active and adjust the stake per line instead.
Wild and scatter are two different symbols
In many book slots, one symbol does both jobs. Here they are split. The obsidian pyramid substitutes for everything except the sacred book. The book acts as scatter, so its position doesn't matter: land three or more and they pay on their own, then open the bonus. That split matters, because a pyramid can complete a line even when you have no books in sight.
The free spins in detail
Before the first free spin, the game draws one sacred symbol at random. During the 10 spins, whenever that symbol lands on three or more reels, it stretches from top to bottom on each reel where it appears and is paid on all the lines you activated, even if those reels are not next to each other. More books during the bonus give 10 more spins, up to 60 in total.
One bonus, followed from the start
You play 20 lines at 5 cents each. Three books land on reels 1, 3 and 5: they pay their scatter prize and the bonus opens. The draw picks Anubis, a premium symbol. The first two spins give small line wins. On spin three, Anubis shows up on reels 1, 2 and 4: three reels, so each one fills from top to bottom and pays across all 20 lines. On spin seven, two books and a third land together, and ten more spins are added to the counter. With a premium sacred symbol, every extra spin is another chance at a full-screen stretch.
Is it for you?
If you grew up on book slots, this is familiar ground with a few refinements. The base game is straightforward line play; the real money moments come from the bonus, and specifically from which symbol the draw selects. That gives sessions a clear rhythm: steady spins, a trigger, then ten or more spins where everything can change. There is no bonus buy, so budget for the time it takes to reach the books. Autoplay and fast mode help get through the base game.
Obsidian Pharaoh vs Book of Dead and Book of Ra
Play'n GO's Book of Dead is the best-known version of this formula: 5×3, 10 lines, 10 free spins with one expanding symbol and a 5,000× top win. Novomatic's Book of Ra is the original that started the trend. Obsidian Pharaoh keeps the same top prize as Book of Dead but doubles the line count to 20, separates the wild from the scatter, and lets the bonus retrigger all the way to 60 spins. Our comparison page sets the two side by side.
Mobile version
Five reels and three rows fit any phone, in either orientation. The queen and Anubis frame the reels in landscape; upright, the layout stacks so the buttons stay under your thumb. Same game, same rules, from any browser.
Free play and operator access
Try every line setting for free from the Obsidian Pharaoh page, or explore the other slots in the catalogue. Fans of fixed-line slots may also like the Mist Dragon review. Casinos don't need a separate deal: SoftAggregator switches the game on by default for every account, and bills it at 8% of GGR like every other Nocturn Play release.
Frequently asked questions
How do the free spins start in Obsidian Pharaoh?
Three or more sacred books anywhere on the reels pay a prize and award 10 free spins.
How does the sacred symbol work?
A random symbol is picked before the first free spin. Any time it covers at least three reels during the bonus, it fills those reels and pays on every line you are playing.
How many paylines does Obsidian Pharaoh have?
You choose between 1 and 20 lines.
Is there a bonus buy?
No. The free spins can only be triggered by landing sacred books.
What is the maximum win?
5,000× the total bet.
Category: New, Slots
SoftAggregator: SoftAggregator, casino game aggregator
