RICH WILDE AND THE TOME OF INSANITY

Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity Game Details

Software Provider : Play’n Go

RTP : 96.20

Volatility : High

Type of Casino Game : Slots

Reels : 5

Paylines : Cluster Pays

Minimum Bet : 0.10

maximum bet : 100

maximum payout : 5,000x

wild : YES

Free Spins : YES

Multiplier : YES

INTRODUCTION

Rich Wilde is back with another treasure-seeking adventure, this time with a taste for the weird and the magical.

Who is Rich Wilde, you might be asking? Well, he’s the main protagonist of Play’n Go’s (arguably) most famous series of slots. They’re often called “Book of…” slots after the first time we saw Mr Wilde make an appearance in 2014’s mega-successful Book of Dead. Most of you have probably heard of this game or the many sequels, spin-offs, and imitations that have sprung up over the years. Although the love for these games has more to do with its simple but effective mechanics and not strictly Mr Wilde, it’s still a powerful brand – and for good reason.

The Tome of Insanity online slot is a strange addition to this collection, in more ways than one. For starters, the core gameplay is fundamentally different due to a system of Cluster Pays. Moreover, the game is themed around Lovecraftian horror. Although there are no clear references to Cthulhu or Dagon, the tentacled, many-eyed multidimensional beings make the inspiration pretty obvious. It’s a great-looking game, all things considered, especially if you’re into the whole cosmic horror schtick. But will the gameplay and features hold up? Our Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity slot review is here to find out.

HOW TO PLAY RICH WILDE AND THE TOME OF INSANITY

In terms of gameplay, this Play’n GO slot game is most similar to the earlier Rich Wilde and the Book of Madness.

This means that it’s played on a square-shaped 5×5 board with no classic paylines. Instead of trying to hit matching symbols on paylines going from side to side, the goal of Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity is to create groups or “clusters” of matching symbols. These clusters are formed whenever 4 or more symbols of the same kind are connected to each other horizontally or vertically. A winning cluster can look like a line, a square, or any other shape. As long as the symbols are right next to each other in an uninterrupted group of 4, you win. You can learn more about this online slot type in our Cluster Pays slots guide.

On top of that, Play’n GO Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity contains tumbling symbols, otherwise known as reel cascades. This means that all winning symbols are removed from the game, and new ones fall down to replace them from the top of the reel. This feature allows you to string together multiple winning combinations in a single spin.

Wilds

This game puts heavy emphasis on its versatile Wild symbols.

There are a couple of distinct Wild symbols that you need to keep in mind – the Book Wilds, which are the regular Wilds, and the Multiplier Wilds.

As the name implies, Multiplier Wilds come with Multipliers. In the main game, the Multiplier Wilds can have values of 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x, and during Free Spins, they can also appear as 10x. Not only do they substitute any other type of symbol, but they also multiply the payout of any winning cluster they’re a part of. If a spin includes multiple Multiplier Wilds, only the highest one will be awarded as a payout.

There is also a third Wild, which is the Yog-Sothoth, sized 2×2 that walks across the grid in random directions 3 times.

Portals

Portals are another central, thematic feature of Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity.

The Portal is a meter on the left from the grid. Winning symbols fill up the meter during the current spin – 1 symbol equals +1 on the meter. However, the meter is reset back to 0 once you hit ‘Spin’ again. The meter also contains three milestones or “runes” which trigger special effects once you complete them. These are:

  • The Ruin rune activates when the meter gets to 8, and it creates 2-4 Book Wilds
  • The Harvest rune activates on 16 portal charges. It also creates 2-4 Book Wilds. If any of these Book Wilds win, this rune also destroys symbols in a big circle around the winning Wilds.
  • The Abomination rune kicks off at 30 portals, creating 2-4 Wilds. However, it also upgrades all instances of one type of (low-paying) gem symbol to a (high-paying) ritual symbol.
  • Filling up the meter fully to 48 activates the Damnation Free Spin

All-Seeing Eyes

All-seeing eyes randomly appear on the game grid during some spins. You can see their exact location on the smaller grid in the bottom left corner.

Whenever you hit a winning cluster on a position with an All-Seeing Eye, the Eye opens. This results in 2-4 Book Wilds randomly created on the board.

During Free Spins, 18 Eyes appear all over the grid. 6 of these are special and also contain multipliers that increase any wins made on top of them. If you open all of the eyes in a single Free Spin mode, the Yog-Sothoth Wild is summoned to the board.

Damnation Free Spins

Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity free spins kick off when you fill the whole Portal Meter. You get only one spin, but it’s a powerful one.

The Damnation Spin guarantees that all three portal effects will fire off, regardless of its actual outcome. With a bit of luck, this results in a lot of Wilds and a lot of consecutive Wins. Furthermore, the Portal effects can be overcharged, meaning you get an additional Portal effect for every 4 winning symbols, up to a maximum of 7 consecutive effects.

Casino Bloke Best tips for Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity

  • 1This game is all about stringing together a lot of small wins. Even the Damnation Spins only awards 1 respin, but it can result in massive returns and dozens of winning clusters.
  • 2However, thanks to a large board and the fact that only 4 symbols are needed for a cluster, it’s relatively easy to hit winning clusters. It’s not a very volatile game, all things considered.

PAYOUTS & RTP

As with all Cluster Pays slots, the payouts in this game are calculated based on the type and number of symbols in a winning cluster. The more symbols are in a single cluster, the higher it pays, up to a maximum of 10 symbols.

The low-paying symbols in this game are represented as gems. They all have different values assigned to them, ranking as green, blue, red, and purple. They offer meagre rewards, and you’ll need at least 7 or 8 of them just to break even. However, stringing together multiple wins with gems is relatively easy.

High pays in Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity are presented as arcane ritual items, including a potion, tentacle, a compass, and a weird one-eyed skull. Any win with these will at least cover your stake, but the real profits start with clusters of 5, 6, or more.

Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity RTP is 96.20%, which is just above the industry average. Quite good, but nothing to write home about.

what we like

  • Strong theme and visuals
  • Creative, thematically appropriate Portal features
  • Unique gameplay experience – it’s a Cluster Pays slot with relatively tame volatility

what we don’t like

  • Small base payouts
  • No Feature Buy

RICH WILDE AND THE TOME OF INSANITY BY PLAY’N GO – CASINO BLOKE’S VERDICT

All in all, the Tome of Insanity online slot is definitely noteworthy. However, we’ll make one thing clear immediately – it’s a huge departure from previous “Book of” games. The book-looking Wilds are pretty much the only connection in terms of rules and features. Even the books are only really special because they’re created through many of the game’s features instead of appearing organically.

As far as the base game is concerned, it doesn’t have much to do with earlier Rich Wilde games, but we still enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s nothing too crazy by Cluster Pays slot standards, but it’s an enjoyable game to play anyway. There’s also a lot going on, too, with All-seeing eyes, portals, runes, and what have you. We like it when games have features that you actually see all the time instead of hiding them in low-percentage bonus rounds and such.

Either way, Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity is a must-play for all fans of Lovecraftian horror. If you don’t fall into that crowd, you’ll still appreciate the atmosphere and well-crafted features.

Rich Wilde and the Tome of Insanity total score:

91%

Game developed by:

Play’n Go Casinos

Release year:2024

Available on:Desktop, Mobile