Rich Wilde and the Tome of Madness moves the Book of Dead hero to a 5×5 cascading grid, where wins charge a portal that unleashes Wilds, board-clearing effects and a one-spin Other World round.
Rich Wilde and the Tome of Madness moves the Book of Dead hero to a 5×5 cascading grid, where wins charge a portal that unleashes Wilds, board-clearing effects and a one-spin Other World round.
Rich Wilde and the Tome of Madness is the moment Play’n GO took its most famous hero somewhere new. Instead of Egyptian tombs and ten paylines, Rich Wilde heads into H.P. Lovecraft’s world of cults and Cthulhu, on a 5×5 cascading grid where clusters of four or more symbols win. Every winning symbol charges a portal, and as it fills, the game adds Wilds, wipes out rows and columns, and finally opens the Other World, a single bonus spin packed with effects.
It is a clever, layered game that rewards patience. Most spins are quiet, a few build into satisfying chains, and once in a while the portal opens. With a 2,000x ceiling it is not the biggest slot in the Rich Wilde series, but it may be the most interesting to play.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | Play’n GO |
| Release | 27 June 2019 |
| Layout | 5×5 grid, clusters of 4 or more, cascading |
| RTP | 96.59% (lower versions exist) |
| Bet range | €0.10 to €100 per spin |
| Max win | 2,000x the bet |
| Wilds | Special Wild (Necronomicon), Multiplier Wild (Rich Wilde, x2), Mega Wild (Cthulhu) |
| Main features | Eye marks, portal with Abyss and Void effects, Other World free round |
The setting is dark and atmospheric: an ancient chamber full of occult detail, with a portal beside the grid that glows brighter as it charges. Lovecraftian relics are the high pays and simpler symbols fill the low pays. Rich Wilde appears as a Wild in a golden frame, and the Necronomicon itself is the main Wild.
It is a striking change of tone for the series. The music is ominous rather than adventurous, and the game feels more like a puzzle than a treasure hunt. That suits the mechanics well.
Wins come from clusters of four or more matching symbols touching horizontally or vertically. Diagonal contact does not count. Winning symbols are removed, new ones drop in, and the cascade continues until no more wins form.
There are two Wilds on the regular grid, and they behave differently:
The distinction matters. The Necronomicon can complete any cluster. Rich Wilde is only useful next to premium symbols, but when he is, he makes those clusters worth twice as much.
The paytable rewards big clusters far more than small ones. For the top relic, a cluster of four pays twice the bet, eight pays 32 times, and ten or more pays 100 times. At the other end, the lowest symbol pays a tenth of the bet for four and only twice the bet for ten or more. In other words, the difference between a small cluster and a large one of the same symbol is enormous, and the difference between a premium and a low symbol is just as big.
That is why the Wilds and portal effects matter. Special Wilds and Rich Wilde frames let ordinary clusters grow, Abyss and Void clear space for new matches, and the Other World adds enough Wilds to build the kind of large premium clusters that the paytable is designed around. A spin full of four-symbol gem clusters can feel busy while returning very little.
Eye marks can appear in random positions on the grid. If a winning cluster forms over a marked cell, the eye opens. When the cascades end, each opened eye adds two Special Wilds to the grid. Those Wilds can start a new cascade and keep the round going.
This gives the base game a useful extra layer. A win that happens to pass over an eye is worth more than it looks, because it seeds the next part of the spin.
Every winning symbol charges the portal during the current round. As it fills, three levels kick in:
Abyss removes the entire row or column from the winning Special Wild. The removed symbols also charge the portal, and if Abyss hits another Special Wild, the removal continues from that symbol too. Void picks one regular symbol at random and removes every copy of it from the grid. Both effects open up space, cause new cascades and push the portal closer to the top.
The portal resets at the end of every round, so this is all about building a chain within a single spin.
Charging the portal with 42 winning symbols opens the Other World. This is a single free round, but a busy one. It starts with three random portal effects, and every three symbols collected above 42 adds one more, up to a maximum of seven.
Each portal effect adds four Special Wilds to the grid. Some are plain Wild drops, while others also carry the Abyss or Void effect if those Wilds win. The effects fire one after another, each time the cascades stop, so a round with seven effects can run for a long time.
The Other World also shows 11 or 12 eye marks. Opening all of them through wins summons the Mega Wild Cthulhu, a huge Wild that moves down the grid with each cascade, creating more wins before it leaves. That is the game’s most powerful moment, and it is rare.
Picture a spin that opens with a small cluster of gems, charging the portal by five. A cluster of premium relics follows, taking the charge past 7 and dropping two Special Wilds. One of them lands next to a Rich Wilde frame, and together they build a doubled cluster that pushes the portal past 14. Two more Special Wilds appear. One wins, triggers Abyss, and wipes out a full column, which charges the portal further and drops new symbols. If the chain continues, the portal reaches 27, Void clears an entire symbol type, and the grid refills again.
That is about as good as an ordinary spin gets, and it still might stop short of 42. Most spins are much shorter. Understanding that the portal is a ladder, not a meter you fill over time, is the key to enjoying this game without frustration.
The default RTP is 96.59%, and Play’n GO also offers lower versions down to around 84.5% that casinos may choose. Always check the game’s help screen before playing. Our guide to slot RTP explains why that difference matters.
Volatility is harder to pin down. Play’n GO’s own materials rate the game differently in different places, from medium up to very high. In practice the pattern is clear: lots of small cluster wins, many spins that return less than the stake, and the largest results concentrated in the Other World. The maximum win is capped at 2,000 times the bet, which Play’n GO describes as rarer than one in 100 million rounds.
Bets run from €0.10 to €100 per spin.
Most Rich Wilde games, including Book of Dead and Legacy of Dead, use the classic ten-line format with a free spins round and an expanding symbol. Tome of Madness is the odd one out, built around a grid, a portal and a single bonus spin. It has a lower top prize than Book of Dead, but far more going on during ordinary spins.
If you enjoy the cascading grid and charging meters, Reactoonz 2 takes the same idea further on a 7×7 grid with two meters and a three-stage Wild. The original Reactoonz is a simpler starting point. More Play’n GO games are on our Play’n GO page.
What works:
What doesn’t:
Rich Wilde and the Tome of Madness is one of Play’n GO’s most inventive releases. The portal turns each spin into a small story, the Abyss and Void effects keep chains going in surprising ways, and the Other World delivers a proper climax when it lands. It is not a game for big-multiplier hunters, and its best moments are rare, but for players who enjoy a thoughtful grid slot with plenty happening, it is a rewarding choice.
Play only if you are 18+. Keep your play within limits and see our responsible gambling page for support.