John Hunter and Galileo's Secrets Slot Overview

John Hunter and Galileo's Secrets is a casino slot from Pragmatic Play that follows the footsteps of a renowned explorer, launching another thrilling expedition in search of legendary treasures. His adventures began back in 2018 with the release of John Hunter and the Secrets of Da Vinci's Treasure and continued throughout the following years in hit slots like John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure or John Hunter and the Book of Fallen. In this installment, he pursues the legacy of one of the world's most famous astronomers and physicists, Galileo. His amazing observatory is filled with ingenious inventions that we'll get to admire as premium symbols on the reels. However, John is not here for the artifacts but for the clues hidden in mysterious tomes that will lead him to hidden riches worth up to 5,000x the bet. It's time to start deciphering the enigmatic instructions and see if they will lead us in the right direction!

Base Game view of a 5x3 grid set on a backdrop of an interior of an observatory.
Base Game

John Hunter and Galileo's Secrets is a video slot from Pragmatic Play with 5 reels, 3 rows, and 10 paylines. Players can choose their stake from a range of options, starting from a Min.bet of 0.1 up to a Max.bet of 250. The game offers a default RTP of 96.50%, although two lower variants of 95.50% and 94.50% are also available for operators. Players will experience high volatility, with a max win capped at 5,000x the bet. The probability of winning the top prize is, on average, 1 in 2,277,904 spins, while the bonus game triggers at a rate of 1 in 145.77 spins.

The arrangement of features in the game may not be as numerous as the famous astronomer's inventions, but it's no less impressive. The features of John Hunter and Galileo's Secrets are Mystery Symbols, Respins, Free Spins, Super Free Spins, and Feature Buy.

John Hunter and Galileo's Secrets Slot Information

As we step into the observatory bathed in the soft golden light, we notice that Galileo must have been quite a neat person. The place is spotless, with all the intricate items perfectly organized all around. On the right-hand side, we can see a table with measuring equipment, some open books, and a telescope standing next to it. On the left, a massive bookcase is packed with tomes, probably containing loads of knowledge of astronomy and physics. Above, clear skies beam through a magnificent skylight. The grid sits centrally, enclosed in a decorated frame made of solid gold. On it, winning combinations must come in sets of 3 (or 2, in the case of the three highest icons) to 5 matching symbols situated on any of the active paylines and using neighboring reels, starting from the left. The design is mobile-friendly, meaning the game can be played on a wide range of modern devices, from desktops to smartphones and tablets.

Among the low-value symbols, we recognize the traditional royals: 10, J, Q, K, and A, awarding between 7.5x and 10x the bet for a 5-of-a-kind hit. The high-value ones are depicted by a quill, a parchment, a telescope, an hourglass, a globe, and a picture of John Hunter. Prizes for matching 5 identical premium symbols on the pay line range from 15x to 100x the bet. Alongside regular icons, there are also Scatters and Super Scatters appearing as decorated tomes, Mystery Symbols represented by a 3x1 vertical golden plate, and Money Symbols depicted as blue orbs.

John Hunter and Galileo's Secrets Slot Features

What is the max win in the slot John Hunter and Galileo's Secrets?

You can win up to 5,000x the bet.

What features are available in the slot John Hunter and Galileo's Secrets?

The features are Mystery Symbols, Respins, Free Spins, Super Free Spins, and Feature Buy.

Free Spins bonus in progress with a night-time background and a win formed of the top-paying symbol.
Free Spins

Mystery Symbols

Gold 3x1 symbols can land on any reel. Whenever they appear covering the entire reel, all Mystery Symbols reveal a random paying icon or the Money Symbol. Displayed symbols pay according to their value in the paytable even if they don't follow adjacent reels and the left-to-right sequence.

Respins

Money Symbols appear on all reels and carry a fixed value, which is a multiplication of the active stake. Possible values are 1x, 2x, 3x, 5x, 10x, 15x, 20x, 30x, 50x, 75x, 100x, 200x, 300x, 400x, 500x, or 5,000x the bet. They can also display a chance to trigger Free Spins or Super Free Spins.

Whenever at least 6 Money Symbols appear in view, 3 respins are awarded. During this round, only Money Symbols and blanks can land, and achieving a new hit on the grid resets the respins back to 3. In the end, all values visible on the board are summed up and paid. If the entire grid is populated, an additional prize of 2,000x the bet will be awarded.

Free Spins

Landing 3 Scatters in a single spin activates the bonus with 8 initial free spins. Before it begins, one symbol is selected to always be displayed from the Mystery Symbol, although the level of the bonus determines which ones are available. This also ties into the gamble feature, which lets players take a chance at starting from a higher level with the risk of losing the bonus altogether.

Bronze Level = J, Q, K, or A can be chosen.

Silver Level = the quill, the parchment, or the telescope can be chosen.

Gold Level = the hourglass, the globe, or John Hunter can be chosen.

Super Level = Money Symbol is guaranteed to be the Mystery Symbol.

Throughout the round, Mystery Symbols always nudge to full visibility if they land partially. Additionally, all Scatters are collected into a meter, which will upgrade the game's level and award 2 extra spins whenever 4 are accumulated. When the level increases, a new symbol is automatically chosen to be the Mystery Symbol.

Super Free Spins

If the bonus round reaches the last level, it becomes the Super Free Spins mode, where the Money Symbol is guaranteed to become the Mystery Symbol. This variant can also be triggered by landing 2 Scatters and 1 Super Scatter in the base game.

Respins feature in progress with multiple cash prizes sticking on the reels.
Respins

Feature Buy

Either bonus round can be triggered instantly for a fixed buy-in. There are two options available:

80x = Free Spins at 96.50% RTP.

200x = Super Free Spins at 96.50% RTP.

John Hunter and Galileo's Secrets Slot Conclusion

Given the fact that our last proper meet-up with John Hunter was in 2022 in the Book of Tut Respin release, his next appearance sparked our curiosity. Naturally, due to the provider's overtaxed roadmap, we were prepared for another rushed filler, but we looked forward to it nonetheless. Upon giving it a few hundred initial spins, the situation was clear and not too thrilling after all. Visuals, even though nicely polished and organized, didn't immerse us all too much, offering classic royals mixed with some astronomy-themed imagery on the reels. The environment pretty much followed suit with its static depiction of a mysterious observatory, albeit pleasant on the eye, thanks to soft golden hues all around. Other elements, including animations and big win celebrations, were pretty much slightly altered sequences from many other games by Pragmatic Play.

The technical composition didn't stand out much from the crowded online slot landscape. Mystery Symbols held some substance during free spins, where they nudged every time and provided decent opportunities for wins outside the standard left-to-right requirement. Sort of like in Mystery Museum by Push Gaming, although without the sticking. The respin feature that was supposed to complement the bonus on the last level of progression came across as a little bare compared to many more elaborate variations of the hold&win mechanism out there. All in all, producers seemingly aimed for a mix that could work together well if enhanced by additional features, but it turned out a bit too plain.

John Hunter and Galileo's Secrets is a relatively insignificant addition to the series, operating on timeworn features without any new ideas.