Bejeweled

Bejeweled (or Diamond Mine) is a popular puzzle game first developed as a browser-based game by PopCap Games in 2001.

Contents

1 Gameplay
2 History
3 Bejeweled 2
4 Influence
5 Hidden parts
6 Trivia
7 External links

Gameplay

The rectangular area of play starts filled with colored gems. The only valid move is to swap adjacent gems to make three or more gems of the same color line up horizontally or vertically. When that happens, the player earns points, the lined-up gems disappear, the gems above them fall and the extra space is filled with random gems. Once this has happened, there may once again be three or more gems lined up, in which case the process is repeated. This is called a "cascade". The game ends when there are no valid moves. Bejeweled is somewhat similar to Tetris Attack.

In the "Time Trial" mode, renamed to "action" in Bejeweled 2, the progress through the level goes down faster and faster and when it reaches 0, the player loses.

History

Initially it was created by PopCap Games as a web-based flash game called Diamond Mine. The game was an incredible success for PopCap, which had only formed in 2000. PopCap created partnerships with well established Internet gaming sites such as Microsoft Zone to host Bejeweled as well. The game has also been ported to other platforms, including Bejeweled Deluxe for Microsoft Windows. Astraware produced Bejeweled for PDAs on the Palm OS, PocketPC and Smartphone platforms. They also released Bejeweled 2 Deluxe on the Xbox 360 as a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game.

Recently, skill games like Bejeweled have been retooled for head-to-head gaming sites like SkillJam and WorldWinner. Players can play in "vs." games for cash prizes or join tournaments.

Bejeweled 2

Bejeweled 2 is another free web-based game. In 2004 Bejeweled 2 Deluxe was released. They both add extra game modes and features to the game. The deluxe version has a free 60 minute trial and can be unlocked by entering a key after buying it.

Bejeweled 2 adds a "puzzle" mode, in which various patterns of gems appear at the start, and the aim is to clear all the gems. The deluxe version adds more puzzles.

Bejeweled 2 also has a new name for the timed mode, "action". The deluxe version adds an "endless" mode. In both cases the gems are random except that there is always at least one valid move.

Influence

The popularity of Bejeweled has spawned countless clones, collectively known as "match three" games, since they all revolve around the mechanic of creating a three-in-a-row line of identical pieces. "Match three" games include:

Zoo Keeper, a Japanese game with an animal theme.
Chuzzle, named after the fuzzballs around which it revolves. It was also published, but not created, by PopCap.
High Roller
Jellyboom
Jewel Quest
Magic Lanterns
Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates Bilge pumping mini-game.
Paris Hilton's Diamond Quest

Hidden parts

Bejeweled 2 Deluxe has some easter eggs - type any of the following keywords during the game to evoke some visual effects: NORMAL, NOFRAME, NETWORK, STARFIELD, NAUSEA, GREENSCREEN, AMBERSCREEN, BLACKANDWHITE, SLOMO, XMAS, COLORSWAP, OLDSKOOL (NORMAL resets to default effects so initially it does nothing).

Achieving high scores or high levels in Bejeweled 2 Deluxe can also unlock hidden modes.

Trivia

Bejeweled has also been made into a mobile phone version, and the version distributed by Jamdat has become quite popular.

External links

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