At a glance
Cons
Our Verdict
Classic puzzle game Bejweled gets a makeover in PopCap’s newest version of the game, Bejeweled 3. The original game, which was released in 2001, was also followed up by Bejeweled 2, Bejeweled Twist, and Bejeweled Blitz. This latest addition to the casual series brings fresh graphics, sounds, and all new modes of play.
See full list on macgamerhq.com. Download and play free Match 3 Games for Mac. Match groups of 3 or more items and score big in our fun collection of matching games!
For those not familiar with the million-seller franchise, the game couldn’t be easier to pick up: the screen is filled with a board stacked in rows of multicolored gems. You can swap two adjacent jewels’ positions by clicking on them in order to make a row or column of three or more jewels of the same color. This makes them disappear and awards you points. Aligning a large number of gems earns extra points and bonuses. There’s not much in Bejeweled 3 that’s a huge departure from this core “match-3” concept. The game is basically a variety of modes that use the same basic concept with small tweaks for added difficulty or strategic maneuvering.
Still, Bejeweled 3 is packed with new ways to play the classic game. Among them are the brand new Poker, Ice Storm, Zen, and Butterfly Modes. In Poker, you are given ten rounds to create various “hands” of poker by matching the gems. This is easily one of the more difficult levels of the game, as you don’t have much control over the outcome. I often found myself playing for a while, simply waiting and hoping for a good hand. In Ice Storm, the only way to keep the growing wall of ice at bay is by creating gem matches. This mode requires both speed of clicking and an awareness of the surroundings, as if one area of the board gets too cold, you’ll get a game over.
Butterfly and Zen Mode were easily the most interesting aspects of the game. The idea behind the Zen Mode is that you can play an infinite game of Classic Mode with added sounds for relaxation. While I don’t personally look to computer games when I need a bit of Zen, the ocean sounds, breath modulation, and positive affirmations (all adjustable in settings) definitely make for a unique Bejeweled experience. I found Butterfly mode to be the most enjoyable. Here, players must match designated butterfly jewels (marked by beautiful, shimmering wings) with their colored counterparts before they ascend the board where a hungry spider awaits. This mode requires careful planning, and you’re often forced to save several butterflies at once (plus, as the poor things near the arachnid, they start to shake in fear, making me even more desperate to beat the level).
While there are plenty of other match-3 puzzle games out there, Bejeweled 3 demonstrates why the franchise is still at the top of the heap. The diamonds, rubies, and sapphires glint and sparkle as you play, and in classic mode, every time you level up, the jewels fly through a colorful cave towards the next scene. Not only are the graphics of the action aesthetically pleasing, but the detailed backdrops are not to be overlooked. Floating castles and waterfalls are well rendered, and I often found myself paying more attention to them than the visuals that actually affected my position on the scoreboard. As a whole, the high-definition graphics of Bejeweled 3 are beautiful and serene, making it hard to pick which is better: how the game looks or playing it.
Bejeweled 3 Popcap
Bejeweled 3 doesn’t do anything particularly earth shattering and it doesn’t re-invent the wheel—but it doesn’t have to. The new modes are on the whole just fantastic. They all operate under the same rules and controls of the simple game, but require separate strategies and change in degrees of difficulty. I suspect that the key to PopCaps’ success with this series lies within its high replay value. If this is the case, Bejeweled 3’s new modes, sights, and sounds is certain to bring many converts over to the church of Bejeweled.
[Stephanie Kent is an editorial intern for Macworld.]
The World Famous and Addictive Bejeweled Has a Sequel:
Bejeweled 3 Catalina Full
Play Bejeweled 3 Online
You’ve heard of games being addictive. You’re probably familiar with Pac-Man Fever. Or the Tetris Syndrome. You can get addicted by videogames and no game type is more addictive than browser games. Just like their 2-bit, 4-bit, and 8-bit counterparts played in the arcades, Atari, and Nintendo consoles, browser games are highly addictive, such as Bejeweled. Here’s the deal when you play bejeweled 3 online. It’s the third sequel to the Bejeweled franchise, which is known as the videogame form of crystalline methamphetamine or crystal meth because of how much people play it.
An Existing Formula Perfected in Today’s Online World
Similar Games in the 1980s Existed: Similar games in the 1980s existed before Bejeweled. It’s a tile-matching puzzle videogame in the same vein as Tetris but with game play more akin to the 1994 MS-DOS game Shariki and the 1995 SNES game Tetris Attack or Panel de Pon. Originally, it was called Diamond Mine. You’re supposed to switch two adjacent jewels until a column or row matches. The more matches you get the more you’ll win and the more levels you’ll progress through.
Name Change and Legacy: It changed its name from Diamond Mine to Bejeweled because another Flash game called Diamond Mines already exists. The first Bejeweled has aforementioned basic game play. Then it branched out to Bejeweled Twist (uses a twist movement to move gems) and Blitz (a time-limited challenge of one minute per session). Then Bejeweled 3 came along and it had 8 different modes altogether, including sub modes for questing.
The Ancient World Theme: In order to make it stand out from the original Bejeweled, Bejeweled 3 (technically Bejeweled 4) has an Ancient World theme to it reminiscent of those temples and ruins that Indiana Jones would visit. It gives the game a distinct look and feel that makes it have more character compared to the Bejeweled clones out there. Meanwhile, Bejeweled 2’s twin modes of Twist and Blitz have a Space Theme to it (like another George Lucas movie franchise, Star Wars). Bejeweled Stars is also space themed.
One of the Greatest Casual Games Ever: Bejeweled 3 is part of the Bejeweled Series that is considered one of the greatest casual or browser games ever devised that was also (indirectly) developed by a Russian game developer (Shariki was made by Eugene Alemzhin of Russia). Like Tetris or the Brick Game, it’s a game that’s constantly cloned and ripped off, as in the case of Candy Crush Saga and the animesque dating game HuniePop (where you “score” with cartoon women by playing a game of discount Bejeweled).
The Evolution of Bejeweled
Bejeweled 3 Download
Bejeweled is a simple jewel-based puzzle game where you match jewels by switching them over and over again until your score goes up. It also has a fourth (official) sequel more reminiscent of its twin first sequels, Twist and Blitz, known as Bejeweled Stars. After Candy Crush Saga stole its game play, Bejeweled Stars steals back from Candy Crush by emulating its objective-based levels.