Bejeweled Twist Review
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Bejeweled is probably one of the most addictive casual games of all time. It definitely sits up there with Tetris, Dr. Mario, Solitaire and Zuma.
The new trend in casual games has seen a whole mountain of bejeweled clones but now Popcap has decided to just put a spin (no pun intended) on their own game.
Bejeweled Twist is fun... but it's no Bejeweled.
The twist idea is a bit like some of the Rubic's cube spin offs in my day, they were fun... but they just couldn't capture the challenge and excitement of a Rubic's cube.
Instead of swapping gems that sit adjacent to each other you twist a set of 4 gems hoping that one of the gems in your group matches up with a gem outside of the group. At first it's a bit of guess work but it becomes second nature quickly. The problem is that it makes it much more difficult to plan out big combos and set up chains. You'll be grinning with pride a lot less during this game and overall it just feels a bit more like a chore after a while.
Like Bejeweled 2, Twist has better graphics, a new creepier voice (whats with that anyway?) and some advanced combo gems. It features a few different game modes as well like Zen, Challenge and Blitz (similar but not as polished as the face book game) but they still don't seem to help the game out much. The Blitz mode in twist seems to have been the catalyst behind the idea for Bejeweled Blitz (which is the best bejeweled game out of the bunch in my opinion).
It almost feels like Popcap doesn't quite grasp the concept of what made bejeweled so successful.
A simple concept with a simple mechanic and gradually ramping difficulty curve.
The bonus meter is a great addition. It works by increasing your bonus as you continuously make matches, make a move without a match and your bonus meter is penalized. It's fun!
What's more, special combo's can be made by matching 4 color sequences in a row, randomly determined by the bonus bar. My only gripe is that cascades don't seem to influence the bonus bar at all, which kind of feels like a rip off, especially when you pick certain moves over others to intentionally cause a cascade.
The combo power gems add a lot more to the game as well. Now if you match up 5 or 6 gens you'll get a lightning gem that takes out all gems in the row and the column they sit in. If you can get your bonus bar all the way full you'll receive a fruit gem which is similar to a hypercube in Bejeweled 2 and Blitz.
Once the Fruit gem is matched and explodes a super fruit bonus becomes available but the problem is that this bonus is also random and usually the sequence it requires is just not possible. Consequently you lose your chance before you even start to try.
It's still fun when it does come together however. And the little fruit combo animation is exciting to watch.
But here's where it starts to go wrong.
Instead of running out of moves in Twist you'll find yourself competing with bombs that drop and need to be matched up with like colors to get rid of them before they explode and potentially end your game.
At first this is fine since they usually drop somewhere that they can be immediately matched. This does make it more difficult to set up combos so it helps the difficulty curve, but with twist the combos are already very difficult to set up in the first place.
However as the game advances new challenge tiles like locked gems (which can't be moved), coal gems (which can't be matched) and doom gems (a combination bomb, coal and locked gem) appear.
At about level 11 bombs start dropping with out any way to make a match for them without making a few moves that will not get you a match. So now you'll begin taking penalties on your bonus bar as well as not being able to set up combos.
As you reach level 13 there are so many locked gems, bombs, coal gems, and the occasional doom gem that not only will you lose your bonus chances, you also wont be able to make combos and you'll begin losing your opportunity to even have any strategic influence on the game at all.
Bejeweled Twist becomes a game of random chance and very quickly ceases to be fun.
I'm still playing it once in awhile which is why I decided to update my review, but my rating still stands.
It's a good waste of time but after a certain level you won't feel like you're earning your high score as much as your just lucky to get it. This is a death sentence for games of this kind since they encourage you to consider your decisions before making them, part of what makes them "Puzzle Games".
As soon as you realize your decisions have no more influence on the outcome the game degenerates to a click fest with generally disappointing results.
If your a puzzle game fan you'll most likely enjoy this game but don't expect it to replace your favorite, especially if you've been playing Bejeweld Blitz, Twist will be entertaining for awhile but that's most likely all it will be. Definitely not my new addiction.
Bejeweled Twist Feature
- Bejeweled Twist is now packaged with a full version of the addicting game, Peggle Nights from Pop Cap
- With Bejeweled Twist, you rotate jewels instead of dragging them around
- Create a line of three or more identical jewels, and each successive turn will give you a multiplier for even more points
- Crisp, updated graphics deliver improved backgrounds and animations
- Four different play modes include Classic, Challenge, Zen and Blitz
Bejeweled Twist Overview
Spin match explode... WOW! It's a brilliant new way to play Bejeweled! Get set for a vivid sensory rush as you spin and match explosive gems for shockwaves of fun. Rotate jewels freely to set up electrifying combos outwit surprising obstacles like Locks and Bombs and create high-voltage Flame and Lightning gems. When you need to dial up the intensity or fine-tune your skills turn to Challenge mode or five-minute Blitz. And if relaxing is more your style kick up your feet with stress-free Zen. No matter the mode you'll discover new strategies improve your moves and find endless ways to win!Features:Use the revolutionary Gem Rotator to move gems around and make matches anywhere on the boardRelax rev up refocus or recharge in four game modes -Classic Zen Challenge and BlitzClear away Locks and Bombs for magnificent bonusesCreate Flame and Lightning power gems then blast them to smithereens just because you canRelive your best moves with Instant Replay and see where you rank on the high-score listStart playing quickly and easily with in-game tipsEnjoy eye-popping graphics and special effects... you've never seen Bejeweled like this before!System Requirements:Windows XP/Vista 1.2GHz processor 256MB of RAM (512+MB recommended) 250MB of free hard drive space DirectX 8 or later DirectX-compatible sound/video 32MB of video memory 16-bit or 32-bit color quality CD-ROM or CD/DVD-ROM drive Keyboard MouseFormat: WIN 98ME2000XPVISTA Genre: ENTERTAINMENT Rating: E Age: 899274001185 UPC: 899274001185 Manufacturer No: PCB-BEJT-EN
Bejeweled Twist Specifications
Bejeweled Twist from PopCap is the most ambitious follow-up yet to the Bejeweled franchise of games. The original Bejeweled was the game that launched the "casual gaming" craze, with game mechanics that anyone can pick up and enjoy, and now with Bejeweled Twist, PopCap has added more depth and strategy with a twisting maneuver.
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Bejeweled Twist's lightning gems result in big scores. View larger. |
Updated graphics deliver crisp new backgrounds and animations. View larger. |
Play four different modes: Classic, Challenge, Zen and Blitz. View larger. |
A New Twist on the Wildly Popular Game PopCap has sold more than 25 million Bejeweled games, with over 350 million copies downloaded, making it one of the most successful game franchises in history. Bejeweled Twist was four years in the making, and brings an exciting spin on the classic gameplay: instead of dragging the jewels around, you rotate them. The goal is still to create a line of three or more identical jewels, and each successive turn in which you do so gives you a multiplier for even more points. A key difference from the older games is that you don't have to make a match with every turn.
The graphics have been updated as well, with new backgrounds and animations. The graphics are crisper and more modern while still retaining the fun, colorful look of the old games. The new game exhibits a high level of polish and production values, including nice animations in between levels, fun explosion effects when power-ups are used, and extras like being able to watch an instant replay of high-scoring matches.
Four Different Play Modes
Bejeweled Twist features four different play modes: Classic, Challenge, Zen and Blitz. Classic mode lets you progress through increasingly difficult levels where you try to create jewel chains before a bomb detonates. Challenge mode creates specific tasks for you to complete, such as destroying ten gems in one move. In Blitz mode, you frantically try to accumulate as many points as you can within a certain amount of time. And in Zen mode, you can play a relaxing game without any obstacles or timers.
There are various power-ups that can be used for higher scores, such as a lightning gem, which you'll receive by matching five gems at once. The lightning gem then eliminates the entire vertical or horizontal column or row where the gem is located. When a you get consecutive matches to max out the chain meter, you'll receive a fruit gem that destroys all same-colored gems.
Like all great puzzle games, you'll be surprised how fast that time flies while playing Bejeweled Twist.
| System Requirements |
| Minimum | Recommended |
| Operating System | PC: Windows XP/Vista |
| CPU | 1. 2GHz or faster |
| Sound | Direct X 8 compatible sound card and drivers | Direct X 9. 0c compatible sound card and drivers |
| Memory | 256 MB | 512+ MB |
| Other Requirements | Internet connection is required to register the game. |
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 09, 2010 03:40:04
