Bejeweled 2

Game History

Bejeweled is a franchise that has appealed to all ages in its 8 years of existence. Starting as a simple Flash-based game in 2000, the PopCap puzzler was eventually published through Microsoft to several platforms.

Bejeweled 2 Deluxe is a version of Bejeweled 2 that features additional gameplay modes.

Bejeweled 2 for the iPhone/iPod Touch and PC should be considered a direct port of the Xbox 360/PS2 version of the game that was released in December 2005. The look, feel, sound, and gameplay is exactly the same. Bejeweled was a launch title for the iTunes App store, and has enjoyed high ratings ever since its release.

Gameplay

Bejeweled 2 revolves around the simple concept of matching three jewels to make them dissappear.

The game is played on a 8 x 8 grid of gems. The objective of the game is to match three or more of the same kind of gem. To do this, you must select a gem, and exchange it with an adjacent one. You may only move one gem per turn, and it can only move in four directions: up, down, left, or right. If you make a move and no gems are matched, then the gem is set back in its original place and you must pick another gem to move.

Once three or more gems are matched, those gems disappear from the field, replaced by the gems above them.

It is advantageous for the player to create chains of matches with one move, known as "cascades."

The iPhone/iPod version of Bejeweled 2 offers four modes of play: Classic, Action, Endless and the Facebook connected Blitz mode. It should be noted that the other modes of play included in the 2005 version (like the Puzzle mode) were not included. The gameplay is greatly improved with the use of the device's touch technology, which allows jewels to be moved with a flick of the finger.

All the same animations are included in this version, including the multi-colored "wormhole" transition from one level to the next, and the hi-res backgrounds of vistas. There isn't a leaderboard for this version of the game, or even a local high score list. However, it remembers your highest score for each mode. The game also automatically saves when a call comes in or the home button is pressed.

Game Modes

Bewjeweled 2 consists of four modes: Classic, Puzzle, Action, and Endless.

Classic Mode

Basically the version of the original Bejeweled mode and ends when there is no more moves.

Puzzle Mode

The player is presented with arrangements of gems. The objective here is to make all gems disappear from the field using a specific sequence of moves.

Action Mode

The player has unlimited moves, but this time the game is timed. A bar at the bottom of the screen indicates the amount of time left. By matching gems, the bar is refilled. Once the bar is filled up all the way, the player moves on to the next level. Each level gives more points for gem matches and the timer bar depletes faster.

Endless Mode

Essentially, Action mode without the timer. The game gives you puzzle after puzzle after puzzle. It never ends, with the completion bar becoming progressively longer to fill after each round.

In Bejewled 2 Deluxe, additional modes can be unlocked.

Twilight

Unlocked by reaching level 18 in Classic Mode. Twilight changes the gravity with each move, causing gems to be either replaced by those above or below it.

Hyper

Unlocked by reaching level 9 in Action Mode. Hyper is exactly like Action, except roughly 4 times faster. This allows you to more easily create cascades as manually made matches are counted towards them within half a second of each other.

Cognito

Unlocked by completing Puzzle Mode.

Finity

Unlocked by beating level 280 in Endless Mode. Finity mode is Action mode with a few special gems incorporated into it. Points are only awarded to gems destroyed with Bombs or Hyper Cubes.

Special Gems

Besides the normal gem types, there exist some special ones that can be found in the various modes of the game.

Power Gems

Created when matching 4 of the same type of a gem in one move, or creating a cross of 5 matching gems. When destroyed, these gems will explode, destroying all adjacent ones with it.

Hyper Cubes

Created when matching 5 of the same type of gem in one move. To use them, simply move them towards another gem. This will result in the removal of all other gems of the same type on the entire grid.

Bombs

Exclusive to Puzzle and Finity modes. They feature a timer that goes down with every move. Once this timer reaches zero, the bomb explodes, along with all the gems surround int.

Bejeweled Blitz

Bejeweled Blitz is a time-attack version of Bejeweled that was released on Facebook in December 2008. In November 2009, it was patched into the iPhone/iPod versions of Bejeweled 2, adding Facebook integration for shared leaderboards between the two platforms, and a friends filter based on your Facebook friends list. The Blitz mode imposes a 60 second time limit on the gameplay, and it's up to the player to maximize the score within the allotted time using special multiplier jewels and a stacking speed bonus.