Bejeweled Blitz
by: Electronic Arts
Match-3 Puzzle
Bejeweled Blitz is a pretty addictive action puzzle game with lots of explosions all over the board. Detonate as many gems as you can in 60 action-packed seconds in the hit puzzle game played by millions of people worldwide. Match three or more and create cascades of awesome with Flame gems, Star gems, and Hypercubes.
Review
Gameplay 95%
Bejeweled Blitz is a fast-paced match-3 puzzle game where the gameplay is the same as many titles of the genre, you just touch the jewel you want to switch and move it one space up, down, left or right, if a match is made, it will switch places with the jewel in that space, and the lined up jewels of the same color will disappear. If a match isn’t made, it will go back to its original space. The difference here is that there are no turns, or limited moves you can make, but you do have a time limit, your objective is to get as much points as possible in one minute plays.
When you make a 4-match, you’ll create a Fire Gem, that when matched, will explode taking gems around it, and if you manage to make a line with 5 jewels, you’ll create a Special Mystic Gem, that will make disappear all jewels of the same color of the one in the space you try to move it. Finally, there’s a Thunder Jewel, which you get if you create a vertical and horizontal match at the same time. When activated, this special gem will make a whole row and column explode.
There are also some bonus itmes you can buy before each play. Like a Score Multiplayer, a Detonator that makes al Special Gems explode when touched, 5 extra seconds, and a Mistery Gem that can trigger many special effects, like a Phoenix or Cyborg Cat appearing and destroying many jewels with laser beams.
As an extra, in the lower part of the screen you’ll see Side Missions to complete in order to get a Treasure. Like getting 5 Flame Gems, activating 3 Thunder Gems and similar objectives.
Graphics 80%
Bejeweled Blitz looks OK, the Special Gems trigger lots of special effects, and you’ll be seeing many explosions , fire and electric animations. The gems and backgrounds are in HD resolution for a crisp and clean look even on tablets. The menus have a nice design, but not very complex, and overall, the visual experience just works, and really fits the game.
When 5 seconds pass and you don’t move anything, a special crosshair animation will appear over a jewel you can move for a match, same happens if you press the “hint” button. When you make a match, the background glows and you’ll see the score displayed, and sometimes you get golden coins that are added to the counter in the left part of the screen, all with a simple yet pleasant to see animation.
Bejeweled Blitz offers a nice visual experience, but it’s not great, and it sure needs some variety. The background is always the same, the jewels are static, and while it tries to have a Casino Slot machine style, sometimes it feels a little dark and monotone, unlike Las Vegas slots with bright colorful lights and over the top animation. This game has above average graphics, but it could have done a better job to be more eye catchy and memorable in the visuals department.
Production Quality 78%
Gameplay wise, Bejeweled Blitz goes for a fast-paced approach that makes the playthroughs pretty addictive, with lots of Special Gems and Items to try out, that keep you going back to see what else you can get. There are also Daily Special Levels that offer a unique Mistery Jewel to use, and challenge you to get a Bronze, Silver or Gold Rank depending on your score.
While the Events and Side Objectives are a welcomed addition, the overall gameplay mechanics don’t really try to innovate, and if you’ve played other games of the genre, you may not play this title that much. Nowadays mobile games with a similar style mix Adventure, Action and RPG elements to keep you going, with a world map to explore, story, charismatic characters and items to collect, so they make for a single player experience that pulls you into its own original universe.
Value for your Money 70%
Bejeweled Blitz is free on Google Play and the Apple App Store, it doesn’t show any banner advertising or ask you to see videos for lives to play, but it does have in-app transactions, and it will prompt you to buy a super rare special treasure will real money a little to often. While it is not necesary to purchase anything to fully enjoy the game, once you take a look at the in-game store and see how much golden coins are worth, you may choose to spend your dollars elsewhere.Launch Video
Summary
Bejeweled Dash is totally recommended for anyone that enjoys a good Match-3 Puzzle. It’s fast-paced design is appealing for quick bursts, and it’s a good choice for when you have a little free time, to just take out your phone and try a couple of blitz while waiting or something. It is certainly better than average, but if you’re looking for a great single player experience, there are some games that offer a more complete experience, since this one is a litte on the casual side. Anyway, this is a nice option that can get pretty addictive when you start, so check it out. Pros- Simple gameplay with tons of items that trigger special effects.
- Daily challenges and side objectives add variety to the main game.
- More background setting would’ve been nice.
- It oculd have used some music.
