| Bejeweled | |
|---|---|
 Bejeweled logo | |
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Developer |
|
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Main platforms |
PC, Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Mobile Phone, Click Wheel iPods, Windows Phone, Xbox, Facebook |
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Release Date |
May 30, 2001 |
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Genre |
Puzzle |
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Mode |
Single-player |
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Ratings |
ESRB: E |
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Sequel |
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Bejeweled is a tile-matching puzzle video game by PopCap Games, first developed for browsers in 2001. Three follow-ups to this game have been released. More than 75 million copies of Bejeweled have been sold, and the game has been downloaded more than 150 million times.
History[]
The game was initially created by PopCap Games as a web-based Flash game called Diamond Mine, inspired by the gameplay of Shariki. It was reportedly successful for PopCap—a company formed in 2000. PopCap created partnerships with established Internet gaming sites such as Microsoft Zone to host Bejeweled as well. The name Bejeweled was suggested by Microsoft, who thought that the original name Diamond Mine was too similar to that of an existing game, Diamond Mines.
The game has also been ported to other platforms, including Microsoft Windows, where it was called Bejeweled Deluxe. Astraware produced versions for PDAs on the Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Smartphone and Palm platforms. They also released Bejeweled Deluxe on the Xbox as a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game. On September 12, 2006, it was released as one of the first games downloadable from the iTunes Store for the Apple iPod. PopCap also released a web app version of the game for iOS on October 11, 2007. On December 13, 2011, PopCap released a HTML5 version of the game, which is available on the Google Chrome Web Store for free. A HD version for iPad debuted in May 2012.
Gameplay[]
Normal gameplay mode
The objective of this game is to swap one gem with an adjacent gem to form a horizontal or vertical chain of three or more gems. Bonus points are given when more than three identical gems are formed or forms two lines of identical gems in one swap. Gems disappear when chains are formed and gems fall from the top to fill in gaps. Sometimes chain reactions, called cascades, are triggered, where chains are formed by the falling gems. Cascades are awarded with bonus points. There are two variations of the game to choose from.
Although normally the player gets only 3 in a row for gems, sometimes they can get 4 or 5 in a row. And in rare conditions, they can get 6, 7 and even 8 in a row. However, some versions of the engine do not register it. The player gets more points and sometimes special powerups from more than 3 gems in a row.