Bejeweled 3 (XBLA) Review

Bejeweled 3 (XBLA)
Developed By: Popcap Games
Published By: Popcap games
Date of Release: October 19, 2011
Price: 1200msp


As you all know, I am a pretty hardcore gamer, and I tend to play the most action packed shooters, rpgs, and the like. So naturally my reviews tend to go in that direction. However today I am bringing a different genre to the table, the casual game. Ladies and Gentlemen, for your consideration: Bejeweled 3.

In the year 2001 Popcap Games took the puzzle gaming world by storm with it's match-3 game, the original Bejeweled. It proved to be wildly popular, even among those who had never played videogames, and it spawned the casual genre, paving the way for sequels and spinoffs galore. And now 10 years later we have Bejeweled 3.




If you have played the earlier entries in the series, then you will feel right at home in Bejeweled 3's Classic Mode, which is simply an untimed gem matching marathon. Matching 3 gems clears them from the board, while new ones drop from above. Matching four gives you a flame gem, when when matched with 3 or more ordinary gems of the same color will detonate the closest gems of any color, and set off any nearby flame gems in a chain reaction. If you match gems in a T or L shape on the board, then you get a star gem, when matches it will detonate the entire lines of gems at it's four poles. Match five gems of the same color and you get a hypercube, which allows you to select an adjacent gem, detonating all gems of the same color on the board. The final special gem in Classic is the supernova gem, which needs 6 gems to be matched by dropping, it will detonate 3x3 rows of gems. The only way to lose in Classic is to run out of swappable gem combinations.

Zen Mode is a new addition to the series, it allows you to play endlessly as in Classic, however the music is much more soothing lending to a relaxing atmosphere. Lightning Mode gives you 60 seconds to match as many gems as you can, and making chains adds to your time limit. Quest Mode gives you various puzzles to solve based on the other modes. There are four secret modes that you must unlock by meeting requirements in the first four, and they are Butterflies, Diamond Mine, Ice Storm and Poker. Butterflies has you matching same colored gems with butterflies to collect them before they are eaten by spiders, Diamond Mine has you digging for buried treasure, Ice Storm has you fending off walls of encroaching ice, and Poker sees you making hands with matched gems. The variety of all these game modes ensures that there is something here for everyone.




The graphics in Bejeweled 3 are crisp and colorful, but they take a backseat to the majestic soundtrack. Composed by Peter Habja and Alexander Brandon of Skaven 252, Each mode has it's own and amazingly distinct theme. Anyone interested can go to their bandcamp site here, and have a listen for themselves.

Bejeweled 3 has a massive variety of gameplay to offer those who play it, as well as a stack of achievements and badges to earn, which adds even more to the already astronomical replay value. Anyone who is into puzzle games, or just wants something quick to play between rounds of their favorite hardcore shooter should take a look.