Jewel Quest Review

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Game Description

The Next Evolution of a Fan Favorite

Jewel Quest has been a beloved puzzle favorite for the past 11 years. Now this popular PC game is available for iOS and Android, putting all the puzzle action and adventure in the palm of your hand. Jewel Quest lends itself to touch controls beautifully, with gems gliding across the board with a simple swipe. Jewel Quest has never played better!

Simple, Fun Gameplay!

The game starts out with a helpful tutorial that guides you through the basic game mechanics of Jewel Quest.  Gameplay is simple.  Players are presented with a grid containing gems of various shapes, sizes and colors.  Your objective is to make matches of three or more by moving swapping gems on the board.  You can swap two adjacent gems with a simple swipe of your finger, and you get points any time you match up three or more gems on the board.

For example, if you have two diamonds side by side on the grid and a third diamond is located nearby, you can swap these adjacent gems to create a match on the board.  As soon as a match of three or more is made, those gems will disappear from the board.  The surrounding gems will then fall to fill the newly emptied space.  In addition, the tiles located behind the gems that are matched will turn gold when a successful match has been made.  Turning the entire board golden is necessary for completing puzzles.

A Worthy Challenge

The puzzle boards start out with pretty simple shapes, but as the game goes on, the boards become more unique, making the use of power ups and relics pretty much essential for getting through the game.  This gives players a reason to collect relics and other special items. In addition to turning the board gold, many puzzle stages require players to meet special objectives to complete the board. The objectives vary on a puzzle by puzzle basis, keeping gameplay fresh for the long haul.

Rich, Exotic Graphics and Gorgeous Sound

Long time fans of the Jewel Quest franchise have come to expect lush graphics and vibrant sound. Jewel Quest for mobile delivers this in spades, with a colorful Mayan theme that’s pervasive throughout the entire game. The modern graphics and sound give the whole game a sense of exotic atmosphere that is very fun and refreshing.  Each otherworldly locale has its own set of brilliant visuals too, giving the game a sense of place as you work through all 14 beautiful regions.

200+ Levels

Jewel Quest offers over 200 challenging levels that will reward crafty, smart gameplay. Unlike other match 3 games, Jewel Quest requires thought and strategy, with each puzzle demanding skill and cleverness in order to be successfully solved. It’s a puzzle lover’s playground!

Pocketable Puzzle Action

Fans of the Jewel Quest franchise, rejoice! Your favorite game series is now mobile, meaning you can sneak in a quick game no matter where you are.

Jewel Quest Review

Jewel Quest is Back!

For many people, their introduction to casual gaming occurred as the natural result of having a phone capable of playing such games. However, long before everyone and their grandmother was playing casual games on their phones, these games existed on the PC, and one of the most successful casual games available on the PC platform was Jewel Quest.  Jewel Quest had and still has a devoted following of fans who have played the original, the sequels and the other iterations of the franchise. Now, Jewel Quest has been released as a mobile app. How does this new version of Jewel Quest stack up against the PC version? Read on to find out!

Jewel Quest Belongs on Mobile

Jewel Quest was ahead of its time in terms of gameplay and mechanics, and technology has finally reached a place where this game can be played to its full potential. The controls in this mobile version of the game are brilliant. If you are a Jewel Quest veteran, you will remember that familiar “click and then click again” gameplay of the PC version.  Overall, it was a lot of clicking!  The touch controls on the mobile version are smooth as silk.  Just touch the gem you want to move and slide it in the direction you want to move it in one fluid motion.  Being able the flick gems around feels so natural.  It’s a vast improvement over the original controls that the PC required.

Simple Gameplay, Complex Challenge!

Jewel Quest is a match 3 game. Make matches of three or more gems and watch them disappear from the board! With each successful match, the background tiles on the grid turn golden, and your goal is to turn the entire board golden through skillful gameplay. Jewel Quest assigns star ratings based on your performance during any given puzzle, with ratings of one star, two star and three star possible.  For the hardcore puzzle lover, nothing less than three stars on all puzzles will do.

Something that makes this game unique and different from other match 3 games is the fact that your number of moves or available time are often limited. This brings strategizing into the mix. You’ve got to think and plan to beat these puzzles. Critics have sometimes said that match 3 games lack depth, and if they were playing Bejeweled, it’s easy to see why that criticism would be made.  Jewel Quest, on the other hand, rewards strategic, skilled gameplay.  You have to plan and play it smart if you want to win! 

Give Me a Boost!

Boosts are available throughout the game, and they change up gameplay considerably.  There are a variety of special power ups available, but one of the most interesting ones to work with has to be the Lion Coins.  If you collect enough of these guys, you get a special power called the Midas Touch.  The Midas Touch does exactly as its name implies, giving you the power to turn a space to gold automatically just by touching it. 

Relics are also available for purchase, and they change your gameplay as well. As you play through the game, the Relics Store will pop up and tempt you with a variety of different relics.  More relics are discovered as you advance through the game, and it’s fun to see what you can purchase later once you’ve earned enough points.

Freemium Game

Jewel Quest is a free game with optional in-game purchases. Most players will probably indulge in an in-game purchase or two during the course of gameplay, but it’s 100% optional. For example, Jewel Quest starts you out with a set number of lives.  Once you run out of lives, you have to wait about 15 minutes to get a refill.  Your other option is to pay 99¢ for a new set of lives.  The choice is yours but overall, it’s not too hard to wait for new lives.

Music and Graphics

This game has a Mayan theme throughout that is both exotic and mysterious. The graphics are rich and warm, well detailed and lush. Visually, it is soft and vibrant all at the same time!  You will feel whisked away to the shores of some faraway land every time you boot up the game.

The music in this version of Jewel Quest is, quite frankly, superb.  This soundtrack really sets the mood and it has a distinctively epic vibe.  The music is never overpowering or overbearing, and at times it’s quite soothing, making it easy for players to really lose themselves in the game.  This soundscape goes beyond just simple music, too.  Sound effects are used to create a wonderful sense of place.  You really feel like you’re in the jungle, hunting down relics Indiana Jones style!

200+ Levels to Puzzle Through

The game is structured with a variety of different locations to play through.  You advance on your journey with each puzzle that you beat.  Unlocking a new location doesn’t mean that your current location is completely cleared, though.  There may be stars yet to collect through skillful gameplay.  These will be displayed beside the location on the map, making it easy to go back and collect more stars later if desired. This version of Jewel Quest has over 200 vibrant, colorful levels for you to work through and solve, providing hours of puzzling fun!

Board Remains Workable During Chain Reactions

In the original Jewel Quest, the board would freeze when players set off chain reactions, remaining immovable until the matches played themselves out. In the iOS version, players can manipulate the board during these chain reactions, opening up opportunities to manipulate the board for even bigger chains!

Another strategy is to start a cascade on one portion of the board and then make matches on another portion of the board, doing your best to keep from interacting the flow of jewels cascading and falling into place to make matches on the other part of the board. This requires some skill, as it is very easy to mess up the good thing you have going on with cascading tiles!  Your mileage may vary on the one, but it’s definitely worth a try.

Social Integration

Jewel Quest has Facebook integration, making it possible to share this experience with friends if desired.  When you play with friends, you can send each other coin gifts, and that is very helpful for making it through this game, especially if you’re determined not to pay out of pocket for the experience.

In Summary

Jewel Quest for iOS and Android feels like coming home. Touch controls serve this game so well, and the revamped sound and graphics are fit to compete with other popular mobile puzzle games. Jewel Quest veterans will be delighted to finally play one of their favorite games as it was meant to be played.  Overall, this game scores an 8 out of 10.  A must download for longtime fans and newcomers alike!

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