"Despite a hit-or-miss assortment of new and old modes, Bejeweled addicts are guaranteed to flock to this game in droves," Rigney writes. "The aforementioned Quest mode is also filled with game variants that seem better fitted to a mini-game collection than a high-profile release like Bejeweled 3, although most of them are fun enough in small doses."
"On the other side of the equation you have unnecessary duds like Diamond Mine - a mode that feels almost entirely luck-based - or Ice Storm, which is like an annoying and strenuous version of Butterflies," Rigney adds. Other gameplay variations aren't as successful. It's a particularly interesting and strategically deep twist, and I wound up putting more time into it than I did in Classic mode." "By matching the butterflies with gems of their color or catching them in an explosion, you free the butterfly from the board and prevent them from being eaten.
The butterflies enter the game board from the bottom of the screen, and each time you swap a gem they'll move up one space. In it, you must stop multicolored butterflies from reaching the top of the screen where a hungry spider lays in wait. "Butterflies, for example, is an excellent addition that feels wholly unlike the standard Bejeweled experience. "As is generally the case with such a diverse spread, some of the game's newer modes work better than others," Rigney notes. " Bejeweled 3 is developer PopCap's all-out attempt at building on the familiar by throwing as much new content at the wall as possible and seeing what sticks." " Bejeweled 3 is not a reinvention of the addictive puzzle formula that has worked so well for the past decade," he warns. Ryan Rigney at GamePro rates Bejeweled 3 at 4 out of 5 stars. If you were there from the start, you'll feel right at home." "If you've come to PopCap through Steam, Xbox Live, Facebook, or the iPhone, you might just feel the absence of the meme-age wit that has marked the company's more recent output. "It all adds up to another quietly fearsome package: a classic game trying on a range of smart new outfits," Donlan says.
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Quest Mode and a series of unlockable extra modes make the package an appealing purchase.
It's zone-out gaming at its most likeable and it's been weaponised here by all manner of new age battiness - there are options to turn on binaural beats, ambient sounds, mantras and a breath modulation indicator.
"It's great, but without that friends-powered leaderboard, you might be better off sticking with the Facebook game where winning has a bit more kick to it."ĭonlan continues: "Zen mode, meanwhile, is the mode you literally can't lose at: the game will just keep going and going until the sun burns out, the Milky Way unravels and the universe drifts into its terminal frosty slumber. "Lightning mode is the first of the three main variants - limiting the game to a very familiar single minute but throwing in time extending jewels alongside the multipliers," Donlan explains. New gameplay modes also breathe new life into the familiar formula. "New special gems, like the board-blasting Supernovas, ensure that the Bejeweled arms race continues nicely, while the improvements to your ability to swap jewels while others are falling really speeds things up. "The core of the game is still Classic mode but there have been a handful of very slight tweaks," Donlan continues. And it would be easy to ignore the fact that the series' latest instalment offers a quiet range of clever variations that bring new life to the game." Because of all that, it's easy to underplay how well it's put together. " Bejeweled's a force of nature," he begins.
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This week's edition of Critical Reception examines online reaction to PopCap's match-three puzzler Bejeweled 3, which reviews describe as " Bejeweled 2 plus a handful of both worthwhile and throwaway modes." Bejeweled 3 currently earns a score of 80 out of 100 at .Įurogamer's Christian Donlan scores Bejeweled 3 at 8 out of 10.