Bejeweled

Bejeweled
Steam header
Developer(s) PopCap Games
Publisher(s) PopCap Games
Designer(s) Jason Kapalka[1]
Composer(s) Peter Hajba
Series Bejeweled
Engine PopCap Games Framework
Platform(s) Windows
Mac OS X
Flash
HTML5
Palm OS
Windows Mobile
BlackBerry 10
Java ME
iOS
Android
Windows Phone
Xbox
Facebook
Release May 30, 2001[2]
Genre(s) Puzzle
Mode(s) Single-player

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.[3] Although the game is no longer downloadable through PopCap's website, the installer can be downloaded via the Wayback Machine.

History

The game was initially created by PopCap Games as a web-based Shockwave (later using Flash) game called Diamond Mine, inspired by the 1994 MS-DOS game Shariki.[4] It was reportedly successful for PopCap—a company formed in 2000. PopCap created partnerships which allowed Microsoft Zone and other gaming sites to host Bejeweled as well. The name Bejeweled was suggested by Microsoft, who thought the original name Diamond Mine was too similar to that of an existing game, Diamond Mines.[5]

The game has also been ported to other platforms, including Microsoft Windows, where it was called Bejeweled Deluxe, and iOS devices. Astraware produced versions for PDAs on the BlackBerry, iPhone, Palm OS, and Windows Mobile smartphone 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.[6] On December 13, 2011, PopCap released a HTML5 version of the game, which is available on the Google Chrome Web Store for free.[7] A HD version for iPad debuted in May 2012.[8]

In 2014 Bejeweled and Candy Crush Saga (along with many other similar match three games) were proved to be NP-hard.[9][10]

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 of the same color. Bonus points are given when chains of more than three identical gems are formed and when two chains are formed 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.

Normal Mode

In Normal Mode, the player fills up the progress bar on the bottom of the screen by matching gems. When the progress bar is filled up completely, the player goes to the next level. As the level progresses, more points are required to proceed to the next level. As the player levels up, the player gets more points by matching (example: Level 1= 10 pts., Level 2= 15 pts. etc.). If no moves are possible, the game ends.

Time Trial Mode

The gameplay mechanics are almost the same as Normal Mode. In Time Trial Mode, the progress bar starts at the half. The progress bar depletes as the player doesn't make any matches. The player levels up by filling the progress bar, like in Normal Mode. The progress bar depletes faster and gets slower to fill up as the player levels up, and gets progressively faster. If no moves are possible, the player gets a new board instead of getting a game over. If the progress bar depletes completely, the player is given a Game Over.

Hints and Tricks

By clicking the purple button on the side next to Options and Quit Game, the player can get a hint. But when he/she does it, the score and progress bar depletes. The depleting score and progress bar doesn't repeat until the player makes another match.

Although normally the player gets only three in a row for gems, sometimes they can get four or five in a row. And in rare conditions, they can get six, seven, and even eight in a row. But some versions of the engine do not register it. The player gets more points for matching more than three gems in a row.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Bejeweled Readme: Credits Archived June 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ Bejeweled Readme Archived June 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Mark Ward (2008-03-18). "Casual games make a serious impact". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
  4. ↑ Hester, Larry (October 21, 2013). "Inside Bejeweled: An Interview with Executive Producer Heather Hazen". Complex.
  5. ↑ Brendan Sinclair (3 March 2011). "Polishing Bejeweled". GameSpot. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Entry of Bejeweled on Apple's Web App listing". Apple, Inc. October 11, 2007. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011.
  7. ↑ Tom Curtis (2011-12-13). "PopCap Tries Hand At HTML5 With New Bejeweled Release". Gamasutra.
  8. ↑ Cowan, Danny (May 18, 2012). "Top iPad game apps: Bejeweled HD leads paid charts in debut week". Gamesutra. UBM Techweb. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  9. ↑ T. Walsh (2014). "Candy Crush is NP-Hard". arXiv:1403.1911.
  10. ↑ L. Gualà; S. Leucci; E. Natale (2014). "Bejeweled, Candy Crush and other Match-Three Games are NP-Hard". arXiv:1403.5830.
  11. ↑ BeJeweled 6, 7, and 8 in a Row from eDepot.com
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