Bejeweled Twist

Classic

The player attempts to match gems together, and the resulting matches contribute to a level up bar at the left of the screen. When the bar is filled, the player is warped onward to the next level. The game ends when an active Bomb Gem or Doom Gem counts down to zero and the disarm spinner lands on a skull, at which point the game board and the spaceship is destroyed, and the game ends.

Zen

The Zen mode is similar to the Classic mode, but do not include Bomb, locked, or Doom gems, therefore it continues endlessly and the player can never lose. This mode does still have coal for extra bonuses. This mode is intended for beginners and for those who want a more relaxed pace of gameplay.

Challenge

Challenge is unlocked when you get to Rank 3 (Rotator).

Challenge Mode is made up of several different challenges. On each planet, the player is given a specific challenge to complete. On the PC and Mac version, all the planets at the start (except Detonator) are locked. When at least the first challenge on a planet is completed, the next planet is unlocked. Every time a challenge is completed, the player is given stars. Each planet has seven challenges that increase in difficulty. After completing the seventh challenge, the planet's challenge turns into an ECLIPSE mode, where the player is given to make the highest objective possible in 3 minutes (except for Stratamax and Survivor). There are 13 planets to clear.

Blitz

Blitz is unlocked when Level 10 in Classic Mode is completed for the first time. This mode is unlocked at the beginning in the Steam version.

Blitz is the new name for the original Bejeweled game's timed mode. The gameplay is the same as in Classic mode, but with a time limit of five minutes to amass as many points as possible. In the web version, the time limit is three minutes. The game ends when a Bomb Gem counts down to zero, or when time runs out. As the game progresses, the announcer will alert the player how much time remains, starting at one-minute intervals, then thirty seconds, and finally at ten seconds, where a countdown can be heard.

Battle

Battle Mode is exclusive to the Nintendo DS version of the game. It lets the player battle against another player. The player who fills the battle tube first wins.

Special Gems

These are in different forms, and they can be created by matching more than 3 gems in a row, or in different conditions.

Flame Gem

Flame Gems are created when 4 gems on a straight line, a T, a +, or an L-shaped line of gems are matched. It appears as a gem surrounded with fire. When matched or detonated, it dentonates and eliminates gems in a 3x3 square.

Lightning Gem

Lightning Gems are created when 5 gems are matched in a row. It appears as a gem full of electricity. When matched or detonated, it destroys all the gems on its row and column.

Supernova Gem

Supernova Gems are created when 6 or more gems are matched in a straight line. This can only be created by a cascade. It appears as a burning electric gem. When matched or detonated, it destroys three rows and columns of gems from where the gem was detonated. It can be seen as a combination of a Flame and Lightning Gem.

Fruit Gem

Fruit Gems are created when maxing out the x10 Multiplier twice. The multiplier does not upgrade after the 10th multiplier. Instead, when the multiplier is filled and the player makes another match, a yellow tick will turn to a rainbow tick. When all the rainbow ticks are filled, the multiplier bar shoots out a beam that turns any bad gem (ex: the bomb with the lowest number) into a Fruit Gem. If there are no Bad Gems, a random gem on the board is turned into a Fruit Gem. When matched or detonated, the Fruit Gem shoots out 3 rings of pulse energy that makes all the gems of its color shake and adds ticks to the bombs, and the 4th ring destroys all the gems of the Fruit Gem's color, as well as any locking gems and Lock gems. Any other Fruit Gems cleared due to having the same color as the Fruit Gem that was matched acts like a Flame Gem instead. The Fruit Gem also adds 10 extra ticks to any leftover Bomb Gems or Doom Gems. After that, the bonus turns into a Mega Fruit Bonus. When the Mega Fruit Bonus is completed, fruits will dance on the screen and give the player a big score bonus, and after the bonus, another fruit gem will appear. Fruit Gems do not affect Locking Doom Gems. Its result is similar to Hypercube.

Coal

Coal gems appear randomly. Coal can't be matched, but when it's destroyed by the explosion of a Flame, Lightning, or Supernova Gem, it breaks open and geodes pop out from the coal and each geode that appears give a score bonus.

Ice Gems

created by matching 5 gems in an X formation.

It could stop Bomb and Doom Gems from counting down as well as stopping the Chain Meter from decreasing.

It still allows time to continue ticking down in timed modes though.

Trivia for Ice Gems

The notification that appears when an Ice Gem is seen for the first time would have been the only one in Bejeweled Twist that highlights the name of the gem with lavender text color.

Whenever a move is performed while under the effects of an Ice Gem, the Gem Rotator emits small bursts of sparkles as it spin.

When matching an Ice Gem, The Background turns blue and the music will pause itself until the Ice effect disappears.

The ice effect lasts for 4 moves but you can make it last longer by matching more ice gems.

This would have been the only type of match in the Bejeweled franchise that does not require a line of gems to be made.

It is possible to re-enable the ice gem by modifying the game's files, but the ice gem will only work in Challenge mode

Angel Gems

This is the rarest Special gem in the game that is created by making a + match with 5 gems and it will remove all bad gems onscreen. When the game is hacked and an Angel Gem is matched in-game, the game crashes, as it was not coded before it was scrapped. When you restart the game, the gems remain the arrangement just before the Angel Gem is cleared.

Bad Gems

The gems over here give obstacles for the player and can end the game. None of these bad gems appear in Zen mode. At the end of every level in Classic mode, all the bad gems are destroyed.

Bomb Gems

This is the most dangerous gem in the game. These gems appear starting at Level 2 in Classic mode, and instantly in Blitz Mode.

The gem appears as a gem with a mine. Every time a twist is made, the number on the bomb goes down by 1. On later levels, they start with a lower number. Starting at level 15, Bomb Gems have their timers start at 7 whenever they enter the board. The player must clear the Bomb Gems before the bomb timer reaches 0. When the bomb timer reaches 8, the bomb starts to emit smoke, the number flashes red, and the bomb starts shaking. When the bomb timer reaches 5, the bomb plays a sound every time a twist is made, giving a warning, and the music adds some extra instruments and plays faster. In Classic Mode, if the Bomb Gem reaches 0, the Disarm Spinner appears. In Blitz mode, should a Bomb Gem reach 0, the game immediately ends.

Trivia for Bomb gems

According to evidence found inside the game files of Bejeweled Twist, it seems that Bomb Gems were originally known as Counter Gems.

If you use a Fruit Gem to extend a Bomb Gem by 10 moves, it is possible for the number of moves on it to go over 20.

It is possible to modify one of the XML's to change the default number of moves on the bomb gem, and/or not make it count down one move when starting the next level, One instance where it will be achieved is by changing the number of moves to 35.

The highest possible number of moves that can be on a bomb gem, if extended by hacking, is 2,147,483,647; if extended by a Fruit Gem, the number on the bomb will just flash red (as it does when the bomb ticks down to 8 moves) and it will not count down any further with any move.

Disarm Spinner

When a bomb hits 0, the Disarm Spinner appears, giving the player one last chance to destroy the bomb. A wheel of 8 gems will appear, but 2 gems will immediately turn into Skulls. The wheel will then start spinning, and the player must click on "Click to Stop" (or touch to stop) to stop spinning the wheel.

If the spinner lands on the pair of gems, the bomb will match with the gems, disarming the bomb. 6 more ticks will also be added to any remaining Bomb and Doom Gems.

If the spinner lands on the pair of skulls, the bomb will ignite, and explode, destroying the spaceship, the board, and the planet cube, and the game ends.

Each time a bomb hits 0, two more pairs will turn into skulls until one pair of gems is left. The Disarm Spinner doesn't appear in Blitz mode, so if a bomb hits 0, it instantly explodes and the game ends.

The Disarm Spinner doesn't affect Doom Gems.

Locked Gems

These gems start appearing in level 4 in Classic mode, but in later levels, they appear more frequently. It doesn't appear in Blitz mode, but they appear in the challenge mode Survivor.

At a random point, a lock will appear over a gem. If the gem isn't matched in the next move, it will turn into a locked gem. A locked gem can't be twisted, but it can still be matched to destroy the lock.

Doom Gems

These deadly gems start appearing at level 13 in Classic. Like Lock Gems, they don't appear in Blitz mode. However, Doom Gems do appear in the challenge modes Survivor and Chain Reaction (only in Eclipse mode).

At a random point, like a lock gem, a slightly larger lock with small spikes and purple vapor will appear over a gem. If the gem isn't matched after the next move, it becomes a Doom Gem.

Doom Gems are a unique combination of a Coal, Bomb, and Locked Gem. Like coals, they can't be matched. They tick down like Bomb Gems, but only after matchless moves. Like Locked Gems, they can't be moved.

Only one Doom Gem appears on the board at a time. The gem has a countdown number like a Bomb Gem. If the Doom Gem's number hits 0, it instantly explodes with no chance to disarm it, and the game ends. It cannot be moved or matched, the Doom Gem can only be destroyed by the explosion of a Flame, Lightning, or Supernova Gem.

In Classic Mode, the lowest starting number for a Doom Gem is 9. Only one Doom Gem appears per level starting at level 13.

In Survivor mode, the Doom Gem is set to a counter of 20, whereas in Eclipse, the Doom Gem is instead set to a counter of 15.

In Chain Reaction (only Eclipse mode), the Doom Gem is set to a counter of 1 to make the challenge more difficult.

Trivia for Doom Gems

The notification that appears when a Doom Gem is seen for the first time is the only one in the game that highlights the name of the gem with red text color.

Unlike Locking Gems, Locking Doom Gems do not a have a unique mouseover description.

The sound of a Doom Gem exploding is slightly different from that of a Bomb Gem.

The animation slows down a little bit whenever a Doom Gem is destroyed, similar to Coal Gems.

Similar to Bomb Gems, the number displayed on the front of a Doom Gem has a colored outline: red-violet.

According to early screenshots of Bejeweled Twist, the color of the number displayed on the front of a Doom Gem was originally violet and the outline of the number was bright gray.

According to evidence found inside the game files of Bejeweled Twist, it seems that Doom Gems were originally known as Devil Gems.

Although Doom Gems do not appear in Bejeweled Blitz and Bejeweled 3, graphics of them can be found inside the game files of those games.

The sound of the Doom Gem ticking down is the same as the sound heard in Bejeweled 3 when a new Bomb Gem appears on the screen.

The lock on a Locking Doom Gem is slightly larger than the lock on a regular Locking Gem, and also has spikes on it.

It is possible to clear the Locking Doom Gem in two moves, but it takes timing and speed to execute it.

Skull Gems

It has no graphics and instead appears as a bare space on the board. Using a hex editor, you can make Skull Gems appear on the board.

Through a hex edit modification to the game's files, it is revealed that when a Skull appears, it continuously chomps and destroys the gems below it without regard of move. The game is over when it reaches the bottom of the board. Thus the player is required to actively "juggle" the Skull and to destroy it with Special Gems in a quick manner to end the threat.

Trivia for Skull Gems

In the Spanish version of Bejeweled Twist, Skull Gems and Doom Gems share the same name.

According to evidence found inside the game files, it appears the Skull Gem would have appeared in Level 25 and later in Classic Mode. If this setting is changed, the game will freeze before it gets to the main menu.

If the Skull Gem reaches the bottom of the board, the game ends and the game crashes.

The message when the Skull Gem first appears shows "What's this? This SKULL is chomping thru your gems! Destroy it before it hits the bottom!" and "If the Skull reaches the bottom, it will destroy one of your Shards!"!

It's possible that "Shards" is a scrapped mechanic, possibly for a mini game.