Customer Reviews

Bejeweled Twist

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I am the rare player who has never played Bejeweled - until this arrived. I have played three-in-a-row games and have gotten attuned to them and having fun.

I did not realize the shift in thinking, planning and playing that Bejeweled Twist would require. Though it too is a three-in-a-row game, the process of getting there is more like going from two dimensions to three. (I know the analogy isn't exact, but a better one doesn't come to mind.)

The big change was obviously rotating four, rather than two, gems around an axis. The second change that I had to remind myself of often was that each "move" did not have to result in a "three-in-a-row" match being made. I could plan several moves ahead to get gems lined up for (hopefully) four or more matched.

The biggest change was getting used to the bomb gems ticking down - and rather quickly I thought! I found myself having tunnel vision and not checking the entire board often enough to notice the bombs soon enough.

The graphics were well done and the controls and play went smoothly with the stylus. The tutorial left a lot to be desired. It assumed the "new" player already had a considerable knowledge of this type of game. The manual was similarly lacking.

There seems to be enough levels to keep a player busy for quite a while and the replay value should also be large. That's a lot of fun for the price.

For older players, this game requires quick thinking and quick fingers for the normal mode of play. BUT, and this is a huge "but" (one "t"), there is a "Zen" option that allows play without the bombs and pressure.

Play for the fun of playing - a concept that game designers should allow in all games. Put in the requirements for unlocking stuff for those who want them; but allow others to unlock everything and just play the game. Everyone's happy. Designers, think - more sales.

Five stars of fun plus one star for the "Zen" option, but minus one star for the lack of decent explanations.

I am a HUGE fan of Bejeweled. I play it on my iPod Touch and on my computer, both the Blitz version on Facebook and the standard Bejeweled PC version. It's one of those games that you can easily get lost in for an hour or more. When I ordered Bejeweled Twist I knew that it would be different than the other versions I'm used to playing, because of the "Twist". Luckily it wasn't so different that I didn't love it just as much.

When you begin there are 2 modes of play open; Classic and Zen. I decided to try classic first as I assumed that it would be most like what I was familiar with. Immediately I found out what the "Twist" was! Instead of sliding the gems around to match up, this has you rotating 4 gems clockwise to make your matches. The nice part about this change is that you can rotate them even if it doesn't make a match, which allows you to set up your next move. I have to admit that it threw me for quite a loop and I had to take my time to get used to the new controls. (Note: The initial settings have it at 2 taps to rotate, but I changed it to 1 tap which I prefer for speed.)

Once I felt like I had gotten the hang of it I moved on to Zen and it was in this mode and about 30 minutes of play that I was able to open up the third level; Challenge. And it was there that Pop Cap had me HOOKED! In this mode you have different planets to choose from and each will provide a different "Challenge". Just a couple of examples are: 3x Cascading Gems, Clear 25 Gems in one move, Detonate 5 Lightning Gems in 5 Minutes, Clear 70 Gems in 20 moves, etc. In total there are 13 planets and each planet has 7 challenges for a total of 91 additional games! Last night I played one challenge for over 2 hours and still didn't complete it.

Overall this is a fantastic new version of Bejeweled! Pop Cap made some great updates and new features that make this game a MUST HAVE for any fan. Add in the reasonable pricing and the amount of play you can expect to get and you can't go wrong in buying this.

Length:: 2:01 Mins

Addictive & a Game You Have In Your Game Library Forever.

I have been waiting for this game for quite some time now. The DS has had many Bejeweled knockoffs like: Seven Wonders, Quest Trio, Jewel Master, etc. The list goes on and on for the Nintendo DS. Of course, i wanted the original. I never had Bejeweled on the PC, but i downloaded a free Demo on the PS3 and was disappointed with it because you can only rotate and move the jewels left, right, up, or down. Sometimes you won't have three of the same jewels in a sequence and of course the aim of the game is to line them up. Unfortunately, i would constantly get a pop up error message saying that i am not allowed to move the jewel here or there unless there all the same & in groups of three. Needless to say, i gave up.

I picked up Bejeweled Twist for the DS & i LOVE it. I am in pure game heaven. You get three different modes: Original, Zen, and Challenge mood. This is different from the one i played on the PS3 because you are allowed to rotate the jewels in groups of four which in my opinion makes things so much easier. This game reminds me a lot of Tetris and it's an addictive puzzle game that will keep you entertained for hours. Whether it is on a train ride to work or a long plane ride to your next destination - this will be the game that you want to have with you on your journeys, so you don't get bored. A true must have portable game for your Nintendo DS. Thanks Nintendo. Loves ya much!

My sister and I enjoy playing the fast and furious gem-matching fun game Bejeweled Twist. It's simple to play, yet insidiously addictive puzzle game. Challenge 'Normal' mode and you continue until you have no more legal moves. 'Time Trial' mode is even more exciting as you match gems to earn more time and clear the levels. Incredibly simple to learn yet tough to master, you owe it to yourself to have this dazzling classic in your games library. This game is fantastic fun for the entire family.

Pros:

+ Fun and addictive
+ Unlockable gameplay modes
+ Two Player versus mode!

- Cons:
- I'm being challenged to vs. mode, I have to finish this review quick!

Now that Bejeweled Twist has come to the DS, it can go wherever we go!

If you're new to the Bejeweled world, don't worry - after you enter your name and choose a gameplay mode (either Classic or Zen), the "How to play" option gives a tutorial on how to start your gem-matching addiction.

As you begin the game, you start at the level of Trainee, with the following modes available:

"Classic" - This is the regular game of matching with bombs, coal, and locked gems.
"Zen" - This mode of play is at your leisure, with no worries about time limits or bombs.

The tutorial is interactive, and guides you through matching gems and filling up the Tube. After that, you rise to the rank of Graduate and head out to the next level.

As you play, you learn about the following:

Flame Gems (made by matching 4 gems in a row)
Lightning Gems (matching 5 gems in a row)
Coal Pieces (these can only be broken open with lightning or flame gems)
Locked Gems (these can't be moved, but can be matched!)
Bomb Gems (these must be matched before the timer expires)
Fruit Gems (these gems are created by maxing out the multiplier)

Once you earn enough stars, you can unlock the other two gameplay modes:

"Blitz" - Try to see how many points you can get with 5 minutes on the clock!
"Challenge" - This mode has challenges to test your skill as well as your patience, and each challenge has 7 levels to complete:

- Detonator
- Spectrum
- Coal Mine
- Chain Reaction
- Gem Fall
- Preserver
- Firestorm
- Stratamax
- Arsenal
- Bonanza
- Survivor
- Voltage
- Enigma

All the modes from the PC version are here, but the DS version has an excellent extra - 2 player battle mode! You have to match gems quicker than your opponent - one wrong move, and you're history! Each person starts out with a basic spaceship icon, so while you earn victories; you earn upgrades to your ship as well.

My spouse has gotten so good at this game, she typically beats me every 3 out of 4 games we play!

This game has a little something for everyone:

Do you like playing for a high score? Head into Blitz mode.
Want to earn the rank of Spinner 1st class? Hit Classic mode.
Are you stressed out and just looking for some fun? Relax with Zen mode.
Itching to prove your smarts? Challenge mode is calling.
Want to prove your Gem-tastic skills? Take on another player in Battle Mode!

It's rated E for Everyone, so everyone can enjoy the pure fun this game has to offer. Whether you're staying in on a rainy day or carpooling to work, this game will keep you Twistin'!

I hated this game. Perhaps my dislike stems from the fact that I was really hoping for something more like the original. Why did they have to ruin a good thing? I find it difficult to use the stylus to twist jewels to where you want them. It seems like I'm battling more with trying to actually rotate correctly rather than focusing on the actual game. It's disappointing. Obviously quite a few people do like this game, but I just became frustrated with the mechanics. I hope that Pop Cap will release the original game for DS in the future.

I am a long time player of Bejeweled on my PC and my cell phone. I enjoy this new version for DS, however I am very disappointed that they do not include the original version with which many people are familiar. The DS version does include an `original' mode but unlike Bejeweled, where you exchange adjacent gems to make rows of 3, 4, 5, etc., the DS Classic mode, which looks like the PC version, makes you rotate a group of four adjacent jewels to make sets or 3 or more. Classic mode on DS also includes time bombs which you must match before time expires. Another nice twist (no pun intended). There also are locked jewels which cannot be rotated in other positions.

It is not that this is worse, or better, just different. I enjoy playing the Classic mode on DS, and the other modes, Zen and Challenge are fun also. I would have just liked if they included the "vanilla flavor" of Bejeweled.

Zen is fun. It is slower paced - no exploding time bombs or locked gems. In that respect it is the closest to the original. I would recommend Zen mode for beginners so they can learn at their own pace.
Challenge mode must be unlocked. This is simple to do by playing Classic or Zen a little to build up points. Challenge mode is sort of the "mini games" of Bejeweled. It gives the player different challenges they must overcome. Detonating gems in a time frame, clearing a specific number of gems in limited number of moves, and so on.

Overall, this is a fun game which can occupy lots of time - it's addictive and you can find yourself playing for hours. But I think they missed big by not including the original variation. I am giving it 5 stars because it is an excellent game in its own right, and if I didn't know of the original I would love it just the same. But be forewarned that if you get it because you want the version you are familiar with on a phone or PC, this one is somewhat different.

I never played the original Bejeweled, but Twist is certainly another respectable entry from PopCap (maker of Plants vs Zombies). The game is basically matching rows of gems to break them while trying to chain breaks together for increased points.

When I first played this game, I was confused by the complete lack of challenge. The only mode that is unlocked from the start is a training mode called Zen. There are no dangers. You just match jewels forever apparently to get the feel of the game and test strategies.

The actual game is called Classic which unlocks after playing Zen. Here there are progressing levels of difficulty involving locked gems and bombs. It's really not worth discussing in detail. The challenge is in figuring out the strategies that work for you.

There are a number of other modes to unlock that are discussed in the manual. There's multiplayer as well. You can play with the gamepad or the stylus. I find the stylus play rather annoying and opted for the pad. One thing I don't like about this game is that you can only twist gems in one direction. It plays into the difficulty, but also makes it tedious at times.

This is a fine game at a decent price. You can spend many hours wasting away in this game. It's not too frantic and can be rather challenging. It does not compare to Tetris, however, as far as I am concerned. Good old Tetris is one of the most fulfilling puzzle-type games. Bejeweled is more of a trial and error type game where things you didn't intend to happen may happen to your benefit. Tetris is far more deliberate and therefore more rewarding.

I got this for my birthday a week ago and couldn't wait to pop it in my DS. I'm one of those folks that love puzzle and word games, and I love strategy games that have goals that can be attained. This game has all that. Tolerable music, a wide variety of games, from 'do this in five minutes' to challenges that can last for hours, to the classic game which you can play for a high score.

I like that it has a 'save where you were' function if you have to bail on a game. Nothing annoys me more than to work on a game and have to abandon it, or resign yourself to hours and hours of brain numbing play.

I recommend this to any puzzle loving gamer of any age.

ETA: It's now September and I've been playing the game since February. I did fine a little glitch which I took photos of, where basically 3 gems were matched but didn't explode. I've also finished all the challenges and maxed out Zen. Zen maxes out at level 99....You play 99, fill up the tube, and it's magically level 98 again. So 'limitless alien worlds' really means '99 levels' :)

I'm at rank 36 right now.

1 Graduate
2 Junior Rotator
3 Rotator
4 Senior Rotator
5 Spinner
6 Spinner First Class
7 Chain Spinner
8 Blast Spinner
9 Senior Spinner
10 Twister
11 Twister First Class
12 Flame Spinner
13 Flame Twister
14 Flame Weaver
15 Power Twister
16 Master Twister
17 Junior Gem Spinner
18 Apprentice Gem Spinner
19 Gem Spinner
20 Gem Spinner First Class
21 Senior Gem Spinner
22 Power Gem Spinner
23 Lightening Spinner
24 Lightening Twister
25 Lightening Weaver
26 Junior Bejeweler
27 Apprentice Bejeweler
28 Bejeweler
29 Bejeweler First Class
30 Super Rotator
31 Fruit Spinner
32 Super Twister
33 Super Bejeweler
34 Major Rotator
35 Mega Twister (I think, I forgot to write this one down so I'm going from memory)
36 Mega Jeweler

I do have an issue with the 'speed bonus' that you get...when you get that the words splash across the screen. Well, they often make me lose track of where I am, so it's hard to get past the main speed bonus to get to the others. Pretty distracting.

So, 7 months later and I'm still playing and still enjoying.

I absolutely love Bejeweled 2. I've been waiting and waiting for a Bejeweled for DS because Bejeweled makes my laptop fry my legs, and I have an ancient ipod Touch that used to have it on, but when the game itself upgraded, it became too sophisticated for my Touch, and although I bought it for the Touch I can't play it.

So all I wanted was Bejeweled, to play while watching TV.

Here's what I liked doing with Bejeweled 2. I like making those big squashy looking pearly white shapes you get with five in a row. I am too dumb to make those ones with this rotate thing. Because you're moving two shapes into your line of five it seems close to impossible to make them the right pair without completing a three. It can be done, because I've done it by accident, but I can't work out how. So problem 1 is I am too stupid for it. And the thing I loved doing I can't do.

Thing I liked doing 2. I love building scores. I built a gigantic score on my Touch, I can't remember what it was, it was in the 8 figure region, and I was very proud of myself for wasting that much my life on a plinky little game that in no way helped my work or my family. But what a score! And with none of the cheats I've heard are out there. Just good hard work. So people have said there's this Zen level if you don't want a frantic time-paced game, and the thing is that is for me a HUGE feature of Bejeweled, no race against time. Because I've tried things like Zoo Keeper and they get my goat, all the urgency. With Bejeweled I can watch Mad Men and look up to catch the nuance Don is throwing with a single irked smolder or something, and then Bejeweled is right there waiting for me. Lovely Bejeweled. So, the natural choice for me is Zen, then, if I ever smart up enough to make my strings of five deliberately?

Nope. Zen goes on forever. You can't get it wrong. Scores are meaningless because there's no end, nothing to be proud of. Given enough time, my 2 year old would press enough buttons to get an 8 figure score on Zen. You just have to not break your DS. You just have to keep playing.

In summary:

If you liked Bejeweled for a combination of calm, easiness, the gentle tease of trying to beat your last score, if you are not that bright, avoid, avoid. I mean, in a way it's no more irritating than the other Bejeweled imitations that wreck what's great about the original (or rather B2, I will obviously accept some tinkering). But because it's not Bejeweled and it looks like Bejeweled and it adds nothing to Bejeweled, it only gets one star because I'm so disappointed.