I don't know Bejewelled, but it looks like yet another Match-3 game. There are too many of them, even if there's some variation on the theme in some. What's it that makes this not another Match-3 game? Or does it only look like one, but follows a completely different way of playing?

Bejeweled (by PopCap Games - link) is the most popular iteration of the "match three" variety that I know of.

So, in that sense it is in fact a "match three" style game. However, unlike other games of this type, each gem has a specific effect. There are four mana colors, skulls which damage your opponent, and gold rings.

BattleJewels is set up as a match against the cpu, but you gain experience and level up your character, buy equipment, etc. after each match. So yes, I think it is rather different.

I probably shouldn't comment, as I haven't actually tried the game yet, but going from the screenshots: egads, I don't think it possibly could look any more like Puzzle Quest.

i think one of the draws of bejeweled is its pick up and play element.

its simple (you an swap the place to two items thats next to each other, but the swap only sticks if it results in one or both being part of a row of 3+ of equal type), but when played with a timer, it can become quite addictive.

i have a variant of bejeweled on a device with a touch screen and being able to play with one finger and the mind is close to zen like.

simple, pick up and play style games, while looking like a step back, is more a step forward imo. look at the number of them for the DS. where you can fire it up when you have some time to waste.

or the good old super mario with two direction and two buttons, where one speeds the character up so he can jump higher and longer but everything moves faster.

its the old "easy to learn, lifetime to master" like level of gaming that the bigger studios with their multi-million multimedia extravaganzas have lost sight of.

and if this game is chess like (you do one move, i do one) then it changes it a bit. you have to worry about what kinds of combos you set up for your opponent just as much as what you get out of doing something.

Michal: Sounds like Match-3 with a gimmick, like Cradle of Rome and so many other games. I think I'll skip it.

Well, it is match-3 with a gimmick, very similar to Puzzle Quest, but without a story or a global map, and visuals are suitable for a low-end handheld device, but not for PC. I'd really prefer Puzzle Quest. But since it isn't available for PC, I'll have to settle for this.

Cheap Puzzle Quest clone. Losers

It may help to keep in mind that this game was made for a mobile device as well, and done so by a single person. I am running it on my Zodiac, and it's quite fun.

As a port, the Windows version could be better, sure. Still, as mentioned above, it's the only thing like it on PC so far...

I can think of 5 Match-3 clones, either as standalone game or as minigame, with and without gimmicks, on the spot, so I wouldn't exactly call it a unique thing.

(Developer here) For the record, this has been in development a long time -- as mentioned above, its just me and a buddy for graphics and its taken a year or so to get this out. You might notice that PQ hasn't been out that long, so we here have the unfortunate coincidence of similar modifications to the genre both at once. PQ does go a different direction than I am though -- they've really done the RPG element very well, whereas I'm going more action-RPG .. more like Streetfighter. Head to head combat, with levelling up and gear and spells, but more action oriented. They've got more RPG and slow buildup, with crafting and so forth.

Battlejewels is low budget, not a cheap knockoff, thanks :)

Cheers,

jeff

(For history, you might consider Master of Magic and Magic: The Gathering as more influences; they're really what drove me the direction I was going, oddly enough.)

Good news is that the "advanced" game of this is less buggy than Puzzle Quest. I don't know why, but the DS version got more and mre buggy as I got further.

"I can think of 5 Match-3 clones, either as standalone game or as minigame, with and without gimmicks, on the spot, so I wouldn't exactly call it a unique thing."

Actually what I meant was that it's the only thing on PC like PQ, not other match-3 games. Just wanted to clarify...