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REVIEWPopCap rarely does anything without giving it a lot of thought. Nowhere is this more apparent than in last year’s Facebook hit Bejeweled Blitz. PopCap’s first foray into social gaming was a resounding success, boasting more than 25 million players since its launch. Now PopCap is doing what comes naturally – trying to put that success in as many places as they can. First they added Blitz to the sublime Bejeweled 2 on the iPhone. Now they’ve come along and released a full download version of Blitz for the PC and Mac.
In case you’ve somehow managed to miss the previous versions, Bejeweled Blitz is a rethinking of the Bejeweled franchise that focuses on one-minute play sessions. The basic match-3 gameplay is still here, but rather than trying to progress through levels, solve puzzles, or tackle anything you might have associated with previous versions of Bejeweled, the entirety of the gameplay here is about getting as high a score as you possibly can in under 60 seconds.
Many of the special gems from Bejeweled 2 make a comeback, like power gems and hypercubes – but others join in the fun too. Star gems that get created whenever you form an “L” or “T” wipe out all of the gems in both the star gem’s row and column. Multiplier gems are created whenever you create a large cascade or chain a number of other power gems together in one move. These multipliers are the key to the whole game, as they can quickly be the difference between a 100,000 score and a 1,000,000.
The game also features coin gems, which when matched with other yellow gems will add to your in-game bank. The coins can be spent between rounds on special power-ups called boosts. There are five boosts to pick from that range from adding time to your next round to giving you a starting multiplier or the ability to blow up all your special gems without making a match.
While it may be a standalone PC download, the latest iteration of Bejeweled Blitz still ties into the overall Facebook experience. When you boot the game up you’ll be given the choice of logging into Facebook via Facebook Connect or playing offline. And while the game remains the same regardless, few would argue that a big part of the appeal in Bejeweled Blitz is competing against your friends for a high score. As such, the offline mode will likely appeal solely to those who still staunchly refuse to join the popular social networking site. Read more...
