Contest Closed
There is a reason that PopCap’s classic casual game, Bejewled, has inspired an entire genre of match-three puzzle games. If I had any doubt as to why, it was to put to rest when I spent the entire night playing the new iPad version, Bejewled HD (sold separately for iPhone). It’s not exactly Bejeweled 3, but it’s amazingly close and with five modes of play, still as fresh and fun as it was when the original browser game was released back in 2001.
If by some chance there is a reader out there not familiar with Bejewled in any incarnation the game is very simple. Players swap adjacent tiles to create chains of three or more like-colored gems. When a chain is made the jewels explode of the board making way for more to drop from the top. Longer chains create special jewels with power-ups and in the classic version play continues across a series of levels until no more matches are possible.
Bejeweled HD offers the classic mode with amazingly rich graphics and perfect controls, and like the latest desktop iteration has several other modes of play as well. For those looking for a stress-free marching session the Zen mode not only offers relaxed gameplay, but even soothing ambient sounds and positive affirmations.
There are also two new modes: Butterflies and Diamond Mine. In the former players race the clock to free colorful butterflies from the playing field. They react like regular gems, but don’t let them reach the top of the board or they become a spider’s lunch. In Diamond Mine players try to match gems at the bottom of the screen in order to blast through the ground and keep the game going. There are all sorts of treasures to unearth along the way. Fans of Bejeweled Blitz, a time-sensitive mode, haven’t been left out either. Bejeweled HD links to the free, universal app.
Bejeweled HD is Game Center enabled, has a ton of badges to win, and the Retina graphics are nothing short of stellar, especially on the third generation iPad. I was so enthralled by the look, in fact, I not only topped the leaderboards with my best Classic score ever, I actually had no idea I was doing it.
What makes Bejewled HD such a wonderful and enduring title is that it takes full advantage of everything iOS and the new iPad can do but retains the simplicity and charm of the original game. For casual iPad gamers this one is a no-brainer. Get Bejewelled HD and see why the iconic franchise remains the best in class.
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Contest Closed - The winner entered by tweet. Congrats to E Beck @tannawings!
If you liked this, try these:
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- 10Ton’s Classic Azkend Is Still The Best Matching Puzzler On iOS
- Zinio Updates For iPad Retina Display – Still The Best Alternative To Newsstand For Magazines On iOS
- InnerSpin: An Addictive Color Matching Puzzler For iOS
- Candy Town Is Matching Sweetness
I want
i want
Oh really nice game!
It’s a match 3 game…
Nice review. I’ve been a Bejeweled fan since the beginning so I’ll definitely look into this one.
Been playing the iphone version on the ipad and the quality is so bad.
Bejeweled is hours of fun
i want!
Great app! O love Bejeweled for iPhone! Lets play in the iPad!
Ooh, this is one of the Popcap games I haven’t tried. I do hope to try it if I win.
I’ve been playing Bejeweled since it first came out for the PC. I’m thrilled I will now be able to play it on my iPad.
Looks fantastic, played the heck out of bejeweled on my iPhone, I think my ipad might need some action as well.
I have always love bejeweled, can’t wait to get my hands on it. Hopefully I win.
Gimme
I would love to play Bejeweled HD on my new iPad, I’m a big fan of the iPhone version. GameCenter support is would mean this will really be a time-killer.
love games by PopCap. like ‘Butterfly’ mode
Looks sweet.
Aside from the look of it, is it any different to Bejeweled for iPhone?
nope, it’s the same as iPhone but bigger and brighter
Hires addiction. Awesome until my wife finds out. Shhh
I love Bejewled! It will be amazing on iPad!
Amazing match three game!
Loved the iPhone version, can’t wait to try the iPad version. Thanks for the chance!
I want)
Man, with all the “match 3″ type games out there, I’m still excited about all the modes in this one! Great work, guys!
My way please.
Such an awesome giving away! Tweeted as @springlong on twitter! Thank you very much!
Yes . I wait this awesome app long times . Hope me win it. Thank you.
Classic match-3 game, hope to win!
Who doesn’t like Bejeweled?!
Looks great
Anyone else out there who is not so familiar with this game wondering what the difference might be between the various iterations, like Bejeweled, Bejeweled 2, Bejeweled Blitz?
First of all I’m very excited about Bejeweled HD. Everything looks great so far I just can’t wait until they add more modes like they’ve been doing.
@iCoco: Bejeweled as it was originally on the PC was the first game in the series. All this game really featured was the Classic mode. Bejeweled 2 again originally on the PC but later appeared on consoles & handhelds added more modes like puzzles, action and endless. Bejeweled Blitz is a Facebook specific version of the game that challenges you to get the best score in 1 minute. With this game you can share scores, track your ranking and number of badges as well as compare scores with friends on the leaderboards. Next you have Bejeweled Twist which is more of a spin-off to the series rather than a sequel. With Twist instead of swapping gems left & right or up & down, you would rotate clusters of four gems either clockwise or counter-clockwise. Finally then you have Bejeweled 3 which is in my opinion the best one so far. It is a direct sequel to Bejeweled 2 and this time the graphics are so much nicer and there is a bunch of new gameplay modes all very good in their own rights.
Now in specific regards to iOS when iDevices first launched you had just Bejeweled available. That eventually became deprecated by the release of Bejeweled 2+Blitz which included 2 and Blitz in one app. This in turn eventually became deprecated as well when Blitz was released as a standalone app designed to be so much better than it’s previous pack-in existence. Also released then was the Bejeweled app as mentioned in this article. It is not a direct port of the PC version but rather only includes some of the modes at this point. With the whole game eventually get ported over? Well I hope so, but don’t know for sure.
The game was initially available for iPhone only but now thanks to the app in this article is available on iPad with retina display support. This theoretically means the iOS version can look better than any other version out there can and this is both mind-blowing and truly awesome.
My only complaint is that I wish instead of releasing a separate HD version of this game that they would have just updated the iPhone version to be universal, but since PopCap is a subsidiary of EA this choice may not have entirely been theirs to make.
@DaFees: Thank you very much for taking the time to give such an in depth explanation. I see much clearer now. I like Bejeweled, indeed it’s the only game that always kept its place on my iPhone from the day since I bought it. But being only an occasional player the different versions have always led to quite some confusion on my side. Thanks for helping me through that jungle.
hey DaFees – if you ant to write a few reviews email me lisa@apptudes.com
I am so in for this!
Love this game!
Love this game and wish to have a copy
I love playing Bejeweled and it would be great to win the HD version for my iPad.
I would love a copy.
It’s great to see this on the app store. it looks beautiful and awesome.
Me want.
I have this on my iPhone, but would love to gift it to my mother for her iPad. My parents are obsessed with it.
I have it in my iPhone and i’ll loved to have it in my iPad as well tnks!
INSTANT-PLAY! Been waiting for this one! Looks great
So happy with this release. This is an amazing giveaway!
epic…..
I love Bejeweled
Awesome! Almost the best match-3 puzzle game.
Really in need of this game.
Love this game!
It looks COMPLETELY different from the iPhone game. It has great design & graphics. It’s like a mobile, sample of Bejeweled 3
Best iOS match-three game of all time!!! Gotta try this one.
Been waiting a long time for this and it is finally here.
I really want to play it!
this is a PERFECT example of how a IOS game should be !
I’m really picky about choosing games but this one is a must!!! there are so many awesome things in this game.
I like
Instant classic. The visuals are stunning and it could be lots of fun.