It’s time for even more gem-matching craziness with a brand new installment of PopCap Games’ Bejeweled.
Remember when Bejeweled 2 was given away for free and it was awesome? That may have been to whet your appetite for Bejeweled 3. PopCap Games recently announced the third game in the core Bejeweled series, and it’s scheduled to launch next month.
PopCap is looking to legitimize the release of a new game where you basically just match gems by expanding on the concept and adding and bunch of new modes. Bejeweled 3 will have the Classic “match-3” gameplay type that the series is known for, in addition to modes such as Zen, Lightning, and Quest available from the get-go. Zen is meant as a relaxing experience, featuring ambient sounds and “binaural beats,” while Lighting will charge things up by enabling players to blast gems with electricity.
Quest is an intriguing addition that brings players through 40 different puzzles made up of 11 mini-games. One of these games is Balance, where the board must be kept balanced as specific gems are matched. Bejeweled 3 also includes four all-new secret modes like Poker, Ice Storm, and Butterflies. PopCap says these “offer surprising new interpretations of the Bejeweled theme,” and diverge from simple gem-matching.
But wait, that’s not all. Bejeweled 3 will add new gems, HD graphics, high-fidelity audio, “ultra-smooth” gameplay that will allow players to make matches as gems fall into place, and it’ll give players the opportunity to earn 65 badges/achievements. I wasn’t initially excited about matching gems again, but this is a lot. I think PopCap could have another multi-million seller on its hands, and the company did it without relying solely on the Bejeweled name.
Bejeweled 3 will be released for the PC and Mac on December 7.
Source: PopCap Games
