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What does Jewel Master: Egypt have that other match-3s don't?
Match-3 games are a dime a dozen. For instance, there's a fancy new one called Gyromancer due out next week. It's a collaboration between Square/Enix and Popcap, based on a design by Infinite Interactive in which you level up a character in a fantasy RPG. I suspect I will be addicted. I'm easy when it comes to match-3 games. Who isn't?
So I can't really claim there's anything super-special about Jewel Master: Egypt that has hooked me. It's a mostly slavish imitation of the match-3 dynamic. But it's got a few unique twists that have secured it a place in the little tin I carry with my Nintendo DS that only has room for five games.
First is the theme of an ancient Egyptian city and the resources you need to develop it. This is a nice change of pace from colored gems. You're matching bags of flour, apples, bricks, lumber, spices, and so forth. Everything has a unique role in the meta-game, whether it's fueling some special spell ability or adding to your persistent stockpile so you can unlock new buildings.
Second is the meta-game itself. As you play, you spend your accumulated resources adding structures that unlock new gameplay mechanics. Once you've built enough structures, you advance to a new dynasty, which adds new gameplay mechanics. It's got a very city-builder sense of upwards and onwards.
Third are the different levels themselves. They have weird shapes. They have strange rules about unlocking squares and breaking chains. A lot of the levels have corridors or choke points. There's something labyrinthine about these puzzles. Some of them require very meticulous solutions. How very ancient Egyptian.
Fourth, this isn't a forgiving match-3. Many match-3 games are just a matter of marking time. You will play and you will succeed. You will take your time to study the board and find the best move. There is no failure and therefore there is no challenge. After all, match-3 games are for casual audiences who will not abide failure. That's not the case in Jewel Master: Egypt. Every level is timed and has a very specific goal. You have to unlock the scarab and then guide it to the bottom of the puzzle. And you have to do this before the water drains from the vase. If you don't want challenge or failure in your match-3, Jewel Master: Egypt is not for you.
Finally, there is no better platform for match-3 games than the Nintendo DS. As much as I adore Bejeweled: Twist, I would rather play a middling match-3 on my Nintendo DS than a superb match-3 on my PC or Xbox 360.
By George Brof brof@gmx.de at 11:16 AM ON 11/09/09
ahh.. match-3-games. I always go back to Bejeweled 2. It is such a fine balanced game (remember the 5-piece-combo creating a sphere)... my longest game was a 50 hour game (with in-between-saves of course).
Does Jewel Master has this kind of longevity, I wonder ...
By DragonIV at 11:29 AM ON 11/09/09
Sounds like Jewel Master borrows more than a little from the 7 Wonders phone game I've played far more than a little bit of, from the timed boards to the idea of choke points, and working stuff (in this case, building blocks) from the top of the puzzle to the bottom...in an Egyptian theme, too.
By Christoph at 12:28 PM ON 11/09/09
Match three games nowadays "don't got nothing" on Tetris Attack.
By Lizard Dude at 1:17 PM ON 11/09/09
Out of curiosity, what game did this boot out of the 5-game tin?
By Tom Chick at 4:44 PM ON 11/09/09
Mr. Dude, the 5-game tin -- it's a tiny Altoids box -- gets filled up whenever I travel, so it's empty right now. But I tend to mix it up with a little from each genre. I tend to bring along one of the Puzzle Quest games, and I think Jewel Master: Egypt would boot that one.
Mr. Brof, I think it would have quite a bit of longevity. I'm level 30 now, which means I've played 30 different "tables", and my city is in the 3rd dynasty, which means I'm unlocking the third tier of upgrades. I'm not sure how much longer it goes, but there's also a freeplay mode. And, really, when you think about it, any good match-3 is infinitely replayable.
However, I'm going to feel awfully silly if this is just a straight-up rip-off of the 7 Worlds games. Those are on the DS as well, aren't they? This bears investigating...
By Andy Bates at 8:25 PM ON 11/09/09
Okay, just for grins: What five games would you take if you were going on a trip right now? And since I asked, my current five are:
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Rhythm Heaven
The World Ends with You
Metroid Prime Pinball
By Lizard Dude at 9:07 PM ON 11/09/09
Since this is me going on a trip RIGHT NOW and not some kind of Top 5 list, these are basically the most recent things I've been playing but haven't "finished":
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Flower, Sun, and Rain
Scribblenauts
Rhythm Heaven (haven't perfected everything)
Time Hollow (impulse bought it last week because I'm a sucker for time travel, still in shrinkwrap)
Since a sixth game can ride along in the DS itself, I'll throw in Retro Game Challenge. I never beat the final challenge (beat all games).
By DragonIV at 9:50 PM ON 11/09/09
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Touchmaster
Grid
Brain Age (sudoku)
Jagged Alliance (not that I'm playing it, but that I'm trying my hardest to like this, cause the original was so good, but the interface seems to suck)
Need some more DS games, can you tell? :)
By George (Brof ) Dudas at 3:09 AM ON 11/10/09
I can't find the 7 Wonders game referred above. What format is it on? In the appstore it can't be found. Is it a different phone then?
By DragonIV at 9:02 AM ON 11/10/09
There's this neat tool I found on the web the other day, I think it's called google? Anyhow, using that I found the wiki page, among other things:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_Wonders_of_the_Ancient_World_(video_game)
In all seriousness, though, my carrier is Verizon. Your carrier might not carry the mobile version of this game, but you can find it on many other platforms.
By George Brof at 10:01 AM ON 11/10/09
ah, thanks. Whenever I read "phone" and "game" in the same sentence, I think of the iphone...
By DragonIV at 11:28 AM ON 11/10/09
yeah, two of my brothers who own iPhones always seem shocked that I can play games on my four year old Samsung phone. :)
Still, I'm surprised it's not on the iPhone.
DragonIV:
yeah, two of my brothers who own iPhones always seem shocked that I can play games on my four year old Samsung phon...More »