Jewel Time Deluxe Nintendo DS Nintendo Review

On the outside, Jewel Time Deluxe is an extremely impressive prospect, with six different game modes to play through, with a few familiar styles mixed in with a couple of intriguing fresh ideas. As with other entries into the genre, the basic premise is that coloured tiles of the same colour must be matched up in groups of three or more, working horizontally or vertically. Jewel Time Deluxe also points out that bonuses can be amassed for forming T- or L-shapes when working with the limitation of switching only two adjacent blocks (this is no Puzzle League where blocks can be moved all over to form matches). These bonuses normally lead to special coloured tiles appearing with images emblazoned upon them, which when cleared trigger a special attack, for example clearing an entire row and column, removing all of the same colour from around the playing field, or blasting away within a small radius.

Outside of the standard modes, such as Arcade, Classic or Free Play, where stages are cleared one-by-one, with increasing difficulty and a timer that counts down more quickly with each level, Jewel Time Deluxe thrives on the Isolation and Gravity Twist themes. Whilst Arcade is a stage-by-stage affair, Time Attack sees the player pitted against the clock, attempting to obtain a new high score in the one minute period allotted. Classic is purely about playing until either you become bored or there are no moves available on the board anymore. Free Play is aimed at casual gamers and complete newcomers, with no increasing complexity or timers; nothing that could cause stress to rookies.