What's the Twist in PopCap's New Bejeweled?

As I wrote earlier, PopCap Games unveiled the first new entry in its flagship Bejeweled franchise since Bejeweled 2 in 2004 at a gala event at Seattle's Experience Music Project Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame on Monday evening.

But, it's amazing. Even when launching a casual game like Bejeweled Twist, talk of the economy enters the picture. After all, the festivities were definitely lavish.

CEO Dave Roberts, looking a little sheepish about all the glitz (including trapeze artists) said:

"We, uh, planned all this well before the trouble started, and once things started to happen we talked about whether to go ahead."

But what about the game? What exactly is the twist?

I have to admit, though it sounds much like another addictive blockbuster for PopCap, I have to wonder about four years and $1 million spent on it, simply because, it's not like going from say, Windows XP to Windows Vista.

The game remains, naturally, casual, and built on the original two games. But while you still have to make rows and columns of three identical gems, rather than swapping the positions of two side-by-side gems, you have to rotate two-by-two blocks of gems. The gems rotate clockwise and the "target set" has a circle around it, as above.

Honestly: while very familiar, it's still newly addictive.

Game price is $19.95, available now at PopCap's site (above), and on Nov. 18th at online partners such as MSN Games, RealArcade, Zylom, WildTangent ORB, Telstra and Steam, as well as retail chains including Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and Target.

In their press release, PopCap outlined the new features and more:

New Features of Bejeweled Twist

Virtually every aspect of Bejeweled Twist is new and different from the previous iterations of Bejeweled, including:

• Stunning visual and audio effects – the highest production values of any casual game, from high-definition imagery and widescreen play to subtle audio effects and a custom-composed soundtrack designed to enhance each of Bejeweled Twist's four modes of play
• Endless rewards – from instant replays and bonus multipliers to stats and rankings
• Deep play – the more you play, the more you'll discover new ways to play
• All-new elements – new gem types, obstacles, challenges, and modes of play (see additional details below)
  

New Special Gems:

• Flame gems are created by matching four gems of the same kind at once. When matched with like-colored gems, these fiery jewels explode with an incendiary blast.
• Lightning gems are created by matching five gems of the same kind. When matched, they fire bolts of explosive destruction in four directions at once.
• Fruit gems are rare but powerful gems that can only be created by making lots of consecutive matches to max out the chain meter. When the chain meter reaches its zenith, one gem on the grid is transformed into a special Fruit gem, which, when matched, vaporizes all like-colored gems, among other powerful effects.

New Obstacles:

• Bomb gems: These appear in later stages of the game and count down with every move you make. Eliminate them via matches or adjacent explosions from Flame or Lightning gems before they reach zero; if you don't, only the last-minute disarm spinner can save you.
• Locked Gems: Locked gems can still be matched, but they can't be moved. Break free of them with like-color matches and special gems.
• Coal: These inert rocks can hamper your ability to match gems, but they deliver a sparkly surprise when you burst them open with Flame or Lightning gems!

Game Modes:

Bejeweled Twist has four game modes: Classic and Zen are available from the start, and you unlock the other modes as you progress:

• Classic: The essential version of the game, Classic features Bomb gems that tick down to a deadly detonation. You need to clear them before they hit zero or it's game over!
• Zen: You literally can't lose this in this free-form variant that is in some ways more a relaxation exercise than a puzzle. Explore dozens of alien worlds as you hone your gem-matching skills without the pressure of obstacles or time.
• Blitz: This timed mode is perfect for both hardcore arcade players and those who only have a few minutes to spare. You have just five minutes to maximize your score in this championship variant.
• Challenge: For a more cerebral experience, Challenge mode offers a dozen separate puzzle worlds, each with seven levels of difficulty and a final infinite stage. This mode is for the serious problem-solver.

Interested in a new twist on an old favorite? They've got the required Trial Version on their site as well. Give it a twist.