Developer/Publisher: iWin/i-Play
Genre: Puzzle/Match-3
Price: $2.99
Verdict: A fun puzzle game that puts some twists on the match-3 concept
Pros: Fun Quest Mode, useful powerups, addicting gameplay
Cons: Buried gem mechanic is annoying, game stops iPod music on app launch, no endless mode

The initial reaction to any new match-3 game that hits the App Store for jaded gamer types like myself is that of trepidation – “Oh boy, here comes another match-3 game. I’m sooooo excited.” However, thanks to prodding from other people, I decided to give Jewel Quest Deluxe a shot, and all of a sudden found a lot of time missing from my days that I just wasn’t sure where it had went until I realized it was because I was playing this game.

Jewel Quest Deluxe is a match-3 game, meaning exactly what you think it does – jewels on a board, move them to match 3 of the same color up, it’s nothing you haven’t played before. The gameplay’s main variations are the addition of powers, and buried pieces. Buried pieces remain trapped under the board until you make a match with them to rise them up into play. There are also double-buried pieces which you have to randomly figure out just which color they are to raise them up to buried status. The powers are the real defining gameplay addition – there are coin jewels on the board, and when you make matches with them they allow you to use your various powers to manipulate the board. You get powers to eliminate one jewel, dig up a buried piece instantly, switch any 2 jewels on the board, and eliminate all pieces of a certain color on the board, although each power requires a different number of coins to use. They come as an incredible help during the Quest mode, where using a power in a certain situation could be the difference between success and failure.

The Quest mode is the meat of the game’s content – the story is that you’re an Indiana Jones-esque adventurer (with a similar hat!) who is off adventuring in India, searching for the powerful jewel board of Atul, and this is apparently accomplished by playing a match-3 game with various rules like having to make a match on every square of the board, or eliminating a variable number of a certain jewel type to win. You’ll also play against computer opponents in matches with similar conditions and you must beat them in order to advance. It may sound kind of generic, but somehow, it really hooked me at times. I’d pick it up to play it for a few minutes, and all of a sudden an hour had passed. That’s a definite sign of a good game, when it has that “just one more level” aspect that makes you lose track of time. Sadly, the Quick Play mode only lets you replay the game’s 40 levels, there is no traditional endless mode, so if that’s what you’re looking for in a puzzle game, you may want to look elsewhere.

Jewel Quest Deluxe is certainly a fun entry into the match-3 genre on the App Store. If you’re absolutely sick of the genre, then it probably won’t sell you on it now; but otherwise, Jewel Quest Deluxe is definitely worth a pickup for anyone looking for a fun puzzle game on their iPhone.