Jewel spin is the equivalent of a ram raid on the puzzle store, taking bits and pieces from every game it can get its grubby mitts on and forcing them to line dance on your mobile at gunpoint.
Using a hexagonal frame, the idea is to spin different coloured jewels so that they match up, at which point they vanish and those above to fall to replace them. To confuse matters (more than the fact the jewels are actually balls) more jewels drop from the top of the screen. If the pile reaches the top it’s Game Over.
Some modes require you to match three, some require five, and others demand a limited number of turns to clear the board.
It’s a strange mixture of Tetris, Lines, Puzzle Bobble, and Bejewelled Twist, which in theory isn’t such a bad thing. Where the game lets itself down, though, is in its execution.
The hexagonal frame used to spin the balls has a severe aversion to touching walls, for instance. The sheer volume of blind spots the harder levels throw up is infuriating. Add to this the fact that there’s a large, un-rotatable section in the middle of the shape and you’ll be pining for a smaller, more manageable cursor within minutes of playing.
This is nothing compared to the falling mechanics which are, quite frankly, bizarre.
Balls vanish and reappear in apparently random positions after performing a match, making it hard to gauge what just happened. This has the undesirable effect of making chains and combos a dark art and destroys any hope of planning moves in advance.
There are other graphical glitches that help sour the mood, too. The cursor vanishes whenever a match is made, causing an annoying drop in controls and stopping any movement across the board.
It’s a shame because the core ideas and supporting features behind the game are sound. There are some very comprehensive high score charts, both offline and online, and over 100 levels to play through.
Jewel Spin tries hard to make everything stick together, but there are too many frustrating elements to make it a recommendable purchase. Puzzle aficionados who are looking for a different take on their favourite games may glean some enjoyment from this title, but for everyone else it’s best to play the originals instead.Jewel Spin
Trying to inject something new into the puzzle genre is a lofty goal, but frustrating controls and poor presentation hamper Jewel Spin’s appeal
Will Wilson
Will's obsession with gaming started off with sketching Laser Squad levels on pads of paper, but recently grew into violently shouting "Tango Down!" at random strangers on the street. He now directs that positive energy into his writing (due in no small part to a binding court order).