Introduction
Bejeweled Blitz is a fast-paced board game that challenges players to match colors and shapes quickly. This game has been a huge hit in the casual gaming world since its introduction more than 10 years ago. The goal of the game is to line up jewels, coins and other items in order for the player to move forward and become the fastest jeweler in town. Bejeweled Blitz has remained popular due to its simple but highly entertaining rules, which have kept players hooked for hours on end. Additionally, this board game provides an exciting way for people to connect with each other as they compete against each other or work together as teams!
Objectives of the Game and How they are Achieved
The objective of Bejeweled Blitz board game is to be the first player to match three or more jewels in a row. The strategic challenge comes from managing movement on your board and carefully positioning jewel pieces so that you can complete combinations. This is done by moving map pieces around, allowing for possible matches. Depending on the edition of the game, either the player with the most points at the end of 10 rounds or when no one can make any more matches, wins. Players achieve this by swapping two pieces of adjoining jewels to form lines of 3 identical gems vertically or horizontally and gaining points with each combination made. Special power-ups exist that aid in difficult situations, such as bombs, which clear all jewels around it after a certain number of turns. Additionally higher scores are awarded for making special bonus gem combinations like hypercubes (4 squares joined together in 2X2 formation).
Board Set-Up
Illustration: Upon opening the box, you will find 24 Bejeweled Blitz pieces in 4 colors (red, green, yellow and blue). First, each player will take 6 pieces of one color. Then each player will place their pieces color side up on the board.
Explanation: To begin the game of Bejeweled Blitz, each player takes 6 pieces in one color and places them on the board with the colored side facing up. The colors are red, green, yellow and blue, making it easy to distinguish between players’ pieces. Once all pieces are placed on the board by both players, game play is ready to begin!
Rules
Standard Rules:
The goal of Bejeweled Blitz is to match as many same-colored gems, often referred to as jewels, as possible in a short amount of time (1 minute). In order to match jewels, the player must move them diagonally, horizontally or vertically on a game board in order to get three or more in a row. The more jewels the player can match in one move, the bigger their score. If the player can create matches of 4 or more, they will be rewarded with powerups that can unleash extra points or variations such as an explosive fireball to remove multiple blocks all at once. Once the minute has elapsed, players are given a final score that can then be compared against optional objectives and rewards geared towards earning bonus rounds and greater multipliers for their score than what is normal.
Optional Rules:
Bejeweled Blitz includes several optional rules that can be activated when playing. These include collecting different combinations of jewels for higher scores and unlocking additional challenging levels with unique bonuses such as time extensions and increased scores for matching certain gem combos. Other options include customizing your own boards and adjusting difficulty settings so that experienced players are offered greater challenges throughout the game. Additionally, there are challenge levels associated with completing various tasks – like achieving an impressive score on a specific board – and offer larger rewards if one can complete them before the competition does.
Strategies for Winning
Bejeweled Blitz is a fast-paced, addictive board game. Playing this exciting game is easy”all you need to do is match three or more jewels of the same color in any direction and earn points! However, by following a few key strategies and techniques, you can skyrocket your scores and improve your chances of winning each round.
When playing Bejeweled Blitz, begin each round by creating special gems such as Hypercubes and Supernovas before making your regular matches. Special gems are created when matching four or more jewels of the same color in one move. Hypercubes eliminate all jewels of the same color when activated, while Supernovas eliminate both a line and all horizontally adjacent jewels. Long chains are also beneficial during play; while syncing multiple chains simultaneously will bring much higher scores than simply focusing on one chain at a time.
By leveraging Bomb Gems, you can accelerate your score further and help satisfy objectives such as eliminating particular colors or unlocking pieces of the board faster. These bombs come in different varieties: Rocket Bombs remove one row of gems when activated; Color Bombs destroying all gems of a certain hue; Mega Bombs blasting 15 jewels from the grid; and Super Star Gems that destroy multiple columns at once when used properly .
Another strategy for success with Bejeweled Blitz involves using special patterns for matching jewels quickly. The Cross pattern looks like an “X” where you match four different types of gems in one move; with the Double Cross technique, you create two diagonals with five gem types to trigger numerous special gems close together; and Triple Cross creates nine unique gem trips to get even higher scores.
To maximize your chances for success in each round dramatically, use these tips to master the board quickly!
Variations
Bejeweled Blitz has many different play-styles that can be used to tailor the game and goals of each player. Players can aim for a specific score and try to achieve it within the time limit or just aim to beat their own personal best each time they play. Players can also opt to play on endless mode where they try to get as many points as possible with no time limit. Other alternate game modes include attempting classic levels such as Puzzle, Lightning, Zen, Big Valley and Diamond Mine. In Puzzle mode players must solve entire screens by clearing multiple rows consecutively in order to earn points; whereas in Lightning mode players race against the clock for extra points.Zen mode requires players to accept timed challenges, play thoughtfully and build combos with gems for higher scores. Big Valley is an endurance challenge which earns consecutive multipliers when matches are made without interruption and Diamond Mine requires players to survive as long as possible while collapse columns fill with diamonds giving bonus multipliers for quickly clearing them off the screen.
Variants
One variant to the Bejeweled Blitz Board Game is to have a game with a time limit. This means that each player has up to one minute per round to make as many points as possible before their time runs out. Once the time is up, the player who has scored the highest number of points after all players have taken their turn will be declared the winner.
Another variant for playing Bejeweled Blitz Board Game is to play with set-up or circumstances in which all players must use only two colors when making gems instead of three. This reveals how challenging it can be to stick to trying to make gems from just two colors and therefore increases the competition level within each game as players attempt to gain advantage by successfully outwitting their opponents.
A third variant for playing Bejeweled Blitz Board Game involves adding additional pieces with varied gem values, so more points are available depending on the pieces used. These variants will require careful decision making, strategy, and skillful play while using less coins than usual; encouraging players to think ahead and create longer chain combos than would otherwise be possible.
Troubleshooting
Inevitably, a game of Bejeweled Blitz is bound to hit an unintentionally-caused snag. Here’s how to handle some of the more common problems when playing.
If the pieces seem stuck when switching them: When trying to switch two pieces on the board, sometimes the gems seem “stuck”. To fix this problem, try first clicking and releasing once on both pieces and then making your switch. This can often unlock them if they are stuck due to an accidental double click.
If none of the pieces move or match: Sometimes, no matter what pieces you try to make matches with, none of them form a line, move or react. This means that all possible matches have been eliminated from view and it is time for a shuffle! Clicking the shuffle button should mix up all pieces and open up new combos for scoring.
A third issue might crop up in regards to Touch Screen devices such as tablets; there may be difficulty in making accurate moves. One way that might help is using a capacitive stylus pen instead of relying solely on a finger touch; this will give players more precise control over gem swapping on a small surface area such as that of tablet device screens. If that isn’t available, another recommendation might be decreasing screen sensitivity as many devices allow users to reduce input detection thresholds.
Conclusion
Congratulations! Now you know how to play the Bejeweled Blitz board game. Remember to think strategically, plan your moves ahead of time, and utilize special gems to maximize your score. With practice and experimentation, you’ll quickly become an expert at this popular game. Don’t forget to take advantage of the unique achievements available when you join Club Pogo. With so many levels and opportunities to discover secret tips and tricks, Bejeweled Blitz is sure to bring hours of entertainment for players of all ages. So what are you waiting for? Start playing today and have fun doing it!
I love playing all kinds of games – from classics like Monopoly to modern favourites like Ticket to Ride.
I created this blog as a way to share my love of board games with others, and provide information on the latest releases and news in the industry.
