Match Three iPhone Games
Posted 09/18/2008 at 4:44am
| by Zack Stern
Match three jewels to eliminate the group, earn points, and fill the board with new pieces. Both Diamond Twister and Bejeweled 2 share this core setup. Trism adds another angle by moving along the sides of triangles instead of squares. But while Bejeweled 2 shines brightest, with well-crafted graphics and sound, Trism and Diamond Twister are riskier and more rewarding.
Diamond Twister has a hokey story about stealing precious gems from wealthy criminals, level difficulties that widely vary, and even misinterprets touches on occasion. While it offers different game modes, most are too similar to bother playing, and each level ends abruptly with a speedy timer. But we can overlook most of that, because it innovates beyond Bejeweled 2, recognizing the iPhone orientation to change the direction pieces fall.
Trism shares this motion-sensing twist, but instead of working vertically and horizontally, the triangles and motion sensing move on three axes. Bonus and obstacle pieces add even more depth to the game; it feels built for the iPhone. But while Diamond Twister easily senses the big movement changes, Trism occasionally frustrates because subtler movements can be missed.
In our games, Bejeweled 2 felt the most accurate, almost never misinterpreting our finger swipes. But beyond its polished graphics and sound, Bejeweled 2 doesn’t justify an iPhone version. Other than being portable, there’s almost no reason a Bejeweled fan would pick it up again.
Go with Trism for a unique iPhone game. Diamond Twister works because of its motion sensitivity, but the rest of it feels average. Bejeweled 2 is tarnished by comparison.