Jewels, Jewels, Jewels

Jewels and diamonds and just about gems of any sort seem to be a staple of PC games. Don't believe me? Look in any game and I'm sure you'll find some sort of valuable rock. This rule of thumb goes double for match-3 puzzle games. It's an odd trend. Maybe game developers think that by loading up their products with jewelry, the game will have a much more captivating effect on people?

Jewel of Atlantis definitely follows this trend, but does it have what it takes to back up these fake goods?

What? No Story?

You read it right. Right off the bat, let me get something out of the way. Jewel of Atlantis doesn't have a story. It has a theme, which brings you to the depths of the ocean to explore the lost city of Atlantis, but it doesn't have any exposition or cutscenes of any kind. I have to say that that doesn't hurt the overall experience one bit. The stories in these types of games, match-3 puzzlers in particular, are known for being weak and unimaginative. The developer's decision to not include a story is a bold one, but one that I think worked out in their best interest.

While some may say that it's lazy or cheap on their part, I appreciate not having my game interrupted by a lackluster story. I mean, who plays these types of game for the story, anyway? I always find myself mashing the buttons in order to skip everything, just so I can get back to playing everything.

Exploring Atlantis

Like I stated above, you'll find yourself searching for treasure in the sunken city known as Atlantis. The game follows the standard match-3 swapping formula. Click on any jewel and then click an adjacent jewel to swap their places. If you make a row of three or more, the pieces will vanish and new ones will fall from the top of the screen.

One of the best things about Jewel of Atlantis is the amount of generous combos it gives. When gems fall from the top of the screen, it's not uncommon to get up to ten combos in a row. It's pretty amazing when it happens and it will have your eyes lighting up like those of a child in a candy store.

Special Tiles

You'll across some pretty nifty special tiles in your adventure. Bomb tiles, which appear rather frequently, will explode when included in a combo, taking out several pieces all around them. Cannon tiles, on the other hand, will shoot a flaming cannon ball that will decimate an entire row of tiles. Like I said, there's some pretty nifty stuff.

Not all special tiles are good, though. Some gates can only be unlocked with a key which is trapped in a gem. You must match that gem in order to free the key.

Not Great, But Good

Jewel of Atlanis is neither unique nor original, but that doesn't mean that it's not good. It's fun and will provide you with a solid gameplay experience.