Bejeweled Classic

Bejeweled Classic (formerly titled Bejeweled) is a tile match-3 game developed by PopCap Games and published by Electronic Arts. It is a port of Bejeweled 3 for smartphones and tablets, and was initially released in December 2011 for iOS devices, replacing Bejeweled 2 + Blitz on the App Store.

The game was initially available at a $0.99 USD price point before transitioning to a freemium title in 2013, where the game was made free with advertisements. A version optimized for iPad, titled Bejeweled Classic HD (formely titled Bejeweled HD), was released in May 2012. An Android version was launched December 19, 2014.

A variant for Nokia Lumia phones, Bejeweled Live +, was released from Windows Phone 8 in 2013.

Overview[]

Bejeweled Classic is a mobile port of Bejeweled 3, featuring several elements from the original game with altered features. Bejeweled Classic features all the original game modes (excluding Quest Mode) from Bejeweled 3, including Classic, Zen, Lightning, Poker, Butterflies, Ice Storm and Diamond Mine.

On phones, menus are displayed through a scroller menu that is presented on the bottom on the screen. Pressing the button pauses the game and opens the menu, and pressing it while it's open will close the menu.

Boosts[]

Bejeweled Classic features a unique feature named Boosts, which were added in a update in 2017, and do not appear in any other version. Boosts are special items that help the player in each mode (minus Zen). There are nine unique boosts in the game, and are obtainable through watching advertisements or by buying them through the Game Store in the form of microtransactions. Boosts are presented in two variants: Boosts and Super Boosts. Super Boosts have their button outlines covered in gold and players must wait a specified period of time so they can watch an ad to obtain the boost for free again. Boosts can also be purchased with real money in the form of microtransactions, with Super Boosts usually costing more. Purchasing Boost Packs from the Game Store usually come with around 20 uses of the same boosts, in 2 kinds.

Regular Boosts[]

Scramble (represented by two turning arrows): Scrambles the position of all gems when activated. It appears in Classic, Lightning, and Poker.
Time Bonus (represented by a clock with a plus sign next to it): Adds 20 seconds to the time limit. It appears in Diamond Mine.
Freeze (represented by a snowflake): Freezes all butterflies on the board, and prevents them from moving for two turns. It appears in Butterflies.

Super Boosts[]

Mystery Gem (represented by a hexagon with a question mark): Spawns a random special gem on the board when activated in Classic, similar to the boost of the same name in Bejeweled Blitz.
Digger (represented by a shovel): Digs through the bottom layer of the mine in Diamond Mine.
Reset (represented by a butterfly with a down arrow below it): Pushes all butterflies to the bottom of the board in Butterflies.
Wild Card (represented by three cards with one card having a star): Adds a wild card to the current hand in Poker.
Time Extender (represented by a clock with a plus sign): Increases the amount of all Time Gems on the game board in Lightning.
Freeze Time (represented by a clock with icicles and snow on it): Temporarily freezes the ice columns from rising in Ice Storm.

Game Store[]

Like most Electronic Arts mobile games, Bejeweled Classic features microtransactions and special in-app purchases. The contents of what is available in the game store vary between platforms. Pricing also varies between locations. If all Unlockables are purchased, "Restore Purchases" will disappear from the game menu.

Unlockables[]

Unlock Poker (iOS Only): Removes the free play limit for Poker, granting unlimited play for that game mode.
Unlock Butterflies (Android Only): Removes the free play limit for Butterflies, granting unlimited play for that game mode.
Unlock Lightning (Android Only): Removes the free play limit for Lightning, granting unlimited play for that game mode.
Remove Ads: Removes the first and third-party advertisements that appear throughout the game. The player must still watch advertisements to earn free boosts however.

Boost Packs[]

Classic Boost Pack: Contains 20 Mystery Gem boosts and 40 Scramble boosts.
Butterfly Boost Pack: Contains 20 Reset boosts and 40 Freeze boosts.
Diamond Mine Boost Pack: Contains 20 Digger boosts and 40 Time Bonus boosts.
Lightning Boost Pack: Contains 20 Time Extender boosts and 40 Scramble boosts.
Poker Boost Pack: Contains 20 Wild Card boosts and 40 Scramble boosts.
Super Boost Pack: Contains 20 Wild Card, Digger, Mystery Gem, Time Extender, and Reset boosts.
Ice Storm Boost Pack (labelled as Icestorm Boost Pack): Contains 20 Freeze boosts and 40 Scramble boosts.

Differences from Bejeweled 3:[]

General[]

Unlike Bejeweled 3, all game modes are available from the start without meeting specific requirements.
The user profile now features profile avatars, with each one featuring the Bejeweled gems and characters from various PopCap games including Zuma, Chuzzle, PvZ and Peggle. There are 30 profile avatars in total.
On the iPhone and iPad versions of the game, backgrounds support dynamic movement, which move when the device is tilted.
The music in Bejeweled Classic uses their remastered variants from the Bejeweled 3: A Musical Quest soundtrack. Classic and Zen only feature the first parts of their respective soundtracks.

The game features a title screen button labelled as "Stars", with Felis on top of the button. The button redirects the user to the store page of Bejeweled Stars (if the game is not installed on the device), or launches Bejeweled Stars (if the game is installed on the device).
- If Bejeweled Stars is not detected on the device, Felis is seen in a sad mood. If the game however is detected on the device, Felis will be seen in a happier mood. Felis smiles when the button is pressed.
- Before the release of Bejeweled Stars, the button was originally a redirect to Bejeweled Blitz. The "Get Blitz" button was removed in later updates.
A "More Games" button is present on the title screen menu, showcasing more games made by PopCap and Electronic Arts.
- The menu stopped functioning after 2017.
- Following the discontinuation of the menu, the button was removed in a bug fix update released in 2023. For tablet screens, the screen was replaced by a new menu encouraging the user to rate Bejeweled Classic on the game's respective App Store and Google Play Store pages.
Advertisements are featured prominently throughout the game. They are presented in the form of banners (on phones), full screen ads, and boxes (on tablets/large screens). They can be removed by purchasing Remove Ads on the Game Store using real money.
- The player must still watch ads to earn free boosts, even after Remove Ads are purchased.
- On some versions of the phone or small screen variations of the game, the level and score counter is placed at the bottom of the game board, due to the amount of space available on screen. In some cases, the score is hidden entirely, like in Zen.
Poker is presented as a trial version initially: the player has a limited amount of free plays that regenerate every 24 hours. In the Android version, Lightning and Butterflies also have limited free plays. The limit can be removed by purchasing Unlock Poker, Unlock Butterflies and Unlock Lightning on the Game Store using real money.
- Restarts use up one free play.
- If no free plays are left, the New Game button that shows up when the player resumes a saved game is darkened out. The Restart button in the Pause Menu disappears as well.
- Likewise, the crystal button for the mode that had its free plays used up is darkened out and shows a counter for how much to wait for the next free play.
- If a game mode has not been purchased, Unlock Poker/Butterflies/Lightning replaces the Resume button on the menus, as well as the cancel button if attempting to resume a game.
- 3 free plays are granted for the Poker mode when starting the game for the first time on iOS, while 5 free plays are granted on the Android version for Butterflies, Lightning and Poker.
Bejeweled Classic features four exclusive badges not found in other versions. The badges are: Chain Reaction, Lucky Streak, Dynamo and Millionaire.
- Bejeweled Classic does not feature the Heroes Welcome (due to the lack of Quest Mode) and Top Secret elite badges.
Bejeweled Classic features Game Center and Google Play Games integration, enabling achievements and online leaderboards. All modes (minus Zen and Ice Storm) feature online leaderboard support and achievements.
When music is being played from an external app, in-game music is muted automatically.
The Auto-Hint function can be disabled in the options menu.
The backgrounds are modified from the original games on phone screens, being presented in a portrait format rather than the background being cropped.
- The backgrounds in the tablet/large screen versions animate in similar fashion to Bejeweled 3, though some areas do not fully animate like the original version. Some are also modified from the original versions.
- The backgrounds in Classic and Zen appear in a different order compared to the original PC version. The order is slightly different in Bejeweled Classic HD as well.
The player is given the opportunity to continue their game once they get a game over.
- The player can watch an ad to continue their game. If Remove Ads is activated, the player can continue the game without watching an ad.
- If they have a specific boost, the player can use the boost to continue the game.
The Hint Button cooldown in Zen lasts the same period of time as the other modes.
- The Hint Button reuses a sound effect from Bejeweled 2.
- Following an update that added Boosts to the game, the Hint button became a magnifying glass icon in all modes. As well as that, in Zen mode, there is a huge empty space where the boosts would appear in the tablet/large screen versions.
The Instant Replay feature is absent in the Android versions of the game.

Classic[]

In newer versions, when no moves are possible in Classic Mode, "Game Over" appears (without the Classic/Lightning Game Over music) instead of "No More Moves" (with the music).
The level up animation in Classic is a modified version of the Bejeweled 2 wormhole.

Zen[]

Zen Mode lacks the Binaural Beats option found in the PC/Mac version of Bejeweled 3.
Icons are presented in the options for Ambient Sounds and Mantras.

Diamond Mine[]

The visual jar for the amount of treasure collected in Diamond Mine is not present in the phone screen variant of Bejeweled Classic.
The amount of Extra Time awarded has been decreased: digging beneath the white line grants 25 seconds (30 in Bejeweled 3) and when an All Clear is performed, 70 seconds are granted (90 in Bejeweled 3).
On the phone variants of the game, there is an entirely new background.

Butterflies[]

When a Game Over happens in Butterflies, there is a new animation where the spider drags the captured butterfly onscreen, appears up close and taunts the player.
- The backgrounds differ between the phone and tablet/large screen variants of the game.

Lightning[]

The music in Lightning does not alter during gameplay. It also accompanies the warning instrumental cues heard when nearly running out of time in Bejeweled 3.
The match chain number is shown only on the tablet/large screen variations of the game.
In an update for the game released in 2015-16, the Speed Bonus no longer depletes or vanishes if the player takes a long time to find a match.
- It is unknown if the change is intentional or not, as the change has persisted in later updates.

Poker[]

On the phone variants of the game, Poker features a brand new background that is based off a casino table.
The sound effect for gems falling from the iOS version is slightly different.
The Poker score table is shown by pressing the cards button located in the middle of the Skull Eliminator bar.
- The tutorials for making hands are also presented there.
The jingle used when a game ends uses the "Quest Completed" jingle from the Poker mini-quests in Bejeweled 3 instead of the regular Game Over jingle for the mode.

Ice Storm[]

The mist clouds that generate below ice columns in Ice Storm oddly flicker rapidly.
The backgrounds differ between the phone and tablet/large screen variants of the game. The Android version always uses the tablet/large screen background.
The How to Play section for Ice Storm, unlike other modes (which are recreated from scratch for mobile) is directly ripped from the PC version of Bejeweled 3, with the other instruction panels' animations oddly starting much later than the others.
There is no sound effect for the game board freezing when a game over occurs in some versions of the game.
The water tank does not animate.
- In the tablet/large screen versions of the game, the water tank is presented as a thermostat instead.
The multiplier counter and score is oddly off-center in the tablet/large screen versions of the game.
Oddly, the game over screen does not show unique status summaries for Ice Storm, and instead directly displays the game summary format used in Classic Mode.
The Top Score boards and Game Store menus oddly have the game mode misspelled as "Icestorm" instead of "Ice Storm".

Version History[]

For the history of update versions, see Bejeweled Classic/Version History.

Beta elements[]

For the beta elements and unused content, see List of Bejeweled Classic pre-release and unused content.

Gallery[]

Bejeweled Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Bejeweled Classic.

App Store description[]

“Bejeweled — perhaps the most insanely addictive puzzle game ever.” — Games Magazine

Discover your perfect match with 6 breathtaking modes in this classic gem-matching game, from the fast-paced, time-based Lightning, to the gem-driven Flushes and Full Houses of Poker Mode. Create electrifying special gems like Flame gems, Star gems, Hypercubes, and Supernova gems, collect flashy Bejeweled badges and achievements, and soar to dazzling heights in the Game Center leaderboards – all while enjoying fantastic Retina-display graphics! This is the Bejeweled you’ve loved for years, and it’s still delivering amazing high-carat excitement!

This app offers in-app purchases. You may disable in-app purchasing using your device settings.

CLASSIC GEM-MATCHING

Play the most popular puzzle game of the century with powerful new gems. You’ll find cascades of fun as you test your gem-swapping ability!

MODES FOR EVERY MOOD

Enjoy the original in Classic, race against time in Lightning, dig deep for treasure in Diamond Mine, discover your own relaxing retreat in Zen, match gems to save Butterflies from a hungry spider in Butterfly, keep the cold out in Ice Storm, and make top hands with gems in Poker.

BOOST YOUR WAY TO BIG SCORES

Each mode has two Boosts, one regular and one Super Boost, which help you make even more matches and set even higher scores. Whether it’s pulling all the Butterflies to the bottom row with Reset in Butterfly mode or shuffling the board in Classic mode, Boosts take your game to a whole new level!

PROVE YOUR SKILLS, CLIMB THE RANKS

Earn flashy Bejeweled badges and Game Center achievements to prove your multifaceted skills, and compete against the world and your friends in Game Center leaderboards for the top score! Gloat over your scores for total matched gems, all-time best moves, and top 10 personal bests in Classic and Diamond Mine.

HINTS ON DEMAND

Can't quite spot the next match? Use the "Hint" button for a quick tip.

Stars mode will open a separate, free Bejeweled Stars App.

Development[]

Bejeweled Classic, originally titled simply Bejeweled, initially launched on the iOS platform December 7, 2011 at $0.99, one year after the release of Bejeweled 3. The game's release on the App Store would replace Bejeweled 2 + Blitz; in which the game was delisted after Bejeweled Classic went live. A in-game advertisement encouraged players to purchase the new game. The game initially came with Classic, Zen, and Diamond Mine modes. Several updates to the game were made to the game, which added new content to the game, including extra modes, badges and features.

On May 12, 2012, a seperate iPad-optimized version of the game, Bejeweled Classic HD (formerly Bejeweled HD) was released on the iPad App Store, featuring full-screen gameplay, a new interface and animated backgrounds. The HD version of the game initially launched with all the content from the Butterflies update.

Bejeweled Classic and Bejeweled Classic HD transitioned from a paid title to a free-to-play game on December 4, 2013, which also introduced advertisements to the game and in-app purchases to the game. Bejeweled Classic was released on the Android platform on December 19, 2014.

Bejeweled and Bejeweled HD were renamed to Bejeweled Classic on October 22, 2015 to avoid confusion with the upcoming Bejeweled Stars.

Bejeweled Classic would receive several updates over time, adding modes from Bejeweled 3 that were not present originally. The first major update, released on February 29, 2012, added the Butterflies game mode to the game, along with new badges. On July 12, 2012, the Lightning game mode was added, alongside it's badges. On February 27, 2014, Poker from Bejeweled 3 was added to the game, alongside new badges. Poker was released as a trial version, which could be unlocked in full by paying $2.99 USD for the full version of the mode. An age verification system was also added to the game, in compliance with COPPA. On October 20, 2016, Boosts were introduced to Bejeweled Classic, which could help the player in-game, alongside several new microtransaction items in the Game Store. The most recent content update, released on March 29, 2017, added Ice Storm to the game, alongside the game mode's badges. The game would receive yearly bug fix and optimization updates. The latest bug fix update was released in 2023.