Sci-Jewel Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android game

Before we get into the important details, you'd most certainly want to know what this game is. Sci-Jewel is a sci-fi match-3 strategy puzzle game(yes, we know that's a mouthful) that acts as a spiritual successor to the Bejeweled franchise. The game aims to revitalize the original formula that modern games of the genre fail to establish, and bring match-3 back to it's proper roots. Sci-Jewel will have 18 single player and multiplayer modes combined, 90+ achievements for players to collect, a massive soundtrack with over 80 songs, and so much more!

A bit of a word of warning: This game description is also an active info archive, so it will be long!

Main Game Modes

The normal modes of the game. Good for practicing, learning the basics, or both!

• Strategy Mode
  • The definitive Sci-Jewel experience. Plan out your moves ahead of time and play strategically.
  • Unlocked by default
• Relaxation Mode
  • This game mode goes on forever. It's quite relaxing, hence the name...
  • Unlocked by default
• Time Attack Mode
  • Looking for some action? Up the intensity with this fast-paced mode where the level bar is always draining!
  • Unlocked through gameplay
• Discovery Mode
  • Complete Objectives and Solve Mysteries!
  • Unlocked by default
  • Discovery Mode features an unlockable Hard Mode upon 100% completion.
• Score Attack Mode
  • Try to earn as many points as you can within the time limit!
  • Unlocked through gameplay
  • Score Attack has 3 sub-modes
    • Blitz - Earn as many points as you can within 5 minutes!
    • Extend - Extend the timer using Time-Multipliers and stay in the game!
    • Frenzy - Swap gems quickly and destroy bad gems to increase the timer!
• Arcade Mode
  • A more authentic arcade experience. Complete levels while racing against the clock, earn bonus points and perform combos to slow the timer down!
  • Unlocked through gameplay
  • A Bonus-Round will occur every 3-4 levels. If the player completes 3 Puzzle-Based Objectives before running out of time, they'll be awarded with a Special Gem.

Bonus Game Modes

The bonus modes of the game. These are intended for more skillful play.

• Roulette Mode
  • Leave your fate on your cards in this anxiety mode. Spin the wheel if you wish to stay in the game longer...
  • Unlock Requirements Unknown
• Nightfall Mode
  • Introducing, the Day-Night Cycle. Match Gems at Day, Explode Interceptor Gems at Night!
  • Unlock Requirements Unknown
• Endurance Mode
  • Think you have what it takes? Put your skills to the test in Sci-Jewel's Trial of Gems!
  • Unlock Requirements Unknown
• Vortex Mode
  • A Vortex is destroying the board! Repair your board with Precious Gems before it's too late!
  • Unlock Requirements Unknown
• Gemstorm Mode
  • Jewels are falling from the sky and filling up the board! How long can you last before the board overflows?
  • Unlock Requirements Unknown
• Twist Mode
  • Instead of swapping gems, you spin them. A tribute to Bejeweled Twist.
  • Unlocked by completing Hard Mode in Discovery
  • The player can choose between 4 sub-modes.
    • The sub-modes are Strategy, Score Attack, Arcade, and Endurance.
    • If the player decides to unlock this mode prior to unlocking any other modes, then they'll only have Strategy until they unlock more modes.
      • When a locked sub-mode is hovered over, the description UI will say "It seems like this play-style is tied to another mode. Try unlocking some more modes and try again!"

Multiplayer Modes

The VS. Mode Experience. Sci-Jewel is better when your friends join along with the action!

• Marathon
  • It's a race to see who can complete Level 3 first! Don't forget to plan out your moves...
  • Free-for-All
  • Unlocked by default
  • Up to 4 players can play this mode
• Time Attack
  • The level bar is always draining. Fill up the bar completely and earn a bonus! The last player standing wins!
  • Free-for-All
  • Unlocked through gameplay
  • Up to 4 players can play this mode
• Head-to-Head
  • Match gems and push the level bar into the other player's board! If the level bar gets pushed too far onto your side, then you'll lose!
  • Player vs. Player
  • Unlocked by default
  • Up to 2 players can play this mode
• Blitz Attack
  • Everyone has 1 minute to get as many points as they can. The player with the most points at the end of each round wins!
  • Free-for-All
  • Unlocked through gameplay
  • Up to 4 players can play this mode
• Roulette
  • Each player takes a turn matching a gem and drawing an un-flipped card. At the end of each round, the cards are flipped to decide the players' fate and the loser(s) has to spin the wheel.
  • Turn-Based Game of Chance
  • Unlocked through gameplay
  • All players share one board
  • Up to 4 players can play this mode
• Gemstorm
  • Match gems to attack the other players. If a player overflows, then they're eliminated!
  • Unlocked through gameplay
  • Free-for-All
  • Up to 4 players can play this mode
  • Attacks are spread-out to all other players by default. Players have the option choose to target their attacks towards another player.

Special Gems act as powerups for the player and can be created in through Special Matches. These gems allow players to clear out an entire row of gems or help them in the most dire of situations!

• Solar Gem
  • Made from matching 4 gems in a row
  • When used, it explodes anything within a 3x3 radius.
  • Can be mixed with a Quasar Orb
• Voltaic Gem
  • Made from a T/L-shaped match
  • When used, it shoots out electricity in 4 directions.
  • Can be mixed with a Quasar Orb
  • Also goes by the name of "Stellar Gem"
• Stardust Gem
  • Made from a plus-shaped match
  • When used...
    • (Single Player - Normal) It blasts out stardust within a 4x4 radius.
    • (Single Player - Endurance Modes) Stops time and lets the player make invalid swaps for a short duration.
    • (Multiplayer) Slows another player down or freezes part of their board. What occurs when the gem is used is mode-dependent.
  • Cannot be mixed with a Quasar Orb
• Meteor Gem
  • Made from a ◊-shaped match
  • When used, it shatters and scatters out within a 4x4 radius. When used in Relaxation Mode and the Frenzy sub-mode, it scatters out within a 5x5 radius instead.
  • Cannot be mixed with a Quasar Orb
• Galactic Gem
  • Made from an X-shaped match
  • Just like the Voltaic Gem, it shoots out electricity in 4 directions but diagonally when used.
  • Cannot be mixed with a Quasar Orb
• Chromahedron
  • Made from matching 5 gems in a row
  • When used normally, it wipes all of one specific gem off the board.
    • When two Chromahedrons are mixed together, the player would active the game's Board Refresh ability. This move will clear every gem off the board!
  • Can be mixed with a Quasar Orb
  • This entity does not appear in Twist Mode
• Supernova Gem
  • Made from matching 6 gems in a row
  • When used, it shoots out 3 bolts of electricity in 4 directions.
    • Has a rare chance of spawning a Neutron Star Gem when used.
  • Cannot be mixed with a Quasar Orb
  • This is the only Special Gem that retains it's name from the Bejeweled games.
• Neutron Star Gem
  • Created from an activated Supernova Gem
    • Requires a 5-match cooldown before it can be used. Be warned, as Multi-Swaps will not count towards this cooldown!
  • When used, it shoots out electricity in 8 directions.
    • Unlike other Special Gems, the Neutron Star Gem can be used twice. The second use of the gem would replicate the effects of a Voltaic Gem.
  • Cannot be mixed with a Quasar Orb
• Quasar Orb
  • Made from matching 7 or more gems in a row
    • The Quasar Orb can also be awarded to the player via a Puzzle-Completion Bonus found in Arcade Mode
  • When used on a gem...
    • (Move-Based Modes) Similar to the Chromahedron, it turns all of a specific gem into Chromahedrons.
    • (Other Modes) Similar to the Chromahedron, it explodes all of a specific gem.
  • Players can use an ability called Quasar Mixing, which is where players mix Quasar Orbs on other Special Gems to overclock them.
    • When mixed with a Solar Gem, it explodes anything within a 5x5 radius.
    • When mixed with a Voltaic Gem, it would replicate the effects of a Supernova Gem.
    • When mixed with a Chromahedron, it would self-destruct.
      • It would explode, blasting anything within a 3x3 radius
      • It would send out a shockwave within a 6x6 radius. Any Special Gem hit by the shockwave would activate on impact.
  • When mixed with another Quasar Orb, it would replicate the effects of a random Special Gem.
  • This entity does not appear in Discovery Mode and Twist Mode

No game would be complete without it's features! Take this section with a grain of salt though, as we're still working out how these features will work and which ones will be in the game.

Hints

Can't seem to find a move? Try clicking the hint button! The game will give you a hint on where a match is, but do be warned...some hints can be evil. You will also lose some points if you force a hint.

Auto-Hints are enabled by default and will show the player where a match is if they're sitting around for a long duration. This can be disabled in the settings menu.

Multi-Swap

Sci-Jewel embraces the Bejeweled tradition of players being able to swap gems while other gems are falling, which was introduced in the third mainline Bejeweled entry and Blitz. With the exception of a few Objectives within Discovery Mode, Multi-Swap is used in every aspect of the game.

Special Matches and the Match Chain Bonus

The action the player performs when creating a Special Gem is called a Special Match. If the player chains two or more Special Matches, they'll earn a Match Chain Bonus. This bonus acts as a score multiplier and will earn the player more points than if the match was made regularly. Upon achieving the Match Chain Bonus, UI will appear with the text, "Match Chain x1", with the number and score multiplier increasing if the player keeps the chain going.

Replay Sector and Savable Replays

When the player performs a cool trick or cascade, then they'll be able to view an instant replay. Something the original Bejeweled trilogy lacked was the ability to save and properly view your replays. With Sci-Jewel, all replays that you view in-game can be found in a dedicated menu aptly named "Replay Sector".

In all parts of the game where a replay can be viewed, players will have the option to save a viewed replay. Replays that are saved will be placed in a separate section(Saved Replays) in the Replay Sector menu and will not be automatically deleted when Replay History overflows. Replays can also be saved when viewed from within the Replay Sector menu.

Note: A maximum of 100 replays can remain in the Replay History section and a maximum of 500 replays can be saved to Saved Replays section.

Player Profiles

During an initial playthrough of Sci-Jewel, the player will be prompted to create a profile. With a profile, players can properly save their game progress and unlock achievements. Multiple profiles will be supported with a limit of up to 10 profiles per device. Mobile devices support up to 3 profiles at a time. Players can backup their profile data through the Additional Profile Settings menu.

Achievements

There are over 90 achievements in Sci-Jewel, and each one contains a unique clear requirement. Players can check their progress on certain achievements or see completed achievements via a dedicated "Trophy Room" menu.

Music Library

As players advance through the first few modes, they'll unlock a menu titled "Music Library". This menu is where users can play any song from the game without having to worry about in-game gimmicks or sound effects. Playlists can also be made and shared among other profiles.

Workstation and Custom Content

Workstation is a dedicated menu for players to make, import and export content in Sci-Jewel.

• What players can export:
  • Playlists
  • Replays
  • Mode Templates and Other Workstation Content
  • Objective Packs
• What players can import:
  • Playlists
  • Replays
  • Mode Templates and Other Workstation Content
  • Custom Fonts, Cursors, etc.
  • Backup Profile Data
  • Objective Packs (Official and Custom)

Gemography

A menu for learning info about everything in the game. As players progress in the game, they'll uncover more details surrounding the game's mechanics, Special Gems, and so much more! This menu is also a main focus of Discovery Mode, as clearing Objectives uncovers mysteries and other info about the game's story.

When players open the Gemography menu during their initial playthrough, they will notice that it's, well, empty. The game recognizes this and recommends that "the player should play through the game a bit more so they can uncover more details about the game".

All of the game's details are separated into categories with each section containing info that the player might have not known about.