Gameplay Today - Because You're Always Gaming

When a casual game is done correctly it can be a joyous experience to gamers and casual passerbys. Bejeweled 2 is a strange fit though for the WiiWare at this point in the lifespan when Blitz has been the desired Bejeweled game for at least a year. Still Bejeweled 2 offers a lot to the gamer and a rather difficult game to get through. Seriously difficult as the game actually has planned levels that stretch into the hundreds.

The main draw of the game is the classic mode which is what Bejeweled started with, you match gems in threes or more and each of the matches results in experience to your level bar. Max out the level bar and your on the way to the next level unless of course you run out of moves, then it's a game over. The other main mode here is Action mode which starts you with the level bar half filled and asks you to fill it before time runs out. The time ticking down in this mode is your level bar itself as you gradually and constantly lose EXP, but unlike Classic there is always a move available.

Puzzle mode is essentially a throwback to old Tetris Attack players as it's a clear the board leaving nothing left behind by finding that sweet spot solution of the exact moves needed. After completing Puzzle mode you can unlock Cognito mode which is the same sort of puzzle antics but without hints, something Puzzle allowed endlessly. Endless mode consists of well an endless mode, but the real objective is to clear level 280 to unlock the last game mode. You can't lose and you aren't timed so their is no frantic pace to your colored gem swapping, it will however take many long hours to reach 280.

Twilight is a tricky mode where gems alternate from falling from the top and the bottom to screw with the players strategy. While the Hyper mode is Bejeweled set to Sonic the Hedgehog speeds. Hyper mode allows huge gem combos with its rule of matching gems up to a second after they settle. Finally there is Finity mode which has rocks and bombs littering the gem field; scoring here is a bit odd because you can only score via hypercubes which are created when you match 5 same colored gems together.

With 8 modes and lots of hours needed to complete the game you could be at this game for over a hundred hours. The downside is this gets tiring even for Bejeweled fans and there is a reason most of those fans didn't pay this game too much thought or even missed it with Bejeweled Blitz's popularity. It's worth it for puzzle and Bejeweled junkies if you don't own it already; otherwise pass this one up.