BJWDST_SplashArtMatch-3 games may be the perfect mobile entertainment apps. They’re easy to learn, can continually challenge you with ever-more-difficult puzzles and are just as fun whether you play for five minutes or for half an hour.

However, while some indie houses have come out with stellar match-3 gameplay in recent years, most people think of money-hungry Candy Crush when they consider the genre. But one of the earliest match-3 franchises is back, six years after its last title. Today, Bejeweled Stars launches, bringing a modern update to the traditional gem-matching game from Seattle-based PopCap.

The new game brings the Bejeweled franchise into the modern mobile world, with free-to-play elements, engaging twists to familiar gameplay and a dedication to the pleasing process of clearing board.

There are the traditional theatrical flourishes like board clearing explosions and fanciful narration. There’s even a choir singing “Meow” at the end of every level, a level of absurdity many publishers may forego to gain more serious gamers.

But new obstacles like currents and glaciers add another element of movement to the traditional gameplay, while “SkyGems” provide power-ups to quickly clear the board. The core match-3 experience is there, but it’s part of a larger game now.

popcap logoFor PopCap, the EA-owned Seattle studio behind the Bejeweled franchise, the new title lets users move away from the standard leaderboard-driven gameplay and offer them more ways to interact with the game.

“Games in general tend to be often competitive, and the only way to feel like you can express yourself or have an identity in the game is related to how well you play,” said Cara Ely, the executive producer of Bejeweled Stars. “It doesn’t matter how good you are in [Bejeweled Stars]…we want to give people the chance to have that feeling of ‘I can play with other people, even if I’m not great at it.'”

The most innovative element of non-competitive gameplay in Stars is the personal messaging. PopCap created a full set of emoji-like Charms to collect, and users can send them to their friends. For Ely, it’s a way for her mom to get into the game, seeing what her daughter is working on without worrying about competing with Ely.

But the company also took some time to consider the problems in free-to-play gaming. While there are plenty of in-app purchases and a healthy amount of encouragement to make them, Stars isn’t a pay-to-win kind of game.

For those who want to complete every last objective without spending a year in the game, they can buy power-ups and bypass difficult gameplay with a purchase. But players looking for a distraction on the subway won’t need to spend a penny for some satisfying gameplay, and the game doesn’t push purchases as much as other free-to-play titles.

Bejeweled Stars general manager Heather Hazen, left, and executive producer Cara Ely stand in front of PopCap's various game industry trophies.
Bejeweled Stars general manager Heather Hazen, left, and executive producer Cara Ely stand in front of PopCap’s various game industry trophies.

Updating the classic game took a lot of work, and not just in modernizing the gameplay. While the company learned a lot about modern mobile gameplay with its other marquee franchise, Plants vs. Zombies, it also build this new game from the ground up in Unity, modernizing the backbone from its original C++ architecture.

“We have these new frameworks that we’re building games on, but we’re keeping the old logic,” said Heather Hazen, the game’s general manager.

The team spent a significant amount of time making sure the new engine still felt like the old, successful Bejeweled gameplay that fans loved, with nearly a year of playtesting and refining the experience on Unity.

The new Bejeweled Stars is out today on iOS and Android. The game is launching with more than 200 levels, and new puzzles will be added daily.

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