Jewel Quest
Encyclopedia
Jewel Quest is an Indiana Jones
-inspired puzzle game created and published by iWin. First for PC, and later it has been redeveloped for Symbian S60, the Nintendo DS
(Jewel Quest: Expeditions), the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade
and other platforms. iWin also released sequels entitled Jewel Quest 2, Jewel Quest Solitaire, Jewel Quest 3, Jewel Quest Mysteries: The Curse Of Emerald Tear, Jewel Quest Mysteries 2: Trail of the Midnight Heart and Jewel Quest Heritage.
Whenever tiles disappear, the background grid positions turn gold. The player must turn every square on the board to gold in order to complete the level. Failing to do so within the given time limit, or reaching a situation in which no more swaps are possible, costs one life and sends the player back to the start of that level.
As the game progresses, new variations are introduced to make gameplay more difficult: irregularly shaped grids, squares in hard-to-reach places, tokens that must be matched multiple times to clear them from the board, and so on.
1-1 How simple and sweet, this contest of relics and gold! Ah--it appears the next grid has an additional relic. As if that could fluster me. I'll need to match my way through this gateway before I can find out more.
1-2 I recall how a strange slumbering totem kept watch on Matlactli Atl - The Temple of the First Sun. Now that I study my sketch, I wonder--can this totem be the one the ancients referred to as Hun Cane?
1-3 According to the Chilam Balam, Hun Cane once ruled the overworld with a cruel fist. The people managed to use their alchemy to turn the Golden King into powerless stone. Could it be that solving these puzzles is restoring the totem's might?
1-4 Can I trust my over-educated eyes? Hun Cane indeed appears to be rejuvenating. dare I go on? And even if I dare, can I actually solve the next board? It appears that all grids are not so simply symmetrical.
1-5 Can I trust Hun Cane? His eyes tell me "if you seek Ehecoatl, begin the Quest at my birthplace." And so now I know the location of the Hidden City. Can it be? Could the fabled Temple of the Second Sun truly Exist?
2-1 The temple is real! Now that I am face to face with it, this grid of relics is similar to the one in my notes, but things are somehow askew. It seems I have to learn to think vertically.
2-2 This skeleton of stone must be Zipacna, the Titan of Lore. His diamond eyes are unlike anything the science of archeology has ever seen--not to mention the auction halls of high society. But the grids now grow larger.
2-3 According to the Popul Vuh, Zipacna was defeated by the Heroic Twins and buried beneath a mountain. Likewise, several runes now seem buried at the bottom of the grid. How can I match them?
2-4 As with Hun Cane, each of my victories seems to be returning Zipacna to golden grandeur. I must complete these grids quickly. I'm confident that once this statue is back in action, I'll be in for great bounty indeed.
2-5 Argh. What now? I need to dig two levels deep to solve this next grid. What diabolical mind devised these puzzles and to what end? I press on.
2-6 Zipacna flees as soon as he is whole, taking his diamond eyes with him! But he leaves behind a gap, an unblocked passageway up the mountain. The trailhead is littered with human skulls.
3-1 That was a strange grid - with sideways squares that were never to be used again. But it only gets stranger. The next grid appears to have its relics buried within the elements. It'll take all my excavating experience to release these relics from earth's grip, and only then may they be matched.
3-2 In the distance I can spot Tleyquiyahuillo, The Temple of the Third Sun. I must reach it! But the winds of time have ravaged this next grid. Some squares are missing altogether! I must match carefully here.
3-3 Ah, this frieze must be Cabracan, Destroyer of Mountains. But lo and behold, I can't touch buried artifacts until they are uncovered and cleaned. To steel myself for the task, I must assume that this Giant's treasures are as sweet as his grids are difficult.
3-4 Cabracan's hyena-like laughter echoes through my head. But as soon as I focus on the sound, it fades away. What sort of impediments does he have planned for me?
3-5 Oddly, as I help Cabracan replenish his golden skin he seems to get angrier. My heart, my gut, and most of all my brain tell me that I should turn back down the mountain right now. But my thirst for the undiscovered is overpowering.
3-6 Gaps at the bottom of the parchment make matching the lowest relics nearly impossible! I'll need to pay careful attention to my digging and plan a few moves ahead.
3-7 Golden Cabracan only laughed as the earth gave way beneath me. As I slide into the mountain's very bowels, the Tleyquiyahuillo Temple seems more out of reach than ever. But perhaps that's not a bad thing - my intuition tells me I am actually within the outer chasms of Tzontlilic, the Temple of the Fourth Sun.
4-1 Some of these buried relics now need twice as much work to uncover. And squares I need are blocked by these accursed artifacts. But I must persist. Whichever forces are responsible for this madness must also have arranged it so that there is a way past.
4-2 I sense a presence within the stone panther's jaws. If this is the gate to Xibalba, the Unforgiving Underworld, then I am truly out of my league. I must unbury one item at a time before I can reach the bottom. Must stop writing now. This is going to take all my concentration.
4-3 If I'm not mistaken, the creature who emerges is the dreaded Chimalmat, she with the eyes of ruby and lust of vengeance. The Popol Vuh speaks about how she birthed Cabrakan and Zipacna. As vicious as she is known to be, surely she will reward me for freeing her children.
4-4 The face of Chimalmat becomes ever clearer. She doesn't look as happy as I would have hoped. But I suppose I should know by now - it's impossible to read the emotions of a statue.
4-5 Hmm, Chimalmat is a wily one. all the buried relics have shifted to the sides of this next grid. I may have to change my strategy here.
4-6 Now I am absolutely certain that Xibalba is my destination. The Tomes talk aboput how it is flanked by abysses and covered with thorns yet contains a hoard of the most unimaginable antiquities - most notably the Stelae of the Fifth Sun.
4-7 I must unblock the buried relics at the top of this grid before Chimalmat gives me fresh gems and artifacts to play with. But if this Quest truly leads to the Stelae, then it is worth it.
4-8 Chimalmat appears before me, calm as a mountain lake! Her presence has somehow cooled down the cave enough for me to enter Tonatiuh, the Temple of the Fifth Sun awaits. And beyond that lies Xibalba!
5-2 The statue blocking my path must be Vacub Caquix, supposed ruler of the Underworld himself. Yet with each grid I solve, he seems to fade away. Egads! I'll need to dig down three levels deep to get past this next board. My brain aches as if it has been pummeled!
5-3 Lava has eaten away huge gaps in this grid. I'm going to have to tiptoe carefully around the bottom of this board if I hope to succeed. I wish I could go back to my library and research the tricks and traps of Xibalba further, but I must rely on my intuition, erudition, and cocksureness.
5-4 The Stelae of the Fifth Sun, it is said, has the Secret of All Things engraved upon it. Additionally, the tablet is made of molten platinum and inlaid with seven layers of jewels. It would be, single-handedly, the greatest archeological find ever.
5-5 Vacub Caquix is a wily trickster indeed. Just when I think I've got a grid nixed, things get nasty. it must be he who designed these quests, he who lured me here, he who had me restore his wife Chimalmat and children Zipacna and Cabracan. Once I restore him, too, will I be of any further use?
5-6 What could The Secret of All Things be? Why has fate chosen me to receive the answers? What will I do once I know more than anyone else alive? Why do I ask so many questions?
5-7 It is hard to imagine the daily life of those ancients who designed such elaborate statues, temples, and labyrinths. As my mentor Professor Ellis once said, "The past is more than a leap in time, but another world entirely."
5-8 The buried relics in this grid require not one, but two matches-of-three. Oh, Stelae, Stelae, stelae - I feel you near!
5-9 It's apparent - I can taste the end of all this, but don't know if I have the energy to proceed. So many buried relics, so many gaps in the grid - only a true scholar could proceed past this point. Is that Vacub Caquix's goal? To find the one modern person worthy enough to face him?
5-10 Glorious victory! Vucub-Caquix[sic] has met his match! And so I stroll freely into the depths of Xibalba. The Stelae of the Fifth sun lies before me! Every scholar, every treasure hunter, indeed every schoolchild will know my name!
Vacub Caquix: "You've accomplished much, but you haven't begun to taste the depths of my cleverness. Hahahah!"
Journal: The Dean has promoted me to Adventurer! I now face a cursed mask relic - one match and what was once gold is gold no more.
1-2 That cursed mask is circumnavigating my calculations. I chide myself for my earlier optimism. but neither must I slip into despair.
Jewel Quest II has 180 levels, and after each level you advance along a map representing a journey in Africa. Additional Jewels were added. Again, there are 36 boards to play, with each play-through increasing in difficulty. For Jewel Quest II, the boards are not necessarily the same as in the previous play-through. Also, while in Jewel Quest I, blank squares are obstacles, the player is allowed to move jewels into empty squares in the grid in Jewel Quest II, introducing new strategy. The player's character is revealed to be named Rupert, and the story revolves around him searching for a "Golden Jewel Board" in Africa, as well as a romantic subplot with a woman named "Emma" and a villain named "Sebastian." Emma and Sebastian each receive their own first-person text entries for an entire play-through, though the final play-through is done by Rupert. The background reflects the location of the characters within the story.
Jewel Quest III's levels range throughout the world. The new Globe interface allows you to select from different regions to play. Mexico, Iceland, Europe, Africa, South America, Australia, China, Alaska, East Asia are the regions. In each region there are several locations to choose from and each level has multiple passes. New to JQ3 is that some of the jewels have special properties.
When you run out of time on a level, or reach a point where there are no moves possible, you lose a life and must start the level over.
You are granted an additional life for every 50,000 points earned.
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
-inspired puzzle game created and published by iWin. First for PC, and later it has been redeveloped for Symbian S60, the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
(Jewel Quest: Expeditions), the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and other platforms. iWin also released sequels entitled Jewel Quest 2, Jewel Quest Solitaire, Jewel Quest 3, Jewel Quest Mysteries: The Curse Of Emerald Tear, Jewel Quest Mysteries 2: Trail of the Midnight Heart and Jewel Quest Heritage.
Basic Match 3 Puzzle
Jewel Quest is a 'match 3' puzzle played on a grid filled with various tokens, such as diamonds, gold nuggets, coins, and skulls. The player may swap any two adjacent tiles, as long as the swap results in a horizontal/vertical line of three or more matching tokens. The matched set disappears, allowing tokens to drop into the gaps from above; if more matched sets form as a result, they disappear as well.Whenever tiles disappear, the background grid positions turn gold. The player must turn every square on the board to gold in order to complete the level. Failing to do so within the given time limit, or reaching a situation in which no more swaps are possible, costs one life and sends the player back to the start of that level.
As the game progresses, new variations are introduced to make gameplay more difficult: irregularly shaped grids, squares in hard-to-reach places, tokens that must be matched multiple times to clear them from the board, and so on.
Story
Jewel Quest has 180 levels and is set within the Mayan culture. There are 36 grids and they are played through, in succession, five times, with each play-through adding a new level of difficulty. During the first run-through, "Explorer," the player is given pieces of storyline in the form of "journal entries" to read after completing each grid, with an additional snippet before the beginning of each level. After playing the 36th grid, the totem "speaks" as well there being a written blurb. After the "Explorer" level, new information is given only at the end of the 36th level, and once after playing the 1-2 grid during the second run-through. All other "journal entries" are quotes or sayings to encourage the player. Likewise, if the player fails to complete a level within the time frame, encouraging quotes will be used.Level 1
While arranging the University's fine collection of manuscripts, I stumbled across my Jewel Quest Journal. That Quest brought me unimaginable fortunes, but nearly cost me my sanity. The grid of relics seemed so simple to manipulate...As the ancient script proclaimed: "Aligne the relics you can see, Across or Down in groups of three. Turn all squares to solid gold, the path to riches will soon unfold." But as far as I got, there were still so many portals to conquer before reaching the fabled Tonatiuh - The Temple of the Fifth Sun. And now I fear the madness has finally caught up with me. For as surely as I breathe, I am tempted to try again...1-1 How simple and sweet, this contest of relics and gold! Ah--it appears the next grid has an additional relic. As if that could fluster me. I'll need to match my way through this gateway before I can find out more.
1-2 I recall how a strange slumbering totem kept watch on Matlactli Atl - The Temple of the First Sun. Now that I study my sketch, I wonder--can this totem be the one the ancients referred to as Hun Cane?
1-3 According to the Chilam Balam, Hun Cane once ruled the overworld with a cruel fist. The people managed to use their alchemy to turn the Golden King into powerless stone. Could it be that solving these puzzles is restoring the totem's might?
1-4 Can I trust my over-educated eyes? Hun Cane indeed appears to be rejuvenating. dare I go on? And even if I dare, can I actually solve the next board? It appears that all grids are not so simply symmetrical.
1-5 Can I trust Hun Cane? His eyes tell me "if you seek Ehecoatl, begin the Quest at my birthplace." And so now I know the location of the Hidden City. Can it be? Could the fabled Temple of the Second Sun truly Exist?
Level 2
Journal Entry: May-16-1942 "I had to keep this secret to myself. I took an emergency sabbatical and chartered a wreck of a plane for the jungles of Quintana Roo."2-1 The temple is real! Now that I am face to face with it, this grid of relics is similar to the one in my notes, but things are somehow askew. It seems I have to learn to think vertically.
2-2 This skeleton of stone must be Zipacna, the Titan of Lore. His diamond eyes are unlike anything the science of archeology has ever seen--not to mention the auction halls of high society. But the grids now grow larger.
2-3 According to the Popul Vuh, Zipacna was defeated by the Heroic Twins and buried beneath a mountain. Likewise, several runes now seem buried at the bottom of the grid. How can I match them?
2-4 As with Hun Cane, each of my victories seems to be returning Zipacna to golden grandeur. I must complete these grids quickly. I'm confident that once this statue is back in action, I'll be in for great bounty indeed.
2-5 Argh. What now? I need to dig two levels deep to solve this next grid. What diabolical mind devised these puzzles and to what end? I press on.
2-6 Zipacna flees as soon as he is whole, taking his diamond eyes with him! But he leaves behind a gap, an unblocked passageway up the mountain. The trailhead is littered with human skulls.
Level 3
Journal Entry: May-20-1942 "I confess, the bones make me hesitate, But turning back is not an option. On to higher ground..."3-1 That was a strange grid - with sideways squares that were never to be used again. But it only gets stranger. The next grid appears to have its relics buried within the elements. It'll take all my excavating experience to release these relics from earth's grip, and only then may they be matched.
3-2 In the distance I can spot Tleyquiyahuillo, The Temple of the Third Sun. I must reach it! But the winds of time have ravaged this next grid. Some squares are missing altogether! I must match carefully here.
3-3 Ah, this frieze must be Cabracan, Destroyer of Mountains. But lo and behold, I can't touch buried artifacts until they are uncovered and cleaned. To steel myself for the task, I must assume that this Giant's treasures are as sweet as his grids are difficult.
3-4 Cabracan's hyena-like laughter echoes through my head. But as soon as I focus on the sound, it fades away. What sort of impediments does he have planned for me?
3-5 Oddly, as I help Cabracan replenish his golden skin he seems to get angrier. My heart, my gut, and most of all my brain tell me that I should turn back down the mountain right now. But my thirst for the undiscovered is overpowering.
3-6 Gaps at the bottom of the parchment make matching the lowest relics nearly impossible! I'll need to pay careful attention to my digging and plan a few moves ahead.
3-7 Golden Cabracan only laughed as the earth gave way beneath me. As I slide into the mountain's very bowels, the Tleyquiyahuillo Temple seems more out of reach than ever. But perhaps that's not a bad thing - my intuition tells me I am actually within the outer chasms of Tzontlilic, the Temple of the Fourth Sun.
Level 4
I brush off my trusty hat, and descend into the deepest corridors. I reach the fabled Panther Cave but it is too hot within to proceed onward.4-1 Some of these buried relics now need twice as much work to uncover. And squares I need are blocked by these accursed artifacts. But I must persist. Whichever forces are responsible for this madness must also have arranged it so that there is a way past.
4-2 I sense a presence within the stone panther's jaws. If this is the gate to Xibalba, the Unforgiving Underworld, then I am truly out of my league. I must unbury one item at a time before I can reach the bottom. Must stop writing now. This is going to take all my concentration.
4-3 If I'm not mistaken, the creature who emerges is the dreaded Chimalmat, she with the eyes of ruby and lust of vengeance. The Popol Vuh speaks about how she birthed Cabrakan and Zipacna. As vicious as she is known to be, surely she will reward me for freeing her children.
4-4 The face of Chimalmat becomes ever clearer. She doesn't look as happy as I would have hoped. But I suppose I should know by now - it's impossible to read the emotions of a statue.
4-5 Hmm, Chimalmat is a wily one. all the buried relics have shifted to the sides of this next grid. I may have to change my strategy here.
4-6 Now I am absolutely certain that Xibalba is my destination. The Tomes talk aboput how it is flanked by abysses and covered with thorns yet contains a hoard of the most unimaginable antiquities - most notably the Stelae of the Fifth Sun.
4-7 I must unblock the buried relics at the top of this grid before Chimalmat gives me fresh gems and artifacts to play with. But if this Quest truly leads to the Stelae, then it is worth it.
4-8 Chimalmat appears before me, calm as a mountain lake! Her presence has somehow cooled down the cave enough for me to enter Tonatiuh, the Temple of the Fifth Sun awaits. And beyond that lies Xibalba!
Level 5
5-1 That wasn't so bad! For all the blustery talk of this Xibalba place, I'm not impressed. But wait. What is this ahead? Stalactites seem to be walling in two of the buried relics. How can I reach them?5-2 The statue blocking my path must be Vacub Caquix, supposed ruler of the Underworld himself. Yet with each grid I solve, he seems to fade away. Egads! I'll need to dig down three levels deep to get past this next board. My brain aches as if it has been pummeled!
5-3 Lava has eaten away huge gaps in this grid. I'm going to have to tiptoe carefully around the bottom of this board if I hope to succeed. I wish I could go back to my library and research the tricks and traps of Xibalba further, but I must rely on my intuition, erudition, and cocksureness.
5-4 The Stelae of the Fifth Sun, it is said, has the Secret of All Things engraved upon it. Additionally, the tablet is made of molten platinum and inlaid with seven layers of jewels. It would be, single-handedly, the greatest archeological find ever.
5-5 Vacub Caquix is a wily trickster indeed. Just when I think I've got a grid nixed, things get nasty. it must be he who designed these quests, he who lured me here, he who had me restore his wife Chimalmat and children Zipacna and Cabracan. Once I restore him, too, will I be of any further use?
5-6 What could The Secret of All Things be? Why has fate chosen me to receive the answers? What will I do once I know more than anyone else alive? Why do I ask so many questions?
5-7 It is hard to imagine the daily life of those ancients who designed such elaborate statues, temples, and labyrinths. As my mentor Professor Ellis once said, "The past is more than a leap in time, but another world entirely."
5-8 The buried relics in this grid require not one, but two matches-of-three. Oh, Stelae, Stelae, stelae - I feel you near!
5-9 It's apparent - I can taste the end of all this, but don't know if I have the energy to proceed. So many buried relics, so many gaps in the grid - only a true scholar could proceed past this point. Is that Vacub Caquix's goal? To find the one modern person worthy enough to face him?
5-10 Glorious victory! Vucub-Caquix[sic] has met his match! And so I stroll freely into the depths of Xibalba. The Stelae of the Fifth sun lies before me! Every scholar, every treasure hunter, indeed every schoolchild will know my name!
Vacub Caquix: "You've accomplished much, but you haven't begun to taste the depths of my cleverness. Hahahah!"
Adventurer
My hands close on the fragile tablet...I hug it to my chest. The Stelae is mine! The secret to all things permeates my very core. "Fame and fortune are matters of no consequence in a life so fleeting," the secret tells me. "A Quest its own reward." Whatever... Then it tells me about even greater fortunes to be had! I must retrace my steps..I gather up as many priceless jewels in my hat as I can carry and hurry home.Journal: The Dean has promoted me to Adventurer! I now face a cursed mask relic - one match and what was once gold is gold no more.
1-2 That cursed mask is circumnavigating my calculations. I chide myself for my earlier optimism. but neither must I slip into despair.
Quotes
"Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold." - TolstoyJewel Quest II has 180 levels, and after each level you advance along a map representing a journey in Africa. Additional Jewels were added. Again, there are 36 boards to play, with each play-through increasing in difficulty. For Jewel Quest II, the boards are not necessarily the same as in the previous play-through. Also, while in Jewel Quest I, blank squares are obstacles, the player is allowed to move jewels into empty squares in the grid in Jewel Quest II, introducing new strategy. The player's character is revealed to be named Rupert, and the story revolves around him searching for a "Golden Jewel Board" in Africa, as well as a romantic subplot with a woman named "Emma" and a villain named "Sebastian." Emma and Sebastian each receive their own first-person text entries for an entire play-through, though the final play-through is done by Rupert. The background reflects the location of the characters within the story.
Jewel Quest III's levels range throughout the world. The new Globe interface allows you to select from different regions to play. Mexico, Iceland, Europe, Africa, South America, Australia, China, Alaska, East Asia are the regions. In each region there are several locations to choose from and each level has multiple passes. New to JQ3 is that some of the jewels have special properties.
Scoring and Lives
When you match a set of tiles, you gain points based on the number of tiles matched and the number of "cascaded" matches that have occurred. "Cursed" black tiles appear in later levels; directly matching a set of these deducts points and erases the gold behind them. However, the cursed tiles can be safely removed as a "cascaded" match.When you run out of time on a level, or reach a point where there are no moves possible, you lose a life and must start the level over.
You are granted an additional life for every 50,000 points earned.