Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear for DS is seriously so much fun. No really, it’s seriously fun. Featuring a perfect blend of hidden object gameplay and Jewel Quest, I have played this game for a ridiculous amount of hours.
Jewel Quest Mysteries is another Avanquest game, and while this is another hidden object title like Hidden Mysteries Titanic I reviewed yesterday, this game is significantly different in so many ways.
First main difference is obvious: the story. Having more of a ancient and mythological feel to it, I instantly loved this game. I believe I’ve mentioned on the site before how I’m a huge fan of Greek/Roman/Egyptian mythology, so this was right up my alley. The main plot is where a married team of archaeologists are in search for the Emerald Tear, this wonderous gem that has been around the block more than a few times. You start off in Egypt, at the Valley of the Kings (you know, the place where Tut and other Pharaohs are buried?), but that is just the beginning. Without giving too much away, you find out that Alexander the Great possessed the legendary Emerald Tear for awhile, and other historical figures. With 18 different locations and 17 unique picture screens, players will also have over 80 search screens total they can gaze upon.
The gameplay itself is your typical hidden object style. You have a list of items to find, so you go about doing so. There are gems you can find in each level along with gold coins, and both items give you different bonuses. The gems you use to purchase power-ups while the gold coins are used to give you additional help throughout the levels. I also had no difficulty with accuracy, which was fantastic.
What made this game a little more challenging than other hidden object games I’ve played in the past is that I’m on a timer. As much as I’d love to take my sweet time, I sort of can’t. For each “chapter” of the game, you are given a specific amount of time. In that allotment of time, you will have 3, sometimes 4, levels to play through. There will always be an even balance of hidden object levels and jewel quest levels where you do the standard “find three gems of the same color and move them around to match” bit. Also, this isn’t a game where you can click around and hope that the stylus lands on an object. If you start to do that, each wrong search results in the timer going down a little. One suggestion: don’t use the stylus to move the screen around. Use the D-Pad off to the left side of the screen. It’s easier, and you don’t risk accidentally losing precious time. The music itself is very catchy, and I would often find myself having it stuck in my head even though I hadn’t played the game in hours.
Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear is a perfect game to play if you want to unwind. I found myself staying up a little late and playing it while I was in bed. Not only was it very relaxing, but who doesn’t want to go to bed in a good mood? The puzzles weren’t too hard to where I would get frustrated, but they also weren’t so easy a 5 year old could do it. It was a nice balance. One thing that I found to be a huge selling point is that the game comes with another full-length game inside: Mysteryville. So you’re basically getting two fun hidden object games for the price of one. Bargain!
Like Hidden Mysteries Titanic, the Avanquest version of Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear is only available in the UK, but if you’re willing to pay for the extra shipping, you’ll find it’s certainly worth it.
To purchase a copy, check out the official Avanquest website or UK Amazon.com.
