The Quest of the Nerd-Mommy

It was an accident. I swear it was. I never meant to get hooked on my little boy’s new Nintendo DS Lite system. I never meant to glom onto it multiple times a day, making crap excuses and promising that “just one more game” would be enough, would inspire me to back slowly away from the Nintendo.

There’s a reason they call these things “Nerdtenders.” *I* am that reason.

Now I’m not an indiscriminate addict. No, no—far from it. It’s not just any game that’s got its hooks in me. It’s Jewel Quest Expeditions.

Now, I’ve been playing Jewel Quest in one form or another online for a few years at Iwin, which, coincidentally (or not) is credited in a splash screen on the DS as the game loads (as is Mistic Software, maker of “My Horse & Me,” and “Backyard Hockey,” among others). However, Jewel Quest Expeditions is not your Momma’s online Jewel Quest.

Jewel Quest Expeditions starts out much like your Momma’s Jewel Quest--a simple pattern with different, brightly colored jewels in each square space. Switch the adjacent jewels (via a swipe with the DS stylus pen) to make matches/lines of three or more of the same jewel. Remember, only adjacent jewels that can make a match can be moved, which makes things tougher. Each match/line made “completes” those squares, turning them gold. Turn all the squares gold in the allotted time and voila! You’ve mastered that puzzle, receive bonus points for any time remaining, and are ready for the next.

It sounds incredibly simplistic, and, initially, it is. But unlike traditional Jewel Quest played online, Jewel Quest Expeditions has, among other things, a story line. A comic-book like tale (ala Indiana Jones) of intrigue, betrayal, and adventure which unfolds in five “stories” or parts each time a new puzzle is mastered. The story doesn’t do so much for me (I tend to skip it), but my son thinks it’s great.

I have to break and say that the graphics quality is terrific here. I was a bit worried when we got the game for him (and it was for HIM—I don’t know how I got hooked!), because he’d played Jewel Quest online, with a big, 22 inch monitor. I feared the game would look awful by comparison, but it doesn’t. The colors are vibrant, the lines and such are sharp, and the motion is at least as good as the online versions. The constant, rotating soundtrack of mostly tribal-type music can get a bit cloying, and tends to reverberate in the head if you play too much, but I would never play too much. Ever.

The game starts with “Rupert’s Heartbreak.” A pretty easy, straightforward part that unfolds (story location-wise) between “The Voyage” and the “Bazaar.” Once the “Bazaar” is reached (after six successfully completed puzzles) the second level is achieved.

Next is “Emma’s Apology,” which unfolds between the “Bazaar” and “The Safari.” This level requires seven wins before completion. That’s seven increasingly difficult puzzles with more intricate designs and new gems and special symbols/doodads—some which make the game easier, and others which make it much harder. Of special importance are the coins, which, if matched in groups of three (like the gems), give you a free “special move.” That means you get to clear a gem off your board. Sometimes, these coins are the difference between winning and losing. The coins carry to the next game, so, theoretically, there’s no limit to how many you can earn. I’ve had up to 14 at one time. Also, if you’re absolutely out of moves (and have no coins), the game will grant you one coin at a time until you’ve available moves.

After comes “Grenard’s Revenge.” Requiring eight wins, this level takes us from “The Safari” to “Great Zimbabwe.” Here the puzzles get even more complicated with the introduction of the Monkeys. I’ll say no more.

Then come “Hanis Regret.” Requiring nine wins, this level takes you from “Great Zimbabwe” to “Victoria Waterfalls.” I am four wins into this section. Whether or not I’ll ever progress to the next level is anybody’s guess. At this point, the puzzles are very intricate, riddled with “hidden” jewels (which require two or more matches in order to reveal and clear them to turn the square gold) and deep blank chasms that must be filled through creatively shifting jewels into them.

Finally comes “Back to Africa”—a section I have not reached yet. This is the journey from “Victoria Waterfalls” to the big “X”---ten wins to reach this place. Hopefully, I’ll get there some day.

Now, it may sound impressive that I’ve gotten all the way to “Hanis Regret,” halfway to “Great Zimbabwe.” It’s not impressive, really—see, you don’t have to WIN every time to keep progressing in the story line or levels. In fact, if you lose all five lives, your score goes back to zero, but your progress continues. So you can lose and lose and lose and still move forward as far as the storyline and puzzle intricacy/difficulty go. In addition, every 50,000 points you attain, you gain an additional life.

Speaking of lives, you are, at times, offered the opportunity to skip a puzzle in return for a life IF you've failed at the puzzle before AND you have a life to spare.

I can thank my son for teaching me the neatest trick in this game—turning it off. See, if you’re struggling, failing, not going to make it, if you’ve blown all your coins and you’re still not going to win, turn it off. Just turn off the DS, and the game doesn’t save. You come back where you were before that disastrous last game. You don’t take the loss, but, then again, you also don’t get to keep any points or coins you may have earned in that loser game. You do, however, have to PLAY that game again. And again. Until you master it. I’m not sure if that’s cheating or if it’s more a “no harm, no foul” situation.

Keep in mind that I’ve pretty much taken over this game, or would have, if Jewel Quest Expeditions didn’t allow for multiple save games. As far as I can tell, only three save games are allowed—that’s one for me, one for my son, and one for my husband. That works.

Speaking of saving, after each game, win or lose, you’re given the option to continue or no. Regardless of your choice, the game will save, then give you what you asked for--either more game play, or an end to the session.

Like all the Nintendo DS games I’ve ever played, Jewel Quest Expeditions can be paused at any point in the game by pressing the “Start” button to the right of the lower screen. No good for trying to plan out moves, though (and that would be cheating)—the screen immediately paints to a pause screen with buttons for resuming the game, restarting the game, or quitting.

All in all, I really, really like this game (as does my son, thankfully). Not so much for the story, which I could take or leave, but for the graphics and the increasingly challenging puzzles. I’m not sure why it’s hooked me so solidly, but it has, and, as obsessive behaviors go, I guess this is a fairly harmless one to have. I’m only on the thing for, at most, 45 minutes a day, split into two or three sessions (games last up to approximately ten minutes, depending upon what level you’re at and how well you do). In fact, I played three games (averaging about seven minutes each) while writing this review—purely for research, of course.

One final note—this game has been harsh on my right wrist (the stylus hand) and right elbow. Something about the way I’m holding the DS or . . . something. Make sure to take breaks when playing to give the wrist and arm a breather.