Diamond Twister

Diamond Twister is a gem swapping game the likes you’ve probably seen before, most notably if you happened to pick up Gameloft’s very own Paris Hilton game a while back.  In fact, you can probably say it’s almost the exact game, say for excluding the heiress and a few minor changes.

This time around, there’s story that centers around a jewel thief, you, who travels to glamorous locations and “acquires” high-end gems.  There is no cloak and dagger stuff since this is just a puzzle game, so all you must do is pass the eight boards per location to gain the item.  Passing them simply requires matching enough gems to score a determined amount of cash, and while this is minimal at the start, that number increases as new locations are visited.

Like the Paris Hilton game, creating chains and combinations of four or more gems rewards you with special “Help” gems to provide a boost when you need it, specifically in the later levels where the money count gets pretty high.  There are those that explode in various ways, others that change gem type, and still others that are specific in what gems are removed.  But while these may help, the boards also get harder as new patterns are constantly presented with blocks that prevent swapping or corners that are tough to get to.

As the locations are completed, an additional eight other game types are unlocked in Challenge mode that use the same point and click mechanics to swap gems, but vary in purpose.  Magic Stones for example, has you matching gems and flipping tiles to uncover a hidden jewel.  Gem Collector challenges you to match and clear a specific number and type of gem.  With Puzzle, you must eliminate all of the pieces from the board in the least moves possible.  Overall, each game type proves to be as entertaining as the Story mode.

For a puzzle game of its kind, Diamond Twister features some dazzling graphics and pretty good sound to go along with a lengthy and addictive gaming experience.  There are some nice differences in the play types and yes, it’s still a gem swapping game, but anyone who enjoys this type will certainly be glad they downloaded it.

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