How to play
Magic Gems
Magic Gems is a Skill Game. The goal is to reach enough points to beat the target score by sorting the gems on the board. Maximize your score by looking ahead, optimizing the impact of your actions.

On the picture you see me with two fully different Magic Gems game machines. At the left the 2016 version, at the right the 2022 version. You might still see the 2016 version at some places, it is the same game with a different lay out and different textures.

In this manual we explain the game using 2022 version. But, with only different textures and a different layout, all also applies on the 2016 version.
You can pay the game machine to start playing, you will get 13 rounds. Each round you can choose one color of gem, by clicking one gem of that color. The gem you click will be removed, all gems above it will drop one row down. Now you can remove as many gems of this color as you like. Click the button Next when you are done.

After you click Next the game will remove the bottom row with gems and give you a score for it.

All empty spots on the board will be filled again with gems and you can go on playing the next round.

Each round you get a score, which will be added to your total score.

Be cautious there is a time limit: Do remove a gem at least once every 30 seconds, or the game will go to the next round. Above the board you see a gauge showing you how much time is left.
When a round is finished, the bottom line is removed and the board is filled up with gems again. The bottom line determines your score for that round.

One important rule: If the column has no X2 multiplier anymore, the lowest new gem placed on that column will have a X2 multiplier. Thus they do not appear random, and you can use this knowledge!

As Gems drop down during the game, you have big control on what will be on the bottom lines.
Does the bottom line (known in Magic Gems as the win line) have 5 gems of the same color? Then you score 250 points.

4 of the same color and one of a different color? 100 points.
3 of the same color and 2 also the same color but a different one than the first 3? 50 points.

And as you see at the picture, 25 points for 3 the same, 5 points for 2 + 2 the same and 1 point for 2 the same.

All 5 different gems then 0 points!

x2 plays a crucial role. Does a gem on win line have a x2? Then the score is doubled. Is there another x2, then it is doubled again!



Let's play...
Here you see a Magic Gems game machine. This machine is a freeplay game, at the top you see that I need to beat 3471 to win L$0.

One fun part of Magic Gems is that you will get the starting board shown here. Not a newly generated board, but the one already on display. So, you can study it on forehand, before paying the game to play.

At the right column you see how many points one would score with the lines already on the board. (Not much, in this case)

Anyways..let's start. Pay the game to start playing, or in case it is freeplay: Touch it.



A paid game just starts when paid.
On a freeplay game, you get this screen, avoiding the machine from automatically start a game after a single click. Hit the "Yes!" button and off you go.



And there we are, in the first round. Still 12 rounds to go after this, as you see above the play board. My score is of course zero, I didn't do nothing yet.

You see in the top section a green line getting shorter. It is the time indication, within 30 seconds I must make a move. On this picture, about 10 seconds are already gone.

I decide to remove a bunch of red gems, on the next picture you'll see why.

With removing those reds I reached two things:
  • The top row will have 2 x2 multipliers, on the same row. 
  • In the middle of the board can start exist a nice blue line, of 4 blue tiles.

Now it is not that comfortable, playing while making a video. Otherwise I would have noticed that both situations would be a lot better if I removed 2 more red gems: One on the 2nd column and one on the 4th column. (Removing the one in the 2nd column would open a chance to get instantly 5 purples on the top row, not a big chance, but a chance)

I don't bother about the win line. It will give 0 points, but it would be no good usage of resources to try to make that 2 or 5. On the top lines I have more influence, so I try to work for a great score there.

I click the Next  button to go to the next round.
The second round started!
The bottom line is removed, I get 0 points for that one.
All empty spots on the board are filled again (after removing the bottom line, all other lines went of course one spot down)

On top of the board I see a lot of purple, and some green and pink with a x2.
Let's remove the purple and hope some more green or pink will pop in.

I didn't remove all purple, but did so on a way the x2's will end up nicely. You see displayed where the new x2's end up next round. If one of both is pink, I'll have something.

This focus on the top lines makes that I can't do much on the lower lines. Yes, I of course removed the purple x2 on the right column, instead of a purple gem without a x2. There will be a new x2, in the top section, hopefully better usable.

I click again next to go to the next round.



My score is still zero, but I see something nice growing with those pink gems.

It is easy reachable to get 4 pink gems on one row, of which 3 with a x2. Thus that would be 100x2x2x2 = 800 points. Only don't do it in a rush Morenda! Don't do it in a rush!!

Try to arrange it on a way that perhaps one more pink or one more x2 comes on that line. I can easily ignore the score on the lines below that pink. Why bother about the difference between 5 and 10 points, when working at the difference between 800 and 1600.

Removing some blue gives a nice improvement.


Here is the game again, after I removed all the blue I wanted gone:
  • Below the pink line: That blue, preferable with a x2, that needs to be removed to make the line.
  • Above the pink line : All blue. It is in my advantage to have there as little difference in colors as possible. Perhaps a nice green line will be possible above the pink one, or well...we'll see. .
I click Next to go to the next round. Do note that I have 2 white and 2 purple gems on my win line. Score will leave the 0!
Look how nicely the games display the score I made. 5 points, due to two purple and two white.

I could remove some gem in the 4th column to drop the white x2 within the pink row: Making it worth 1600 points instead of 800, but I won't....


Instead I remove all white from that column and also the only other white above the row. I only leave the white on the winline, to not break my carefully crafted row that will be worth 1600 points.

Or more! If now a pink gem drops onto the empty spot on this row, I'll have 5 pink gems, giving 250x2x2x2x2 = 4000 points !!

Enthusiastically about that perspective, I click Next, to see what it will be.
 Nope, I didn't have that much luck.

Remember this: It is better to have more the same gems than more x2 multipliers.

When I would remove the green, including the one with the x2 from the 4th column, the score of 1600 becomes 2000. (250x2x2x2)


And then usually it is a good idea to remove all of the green above the line that I am aiming at. This time being no exception.

Perhaps I can do something with the red ones or so. In either case, having less different colors there gives more control for the player.

There could be still a surprise next round, but ti looks like that we are done with the pink line.

Let's click Next and go to the next round.
My score reached the double numbers. It is still crap of course, but I see a nice 2050 still coming the next rounds.

This round I will get rid of some blue. It is the better choice as it has a x2 at a rather useless position. I am aiming for creating something nice at the top line.





Only 3 gems removed this round, but the board looks good.

Suppose both x2's that will come next round will have the same color,
or some red gems will come on the board, giving options for the 3rd line from the top.

Also, the lines below the top line do already show some score.

Let's see what next round brings.
Nothing particularly useful, that is what this round brings!


I decided to remove some green. There will drop in a lof of wilds the next rounds, all 3 from the win line, plus the green one I remove.

When we see what it is, we can build from there.
Onto the next round!
Yayy! I got my 2000 points.

On the top row we don't see a score anymore. That is because we have only 5 rounds left.

With the yummi 800 points on the row below that, we come close to the score needed. Just add all scores together: 2106 + 800 + 10+ 25 +25 + 5 +25 = 2996.

I need to get the extra about 500 points from somewhere...to win.

I need to do something with that pink on the row with 800 points. One pink more, or one x2 more...and it is a win.

But I don't.
It would have been a good choice: Removing a few blue ones and go for the pink ones.

Removing the pink ones and going for the blue ones has its advantages too.

Next round I either get already the same situation: 4x blue with 3x x2 OR I can play the purple x2 out! So it can perhaps be used on this line too.

Going for pink would be not a bad choice,
going for blue is slightly better.

Let's go to the next round. See what we get, it could already be enough to win this. Although of course the chance on 2 blue gems falling at the right spot is small.


Ok, that didn't pay off, yet.

We need blue with a x2. Without that, no win.
Chances are increased the most by getting rid of other colors, with a X2.


I decided to remove the green gems.
Purple might have been a better choice.

Ok, not "might have been", I would have removed 2 x2's and free'ed a lot of space where a blue gem could fall. Now I only made free 3 spots.

Silly of me! This might very well cost me the game.

Let's see what the next round brings.
Now get rid of that damn purple, Morenda!!
Do it.


Not making the same mistake twice, we get a board looking like this.

It is really about time for something blue to drop on preferable 2 of those empty x2 spots. One would not be enough!

Let's click Next and see...
YESS!!! Oh yesss..ohhh...ah well...
there they are.

I have this round and the two next ones to navigate all in place. 
If I succeed, I'll win. Despite two blunders.
One doesn't have to play perfect to win this game, but one does have to play good.

Luck can help, but making wise choices helps a whole lot more.



Removing the white I just did, might look silly. Red would have been the obvious choice, to maximize the score.

I did count my way to victory, I am already sure I can win, I only took a more complex route: Getting the red out next round, and then the purple.

The advantage of my route? We could still end with 5 times blue on the same line and thus a higher score.

In either case it is a win.

On to the next round, you'll see.

Now, time to remove the red!


I took some red out. Since I did not get a blue gem on the 5th column, I won't get that much higher score I was aiming for.
I can now choose:
  • Leave it like this, remove the next round the blue gem on the second column to drop down the x2 to the win line, making it 1600 points.
  • Remove the red gem on the 4th column and then next round 2 pink ones on the same column. That would also lead to 1600 points.
The second option would destroy the 2 + 2 combination I have on the line that is now the win line. Thus that would give 1 instead of 5 points.

Not that I bother about that 4 points, I will have more than enough, but one could argue: Leave it as it is is best.

On to the last round!
Now...
All I got to do is click the correct gem.
If I am cautious enough not to click on the wrong one I'll win.

A swift mouse move later, the game looks like this.

When I click Next , or just do nothing and wait, I'll be a winner.

No desire to wait for that, I click next.
There we are! 3771 points.

I won !!!!

I took almost all my score with the 2 lines I was aiming at. I hardly took any consideration about the other 11 lines. Even if they would have given all zero, I would have still won.

The best possible line in Magic Gems, 5 of the same color, all x2, gives 8000 points. There are quite a few combinations possible that give each more than 1000. Aiming at those gives so much more result than trying to turn 25 points into 50 or 100 into 200.

The lines with less score of course do matter too. They could be enough to make the difference in a close win. Generally speaking, unless you want this game to drive you mad, aim at a few very good lines. It is easier and gives the best chances on success.

Some find this game complicated, it is not. Really, was it so complicated what I did in the steps above? The game is different than the more common games, requires that you get used to it.

Try it! The first few games you'll preform horrible, so better run to the freeplay games instead of the 1000 L$ ones. Play a little while and you might start to love this one.






Rules

Revealed starting board
The board with gems you will play during a game is already revealed before you pay the game. This board will always have the gems rather mixed up and will always have the X2 signs at the same positions.

X2 signs
Every column has a X2 sign, at the starting of each round. If not, a X2 sign will be placed at the first (lowest) gem added to that column.



Time limits
You must make a move (remove a gem or click the next button) once every 30 seconds. You will see a time indicator on the game. In case you fail to make a move in time the game will end the current round and go on to the next round.

Random added gems
The gems added to the board when starting a new round (thus replacing the removed gems) are chosen random. These will be picked out of the 6 different colors of gems. This picking of the gems is the only element of chance in the game.

Strategy

Look ahead !! All gems on the board are moving down, at least one row a round, or more when you remove gems below them. It is your task to make sure they are nicely sorted when reaching the last row, while you want the x2 signs to move fast or be placed on rows already low on the board.

You can reach good results by not only looking at the lowest row but keeping an eye on all rows. Sometimes score a bit lower now, in order to complete a perfect line with several multipliers in a few rounds.

You choose which gem to remove in which round, you control where and when x2 signs are added. You are in control. Use this control wisely.

Where to play?

Click a link to teleport directly to the Magic Gems game machines.

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