[b]lost gems[/b] is a puzzler where you roll a cube and push other blocks around in order to match ones of the same color. simple concept, been done before many times, but I found it really enjoyable and refreshing for various reasons detailed below.
[b]60 levels[/b] unlocked one at a time, 20 more might be coming later, according to the store page. 3-star rating based on the number of steps, no need to perfect levels unless you want an extra challenge. there's an on-screen step counter and level number, and moving the mouse over the current rating reveals move goals.
wasd, arrows and mouse all work for movement, 'r' resets the level, the camera can be rotated a bit in either direction but there are no hotkeys, nor much point due to its limited nature. [b]3-step undo[/b] got patched in after release, backspace makes it happen, but it's not mentioned anywhere, and of course unlimited would be better. there's a [b]hint mode[/b] though, no repercussions for using it, enabling it restarts the level and an arrow will guide you until it's disobeyed.
besides the usual crumbling tiles, non-matchable blocks and holes and walls blocking movement, there are [b]multiple fun/annoying mechanics to mix things up[/b]. door-like things can only be opened by pushing a special cube onto a pressure plate, friendly ghost blocks mirror your movement, bombs explode after a certain number of pushes, seeker blocks (or whatever their official name is) cling to you when you're both in the same line, limiting movement options. magnetic blocks attract colored blocks every turn from all four directions if they can, their opposite pushes them away, and [b]my absolute favorite: turrets[/b].
so actually, with bombs and turrets, [b]it's often not the case of matching everything, but getting rid of what can't be matched[/b]. you can't fall off the level, but blocks can be pushed off (even certain 'enemies'), except doing so with a matchable colored block will reset the level (the block comes back with undo but reset sadly happens anyway), so you have to be clever. another good thing is even if something can be matched up, they don't have to be if there are other means available, so [b]there's a good amount of freedom, but of course not much leeway if you're going for 3 stars[/b].
[b]some relatively small issues[/b], should be easily fixed: limited camera controls and undo were already mentioned, lack of brightness settings is another. especially frustrating when you can't tell if a hole in the floor is bottomless or can be filled with a block (colored works too, push another of the same color on top and voila, even enemies can be trapped). keyboard doesn't work to go to the next level after level completion, have to use the mouse, and while pushing stuff off the sides is fun, waiting for the animation to play out before being able to move again certainly isn't.
[b]the presentation is pleasing to the eye and ear[/b], if a bit dark and music changes very abruptly. almost all the necessities are available, also while playing: separate volume settings, graphics settings, proper level selection, exit button, various languages, but only [b]alt+enter for windowed mode and the window can't be resized, so it's useless[/b].
[b]the price is definitely too high[/b], would be even if it didn't have any issues, but it's [b]worth considering on sale[/b]. limited undo was enough for me to complete every level in less than 3 hours without too much effort or repeating the same thing over and over, but wouldn't bother going for 3 stars everywhere without unlimited amounts of it.
