Matching four gems in a row creates a Flame Gem, which explodes and destroys the eight gems that surround it when matched. Matching gems in a L, T or + shape creates a Star Gem, similar to the Lightning Gem in Bejeweled Twist, which destroys all the gems in its row and column when activated. Matching five gems in a row creates a Hyper Cube, which detonates all gems of the color it was swapped with off the board. Like Bejeweled Blitz, it now activates when it is destroyed by a Special Gem, while swapping it with another Hyper Cube destroys all the gems on the board. A match of six or more gems (which is only possible through a chain reaction) creates a Supernova Gem, which destroys all the gems on its row and column on a 3x3 area.
Game improvements include the Instant Replay feature from Bejeweled Twist, advanced animation transitions, animated backgrounds, and 3D acceleration. Bejeweled 3 features an achievement system known as Badges, of which are obtained after certain benchmarks.[2]
Bejeweled 3 features eight game modes, four of which are available from the start, and four of which are unlocked after reaching certain objectives. Unlike Bejeweled 2, the difficulty for unlocking each game mode has been reduced drastically and the objective for unlocking each game is now displayed directly on the menu.[3] The amount of game modes present vary between platforms.
