Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition Review

Game: Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition
Genre: Matching, Puzzle, Holiday, Indie, Casual
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer | Publisher: Suricate Software | Grey Alien Games
Controller Support: None
Price: US $12.99 | UK £10.99 | EU € 12,79
Release Date: December 15th, 2022

Review code used, with many thanks to Grey Alien Games.

The match-3 game called Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition is a wintery wonderland of Christmas-themed puzzles. This game is pretty, contains a lot of content, and is all about the holiday.

Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition’s Gameplay

There isn’t a story to Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition, so let’s dive right into gameplay. Like all match-3 type games, this game challenges players to match three or more identical items in a row to break them. It also has a handful of other things that match-3 fans will recognize, like a hammer to break problematic squares, locks that require a special key, and squares that require something extra to break them.

Jewel Match Winter Wonderland: 2 Collector’s Edition adds additional rooms that players need to move back and forth between, hiding items from one room in another. It is currently only available for Steam, so players must use a mouse and keyboard to click through these puzzles. I am certain this game is not cleared for the Steam Deck; I can’t imagine playing it with a controller.

As players complete new levels, they earn points to unlock room decorations and bonus levels. The bonus levels give you something called Pearls, which are used to unlock special puzzles that aren’t match-3. Some of these include jigsaw puzzles, find-the-difference puzzles, and more, and each is Christmas themed.

There are three levels of gameplay: easy, normal, and timed. Each of these adds a new layer of challenge to the game, including more items, more rooms, and more. I mostly stuck to the easiest level, called “Relaxed,” because I like to enjoy puzzles instead of panicking over them. But the timed and challenge levels are fun as well, just in a different way.

The Holidays are Always Here in Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition

If you love Christmasy things, you’ll love this game. The graphics are really pretty, and every inch of this game feels like a holiday party. It’s hard to describe how Christmas this game feels through screenshots; the sound design, the music, and the animations all add to the holiday feel.

There is a sort of soft glass-breaking sound that plays when you match-3, and it’s really soothing. The sounds in Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition make me feel weirdly relaxed for the most part. The only exception is the sound to changes between rooms, which is nails-on-chalkboard grating with headphones in. I had to almost mute the sounds to be able to keep playing, but I will be the first to admit that I am very sensitive to sound design.

Each level’s music in the background includes some instrumental versions of well-known holiday classics. But it also includes what sounds like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, which I have never considered a holiday song, and it feels like a weird addition. It by no means ruined the holiday effect, but it was a little strange.

Levels and Levels and Levels

There is an absolutely massive amount of content in Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition. There are about 20 tutorial levels and tons of regular levels. Add to this the mini-games and the special levels, and there are many hours players can drop in this game if they wish to. I personally have more than 20 hours in Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition, and I’m not even halfway through it.

I usually like to finish games before writing a review, if possible, but I’m not sure how much longer it would take me to complete everything. There is just so much here, and while none of it has been massively difficult on Relaxed, some of it has been time-consuming. I was blown away by the sheer number of levels, and I look forward to having several more Christmas holidays filled with content I haven’t played yet in this game.

Overall, Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition has a lot going for it. The match-3 portions of the game are great; while I didn’t like a lot of the mini-games, these are not forced on you, so you can play as many or as few as you would like. It’s a great game that’s easy to play with no bugs that I found. And there is a massive amount of content. If you like match-3 and Christmas, Jewel Match Winter Wonderland 2 Collector’s Edition is a no-brainer.

Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot.