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4 Elements is a puzzle game for the Nintendo DS and then released on the Nintendo 3DS a year later. It went on the eshop store in 2013 and then a year later was put on the DsiWare store as well. It was followed by a sequel, 4 Elements II.
4 Elements makes itself different form the match 3 puzzle game crowd by having sections in-between the puzzle stages with search to find the item minigames and spot the difference minigames when getting a new card.
It was also known as 4 Elements HD and Gem Quest: 4 Elements.
This game was featured in a compilation game called Jewel Match + 4 Elements.
3DS eShop Description[]
Get ready for an adventure of a lifetime as you reawaken the 4 elements.
Rescue a long forgotten kingdom and its inhabitants from their dismal fate, by making long chains of matching symbols and solving a variety of tricky and exciting tasks.
Take advantage of a number of bonuses and set the power of the elements free.
64 challenging levels, plus bonus levels (Hidden Object, Spot the Difference)
Clever match-3 game mechanic
Levels which stretch over both screens
Scroll around the entire level to make even longer matches
Great story set in an enchanting fable world
DS Version Gameplay[]
The small DS screen means during item search sections and puzzle stages, you will need to scroll across the picture to see more of it instead of it being full screen like in the PC, PS3, and ios versions.
Search for Item Sections[]
In the search for the item sections the gameplay is simple. The top screen will show some items to find and the bottom screen will show a large picture environment which you can scroll through. You need to tap on pieces of the items until you can make the whole item. Once you find all the items, the section will end.
Cards and Spot the Difference Sections[]
As you finish each puzzle stage, a bit of text in the magic book about one of the special cards will fix itself from the garbled text. Finish enough stages and you will start a find the difference minigame. You must rotate the DS on its side and a correct version of the card picture will show on the left screen (top screen) and the one with the differences will show on the right. Tap all the differences to get the card. There are 4 cards per magic book, 4 puzzle stages per card and 4 books in the game for the 4 Elements which the game is named after.
Puzzle Sections[]
General Gameplay and Stage Finish Conditions[]
The puzzle stages are the main part of the game. There are colourful jewels with symbols displayed on a large board which you can scroll through to see more of. You need to match pieces of the same colour by tapping and dragging on the screen across a row of the same colour pieces. You continue the line by choosing pieces to the left, right, above or below the last piece you selected, but you can't go diagonally. Once you have 3 or more pieces selected you can let go to make them disappear. The game calls this a chain. Behind the spaces with the jewels is a square and when you match a piece on top of it the square will disappear and become a black empty space. This space will fill with green liquid which the game calls energy. Once the squares turn green around a large circular symbol somewhere on the board called the altar the stage will end. There is a yellow arrow to help you find the altar. All stages have a time limit which is shown by the green bar on the right side of the top screen.
Long Match Power Ups[]
If you match 5 pieces you will make a small explosion at the end of your selected pieces which will clear the pieces 1 to the left, right, above and below the last piece selected. If you match 6 pieces this explosion will increase to be twice as big with around 2 pieces to each side and some diagonal pieces exploding off the board. If you match 7 pieces the explosion will increase again with around 3 pieces to each side and some diagonal pieces exploding off the board.
Obstacles and On-Board Power Ups[]
After the first stage obstacles will appear such as rocks which take up a space of a jewel and can make it hard to make matches. You can clear them by using explosions from matches of 5 or more. More obstacles will appear as the game progresses, but most can be solved with an explosion nearby. The game makes suggestions of chains to use as you play for you so the game doesn't get too hard. Stage 3 introduces arrows which the game calls fire arrows. if the energy reaches these they fire arrows which clear jewels in the path they point towards all the way across the board. These arrows can also hit and trigger other arrows and make obstacles disappear.
Stage Power Ups[]
Every stage gives you these power ups but they need to be charged by making matches before you can use them. They will glow on and off if they are ready to use. You need to match certain colours (which are shown with a little symbol next to the power up) in order to charge it. The DS version gives you no tutorial on using these power ups and it lets you use all of them from the start instead of unlocking them as you go but the game is also redesigned to not need them as much, making the stages easier than in the 3DS version.
Shovel[]
Use this to clear 1 single tile on the board. It also can clear obstacles. You need to match green pieces to charge this power up.
Bomb[]
Use this to clear several pieces on the board with a small explosion. It also clears obstacles. You need to match red pieces to charge this power up.
Swap[]
Use this to swap any 2 pieces positions on the board. You need to match yellow pieces to charge this power up.
Reshuffle[]
Use this to shuffle the position of all the pieces on the board. You need to match blue pieces to charge this power up.
3DS Version Gameplay[]
Gameplay in this version is very similar to the DS version just with some graphic improvements and some added 3D animations. The intro to the game is animated and fully voice acted instead of just text and pictures and the fairy is a 3D model instead of a moving picture. The bigger 3DS screen also means that you don't have to scroll across the picture when doing finding sections as the picture is full screen. The same is done with the game boards, although they are still big enough to require scrolling, most of the board is on the screen. The power ups are also not all available from the start, but unlocked as you go. This game also has much more tutorial with a very straight forward step by step guide on each section of what to do.
Apart from these changes the game is pretty much the same including the same stages, power ups and obstacles. Sometimes the obstacles will be a bit more complicated than in the DS version such as needing to match the piece in ice in order to clear it instead of just using explosions. Plus some stages are redesigned in the DS version to be easier and there may be a few more smaller stages in the 3DS version which are not in the DS version. Generally the 3DS version is just a more full experience and the DS version is just a cut down easier version of this.
Reception[]
Nintendo DS Version[]
There aren't many critics who have reviewed the DS version of the game but of the people who have it seems to have a rating of just above average. Cubed3 gave it a 6/10 stating "4 Elements is yet another Match-3 puzzle effort to land in an already crowded Nintendo DS market, but is strong enough to hold its own thanks to its engaging gameplay and extra aspects to prevent stagnation creeping in". Worth Playing gave it a 70/100, but criticized the DS versions graphics and controls saying "The technical issues haunting Gem Quest: 4 Elements are the only things that keep it from being another diamond in the sea of DS games in the market. A sluggish frame rate, muddy graphics and tough controls might be frustrating enough to drive away people. Those who are willing to trudge through it and overlook some flaws, this familiar-yet-different puzzle game can provide a fun experience while it lasts."
The general public also seem to agree with an above average rating on several donated rating websites. GameFAQs has an equal amount of people rating 3/5 and 4/5 stars giving it a 3.5/5 average public rating. The game also sold decently well for a title of this type with equal sales in both Europe and North America totaling 0.11 million sales.
Nintendo 3DS Version[]
Although there are a few more reviews of the 3DS version of the game but there is still a lack of critic reviews. Metacritic gave it a 65/100 saying "On the whole, 4 Elements HD is a welcome break from any intense action and/or time consuming narrative games and can be enjoyed by both competitive and casual gamers of all ages. Unfortunately, it has arguably failed to capitalize on where other 'match three' games also fell short and that is an entertaining storyline to warrant 64 levels". Nintendo Life reviewed it a bit for favorably with a 7/10 stating "Though 4 Elements is hampered by its filler hidden object/seek-and-find sequences, the puzzle gameplay is very fun and surprisingly involving. So while it's not the perfect puzzle game, players could certainly do worse. For a lengthy and well-crafted experience, 4 Elements is recommended; just be ready to do some pixel hunting in-between matching those jewels."
The public seem to agree with critics with an above average rating. GameFAQs has a public rating average of 3.6/5, but with an equal 20% on both 4/5 and 3/5 ratings so it seems the public may review it with a bit more favor than critics. IMDB has a similar public rating of 6.5/10. Despite the good reception from people who owned the game, it seems it wasn't enough to help its sales with the 3DS version barley reaching 0.02 million in total sales.
Soundtrack OST[]
Click here to see a page with all the tracks. (DS version)
Music and Sound Effects are by Damjan Mravunac. The soundtrack is made by a random combination of these short music clips
Track List[]
Book Wave SE 00
Book Wave SE 01
Book Wave SE 02
Book Wave SE 03
Menu Wave SE 00
Menu Wave SE 01
Menu Wave SE 02
Menu Wave SE 03
Menu Wave SE 04
Theme1 Wave SE 00
Theme1 Wave SE 01
Theme1 Wave SE 03
Theme1 Wave SE 05
Theme1 Wave SE 06
Theme2 Wave SE 00
Theme2 Wave SE 01
Theme2 Wave SE 03
Theme2 Wave SE 04
Theme2 Wave SE 05
Theme2 Wave SE 06
Theme3 Wave SE 00
Theme3 Wave SE 01
Theme3 Wave SE 03
Theme3 Wave SE 04
Theme3 Wave SE 08
Theme3 Wave SE 09
Credits[]
Nintendo DS Version[]
Companies[]
Developed by Joindots GmbH
Ocean Media Games
Brand by Playrix Entertainment
Published by Foreign Media Games
Producers []
Thorsten Vogt
Jörg Henseler
Executive Producer - Vedran Klanac
Programmers[]
Lead Programmer - Vatroslav Dino Matijaš
Mladen Božić
Vedran Klanac
Drago Ružman
Tomislav Herman
Antun Lujic
Other[]
Art - Karlo Skozret
Music - Damjan Mravunac
Sound Effects - Damjan Mravunac
Product Management - Anja Verbrugge
Product Management - Jojanneke Stolp
Nintendo 3DS Version[]
External links[]
- 4 Elements at GameFAQs
- 4 Elements at MobyGames
- 4 Elements at JeuxVideo.com (DS version)
- 4 Elements at Metacritic (DS version)
- 4 Elements at Metacritic (3DS version)
- 4 Elements at Nintendo Life (3DS eshop version)
- 4 Elements at IMDB (multiple versions)
- 4 Elements at VGChartz (DS version)
- 4 Elements at VGChartz (3DS version)
- 4 Elements at Cubed3 (DS version)
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This Nintendo 3DS-related article is a stub. Please help by expanding it.