When we had last heard from European developer MegaZebra, back in September of last year, it had raised money in the “six digits” for developing social games. Now, we have the chance to see the fruit of the investment. Working with Germany’s skill-gaming firm Tipp24games, MegaZebra recently launched a new Facebook app by the name of Jewels Rock.

Simple and stylized, Jewels Rock emulates the Bejeweled core mechanic that we have all seen and played a hundred times before: match three gems of the same color to remove them, and earn the highest score possible. Extra points are awarded for combos (removing two sets of colors at the same time, or removing a set so that the gems that fall down complete another set of three or more), and special power ups that appear when matching four or five of the same gem respectively. These consist of a “Powergem” that blows up all adjacent gems when matched and a “Hypergem” that blows up all gems of the color it was swapped with (it also does not need to be used in a set of three).

What makes this MegaZebra app stand out a little, however, is that it is more than just scoring points within a time limit. There is actually a sense of progression to be had in Jewels Rock. As soon as players begin a game, they are presented with an overworld with an odd little explorer avatar that is trying to reach a giant jewel at the end of the map. Unfortunately, there are any number of traps in his way, and to disarm them, players must play a new level.

For each level, users must remove a set number of jewels from the play field within the time allotted. As levels increase, so do the required number of jewels, making the game progressively harder. Any jewels removed after the requirement is reached act as bonus points — a nice addition, as it gives players an extra goal beyond beating a high score, and a small element of “beating the game.”

Unfortunately, this feature can also cause frustration. For the upper levels, the number of jewels needed is very high, and the time allotted very low. Essentially, this ratio becomes so tight that the margin for error falls to almost zero. If you get unlucky, or fail to find new matches and combinations for even a moment, you will run out of time. The real problem here is that if you fail, the next time you start, it’s all the way back at level one of six. Players don’t want to have to go back through the easy levels over and over. If they’ve finished a level, it should be unlocked for them to return to at will.

Another thing that makes the game a little more difficult than other match-three titles is the lack of hints. Normally, games like Bejeweled will draw attention to possible matches if the player hasn’t made a move in a while. In Jewels Rock, hints must be bought with virtual currency. Along with buying extra time on levels, MegaZebra has certainly found an interesting monetization method, but most users will have become accustomed to having hints as a default, so it may not have been the most prudent choice.

Purchased bonuses can also influence Jewels Rock’s social features. By nature,the game is leaderboard and challenge based; players are scored and compared to their friends on a weekly and all-time basis, but they can also directly challenge one another to scoring bouts. Pairing these social features with the direct advantage of buying time or hints ends up feeling a bit unfair.

All in all, Jewels Rock is fun, even if it has some frustrations. That said, the game still feels like Bejeweled or any other Bejeweled clone, and since the PopCap title is fun, typically, the clones are at least a little fun too. MegaZebra has tried to differentiate its app from the match-three granddaddy, but as it stands, it’s far from different enough. Jewels Rock looks good, but the game will need some significant alterations in its core design pillars to really make itself stand out in the sea of similar titles.