Bernadetta Bortoli has discovered the secret diary of Lucia Di Fiore - a gifted jeweler from 18th century Venice. Before her homeland was conquered by Napoleon, Lucia hid her precious masterpieces and created a diary of secret sketches. This diary might just be the key to unlocking Lucia’s personal collection…

But Bernadetta can’t do it alone! Luckily, she has the help of her niece Lucy - a talented craftswoman with a heart of gold. Lucy’s feathered friend Charlie is also there to lend a helping hand (or wing).

Fancy joining Lucy on her worldwide adventures? Splendid! But first, you’ll want to train at our Jewel School in order to truly master the craft.

Diamond Diaries Saga 101

• Controls
• Special Charms
• Helpers
• Dolls, Bottles and Jewel Boxes
• Blockers
• Boosters
• Game Modes
• Special Features

Welcome to Diamond Diaries 101! Shall we begin with the basics? First of all, you’ll need to know your charms. And yes, we mean that literally.

Normal charms come in five colors - red, blue, yellow, green and pink. To play the game, just link three or more of the same color to remove them from the board.

See? Simple and elegant, like a piece of finely-crafted jewelry.

Those of you who’ve played our other games may notice something a little different. Instead of falling in a neat grid, the charms in Diamond Diaries will tumble down wherever they find room. That’s just how they roll. We’re sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time.

Each level has a specific objective; you may need to guide jewels down a maze, reveal hidden diamonds, or open bottles of perfume. Keep an eye on the Goal counter in each level to track your progress (it’s on the top right of the screen).

See the number to the left of Lucy? This tell you how many moves you have left to complete your goal. Make sure you hit your targets before it reaches zero.

Controls

Now that the basics are crystal clear, here are a few charming tips to help you on your way:

• Want to cancel your current move? Simply slide your finger away from the highlighted charms.
• Charms don’t need to be linked in a straight line. You can double back along your path to add a few extra.
• Take your time. Falling charms will often roll around a little before they settle in place.
• Charms don’t have to be touching each other, so long as they’re close enough and there’s nothing blocking the way. Once you select a charm, the game will highlight all the others that can be linked to it. How very helpful!
• Don’t worry if you’re running out of options. If the game can’t find any possible links, it’ll mix up the board and give you a fresh start.

Special Charms

You’re positively sailing through Charm School! But before you go off globetrotting with Lucy, you’ll need a few lessons on the special charms you’ll encounter along the way.

Rays

Time to catch some Rays! Make a long chain of charms for dazzling effects. Here’s how they work.

Ray: Link 6 charms to make a Ray. Once that Ray is linked, it’ll wipe out all charms in either a horizontal or vertical line, indicated by the helpful arrows.

Cross Ray: Feeling cross? Well, this should cheer you up! Link 9 charms to create a Cross Ray - just like the standard Ray, but it blasts the charms in both directions.

Star Ray: Now for the real star of the show! The Star Ray (made by linking 12 charms) blasts in all directions - horizontal, vertical and diagonal. Get ready for a charm-splosion!

Here are some Ray-related tips and tricks that’ll really put you on the charm offensive!

• You can activate a Ray from any charm in the chain. Take aim and see where you can do the most damage.
• The last charm activated becomes your Ray, so place it wisely.
• Rays are slightly bigger than normal charms, and can knock surrounding charms out of place as they form. Keep that in mind when planning your next move.
• An exploding Ray creates a powerful blast that goes right across the board. Are there any sections you can’t reach? Perhaps a Ray would hit the spot.
• Rays can tumble around the board, just like normal charms. This can affect where the blasts are pointed, so activate them when they’re in prime position.
• The blast from one Ray can activate another. It’s a chain ray-action!

Helpers

Everyone needs a helping hand from time to time. These charms can’t be crafted like Rays (unfortunately), but they’ll appear on some levels to help you reach your goals.

Blast

Ready to blow away the competition? Link the Blast charm to destroy all the other charms in the surrounding area. Kaboom!

Color Blast

This flexible fellow links with charms of any color. Not only that, the Color Blast will also take out every charm of this color that’s visible on screen. Now that’s what we call “having a blast!”

Birds

A little bird told us that these special charms can really help a player out. Birds can do all sorts of things; remove Blockers, activate Rays, even help to open Jewel Boxes! Link the Bird charms to set your feathered friends free.

Keys

You’ll find these on levels containing special “Lock” Blockers (more on those later). Each Key charm matches a specific Lock, but you can’t tell which one will open until it’s activated. Some of these charms release multiple Keys, opening several Locks at once. Who knows what you’ll unlock next?

Dolls, Bottles and Jewel Boxes

These charms are key to clearing certain levels on your jewelry journey. Here’s what they are and what they do:

Dolls

Some Dolls are bigger than others. Link these, and two smaller Dolls will pop out - hello dollies! Once the Dolls are down to regular charm-size, link them again to reveal the Diamonds inside.

Bottles

What’s that lovely smell? Linking the Bottles will flood the board with perfume, causing charms to float upwards. Pop them open and enjoy the sweet smell of success!

Jewel Boxes

Jewel Boxes contain - what else? - jewels! Each Jewel Box has a number on top - this counts down how many charms need to be linked to open the box and bag the Diamond. We’ve got your number, and now we’re boxing-clever!

Blockers

It can’t all be smooth sailing in this saga. Not to worry, we bet you’ll enjoy the extra challenge! Here’s a guide to all the pesky obstacles guaranteed to get in your way.

Honeycombs

These aren’t as sweet as they sound! The Honeycomb is a classic Blocker that comes in three stages - single ring, two rings and full. Linking adjacent charms will bust through one, or destroy the Honeycomb altogether if it’s down to the last layer. You can also use special charms, such as Blasts, Birds, and Rays to tackle this sticky situation.

Amethyst

These purple pests work just the Honeycombs, but they’re made of tougher stuff. Blasts can take Amethysts down a layer, but that’s as far as they’ll go. The blast stops here.

Flowers

Sure, they’re pretty to look at, but Flowers can be a blooming nuisance. They stick to the charms underneath, keeping them hidden until you blow the Flowers away. Link adjacent charms or use blasts to pulverize those petals.

Ribbons

Ribbons can get you all tied up. Not only do they stop you linking the charm or Doll underneath, they also hold it in place on the board so that it can’t drop. Ribbons have up to three stages - complete (with bow), crossed (double wrapped) and horizontal (single wrapped). But fear knot! Linking adjacent charms will untie the Ribbon and set its contents free.

Glass

Charms hidden behind panels of Glass can’t be linked in the normal way. But don’t let that shatter your ambitions! If you can start your chain from outside the Glass and carry it on underneath, you’ll see the surface start to break. Three times should do the trick for each panel. Have a smashing time!

Locks

Remember the Key charms from before? Link one of these, and a Lock will open… but which one will it be? Locks contain all kinds of goodies - Dolls, Jewel Boxes, Diamonds, sometimes even the Key to another Lock. Would that be considered a Meta-Lock?

Egg

Which came first - the Bird, or the Egg? In Diamond Diaries Saga, it’s definitely the latter. Wooden Eggs have up to three layers and, like the Amethyst, you won’t be able to blast straight through. Breaking an Egg is worth the effort however, as it will release three helpful Birds. Fly my pretties!

Brooch

The Brooch is one hefty Blocker, usually measuring four times the size of your average Charm. Did you notice the pearls? Those can be plucked by linking adjacent charms, or hitting the Brooch with a blast. When the last pearl is removed, the Brooch explodes, wiping the entire board with it.

Boosters

With all those Blockers in your way, you’ll be pleased to know we’ve got the boosters to help you take them out.

Boosters are special items that can be activated either during a level or before you start, depending on the type. You’ll earn boosters gradually as you progress through the game.

In-game booster - Hammer

Smash and grab - it’s Hammer time! This is a brilliant booster for taking out a whole host of charms and Blockers in one go. Just activate the Hammer, then highlight your chosen area to give it a good whack! Hammers will only remove one layer from certain Blockers, so keep that in mind.

Pre-game boosters

These are (as the name suggests) boosters that are activated prior to the start of a level. You’ll find them especially helpful on the Hard and Super Hard levels.

[insert pic of pre-level screen with the three booster icons on display]

Select one (or more) of your boosters to activate it, and the following charms will appear in a randomly selected spot:

• Birds - 4 Birds to get you off to a flying start.
• Blasts - 2 Blasts, so you can blast through that level in no time.
• Color Blast - 1 Color Blast to help you paint the town red… or blue, or yellow. It’s your call.

Tickets, please!

Diamond Diaries Saga is a treasure hunting adventure that takes you all around the world. You can even choose your next trip! But first things first... you’ll need a ticket if you want to travel.

After you’ve finished the second episode, you’ll be given the choice between two exotic locations. You’ll find all sorts of trips on offer, from Beijing to Barcelona.

You’ll also have a choice of two boosters. Pick one, and that booster will stay active for the entire episode. You’ll be invited to make a selection from any two of the following:

• Two Birds at the start of every level
• One Blast at the start of every level
• Lives recharge twice as fast
• Power up the Hammer (double the radius)

Game Modes

Fasten your seatbelt, because we’re almost ready for take-off. But before we depart, here’s a rough guide to the different challenges you’ll be facing throughout the game, as well as a few helpful hints.

Remember, some levels will mix and match elements from different game modes. Keep a close eye on the board and see what needs to be done.

Bring the Diamonds to the Necklace

Clear a path between the Diamonds and the Necklace. Once it touches the Necklace, the Diamond will be removed from the board. The Goal counter tells you how many Diamonds you still need to get.

To clear the way quickly, focus on destroying the charms directly beneath the Diamonds. Rays and Blasts can be super effective, so bust them out wherever you can.

You’ll notice that some levels have more than one possible route, sometimes with more than one Necklace. If you’ve got multiple Diamonds on the board, try guiding them in the same direction, as this might save you a few moves. Don’t worry about the Necklaces - they’ll re-appear in the same spot every time you connect a Diamond, so you won’t use them up. You can even drop two Diamonds into the same Necklace at once.

Open the Dolls

Link the Dolls to release the Diamonds. The Goal counter tells you how many Diamonds are left to find. Sometimes Dolls might be kept behind Locks or Ribbons, so you’ll have to deal with those first.

It’s worth remembering you can link more than one Doll of the same color in a chain, even if the Dolls are different sizes. You can also link Dolls with special charms of the same color, so try to include as many as you can in each chain.

As we mentioned in the special charms section, big Dolls release two smaller Dolls when linked. There are two important things to remember - first, the two new Dolls can appear anywhere on the board. Second, the new Dolls might not be the same color as the one you just opened. Tackle the bigger Dolls first so you can see what you’re dealing with.

Open the Jewel Box

Link charms to the corresponding Jewel Box the required number of times. When the Jewel Box counter reaches zero, it’ll pop open and release the Diamond. The Goal counter tells you how many Diamonds you still need to find.

Charms move around after every turn, so you might want to link the ones to the Jewels Boxes before they drop or shift out of reach. Rays can be used to great effect on this level, as you might be able to hit more than one Jewel Box at a time. If you can hit any Bird charms on the way, these might just give you a few extra hits against the boxes.

When opened, Jewel Boxes can release Rays, as well as Diamonds. Eliminating one Jewel Box might very well help you bring another one down to size.

Open the Bottles

Link the Bottles to open them up. Each time you do this, part of the board will be filled with perfume. The number of Bottles remaining will be displayed on the Goal counter.

The key to this level is mastering the change in physics. Some charms will float upwards; others drop down. Think about where each charm needs to be and which direction it will travel. Also remember that any Bottles linked during your turn will instantly affect the liquid level, so it’s always best to plan ahead.

Bottles can appear on levels, even when getting them open isn’t the overall goal. In these cases, you’ll probably need perfume to help access those hard-to-reach places. It really is scent-sational stuff!

Special Features

Up for some more challenges? Of course, you are! The special missions in Diamond Diaries Saga provide new goals, as well as radiant rewards for completion!

Diamond Missions

Bernadetta will ask you to collect Diamonds for her - they are a girl’s best friend after all! She’ll start the mission by showing you a sketch from Lucia’s diary and telling you how many Diamonds are required to craft it. Clear levels and collect Diamonds to create these pieces of legendary jewelry.

Mystery Chest

A Mystery Chest might randomly appear on the Saga Map. Collect it, and the Key will appear several levels ahead. But beware, as there’s a time limit involved. Clear the levels before the clocks runs out to grab the Key, open the Chest and claim your reward. Don’t panic if you miss the Key – just keep on playing and it’ll reappear eventually.

City Challenge

Once you arrive in a new city, you might be invited to race against some other players who’ve just started there too. Well, what are you waiting for? Outrun the others, and you might just win a prize.

Congratulations! You’ve aced Jewel School and are ready to take your talents around the world. Lucia Di Fiore would be proud!

Don’t forget, you can come back to our blog anytime you want to brush up on your skills, or check for updates. You can also check out our FAQs, ask a question on King Care or take a peek at the Diamond Diaries Saga website, Facebook and Twitter pages.