VG Thought

Gonna post 'em here!

I think you lose a jewel if you die after collecting it.

Abyss jewel:

This is in the third (and final) vertical corridor of the underwater part, just after the hallway with the shooty gates that slam down. That's the jewel on the right side there.

Screenshot is from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXFVXXRYZ7c at 13:07.

Minaret jewel:

This is from the last vertical portion. This is right before the second beehive gate, the one that takes you to the boss. You have to drop through a floor above and glide over using the flashfield.

Screenshot is from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waWiOgcu0dY at 10:51.

Conflagration jewel:

This is the only pile of boxes with those orange explosive crates. It's right after the alarm siren encounter. To get this, drop the orange crates one at a time by destroying the crates under them. If you take care to destroy an orange crate only after you've destroyed all the crates under it, grabbing the jewel is easy.

Screenshot is from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyEosG-gzeg at 11:56.

i thought the jewels felt like a real lazy afterthought

the game just never (otherwise) requires you to explore and most of them are so close to the main path that only an intentionally ignorant player would miss them

There are some hidden boxes around for bonus tries, so I don't think the jewel thing is completely on its own. Plus, they all present a little extra challenge based on the stage's theme.

I'm not sure what to make of the fact that you lose it when you die. It does mean that you can't take the last checkpoint before the boss, because if you die to the boss, you'll have to go back and get the jewel again. So, instead of just replaying the boss, you replay the final segment of the stage and then the boss.

If you collect a jewel, hit a checkpoint, reload the checkpoint, and go back to where the jewel was, the jewel will be replaced by a capsule with money. In other words: you can't get a checkpoint after getting a jewel. So far, the only level I've managed to do this in is Zonda's level (Sinner's Row - Kaleidoscape).

Luckily, there is a workaround. Just collect the checkpoint, THEN backtrack and get the jewel.

Speaking of Kaleidoscape:

This is the encounter just before the last checkpoint in the stage. The jewel is on top of that block the siren hangs from. To get up there, go left to the rising and lowering platform. Ride it as high up as you can, then dash jump off to the right and flashfield so that you fall slow enough to wall jump up that block. You can only do this after you've cleared the alarm encounter, since the encounter cuts your forward momentum when it starts.

Screenshot is from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zh4PVTvXjA at 7:57.

Spintronics jewel:

This is during a portion where conveyor belts take you downward into spike pits. You won't see this jewel unless you use the ceiling magnets to explore above. This is also right before the first time you can block lasers using magnetized platforms.

Screenshot is from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAz_YtwbX98 at 6:18.

Underworld jewel:

Initially, you'll pass by this jewel without being able to get it--it's blocked by a red gate. Like 5 seconds later, you'll come across the red switch. When backtracking, some enemies will wake up that you passed by unnoticed on the first time through.

Screenshot is from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRkluwf4Ykc at 15:03.