Final Thoughts: Professor Layton and the Curious Village
"Layton's apprentice saves the day!"
I'd been looking forward to Professor Layton for a long time because I am a sucker for puzzles and puzzle-type (adventure) games. I picked it up on day one and finished it 100% a few days later, which is a testament to how addicting the core gameplay is. The story follows world-renowned puzzle-aficionado professor Layton and his young apprentice Luke, as they venture to solve the mysteries of a curious village named St. Mystere. It sounds complicated, but the game itself is really just a series of puzzles strung together by an over-arching narrative. At first, it may seem like the puzzles have absolutely nothing to do with the story elements, but in actuality their existence makes perfect sense when the whole story finally comes together. This wasn't even really necessary from a gameplay perspective, but it's certainly an appreciated twist. Speaking of twists, the story itself is fairly interesting, but you'll very likely figure out the mystery for yourself before the game is even halfway finished... so what I'm saying is, play this game for the puzzles and not for the story, or you'll be disappointed. That said, I really have to applaud the artistry that was employed in creating the setting and characters in this game. The animation, art direction, music, and voices all come together brilliantly. I only wish they had used more voice acting throughout, but I realize there's only so much room on a DS cart, so I can forgive this shortcoming.
But enough about that... let's talk puzzles. The puzzles are the heart and soul of Professor Layton. Remember those brain-teaser type books you'd read as a kid? Well, that's pretty much what you'll find here. There are puzzles everywhere in St. Mystere (over 130 in all, if I remember correctly). Puzzles range in difficulty from pathetically easy to infuriatingly hard. Luckily, you don't need to solve all of them to complete the game. Each puzzle also features three hints that can be unlocked using special coins, which can be found in abundance around the village. These mechanics make the game very accessible to players of all levels. By and large, I was very happy with the gameplay. However, there were a handful of puzzles that were either designed poorly or just too obtuse to be figured out without hints. It's not that they were overly difficult per se, but more that the design behind them was flawed. I would give examples, but I actually don't want to give anything away for those who haven't played it yet. I just wanted to relay the point that the game is solid, but not perfect by any means. My hope is the upcoming sequel corrects some of these puzzle issues, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Until then, I can easily recommend this game to all puzzle lovers. Even non-puzzle lovers might find something to like here, as it's a really solid game regardless, and is a shining example of great pick-up-and-play handheld gaming. Check it out!
I'd been looking forward to Professor Layton for a long time because I am a sucker for puzzles and puzzle-type (adventure) games. I picked it up on day one and finished it 100% a few days later, which is a testament to how addicting the core gameplay is. The story follows world-renowned puzzle-aficionado professor Layton and his young apprentice Luke, as they venture to solve the mysteries of a curious village named St. Mystere. It sounds complicated, but the game itself is really just a series of puzzles strung together by an over-arching narrative. At first, it may seem like the puzzles have absolutely nothing to do with the story elements, but in actuality their existence makes perfect sense when the whole story finally comes together. This wasn't even really necessary from a gameplay perspective, but it's certainly an appreciated twist. Speaking of twists, the story itself is fairly interesting, but you'll very likely figure out the mystery for yourself before the game is even halfway finished... so what I'm saying is, play this game for the puzzles and not for the story, or you'll be disappointed. That said, I really have to applaud the artistry that was employed in creating the setting and characters in this game. The animation, art direction, music, and voices all come together brilliantly. I only wish they had used more voice acting throughout, but I realize there's only so much room on a DS cart, so I can forgive this shortcoming.
But enough about that... let's talk puzzles. The puzzles are the heart and soul of Professor Layton. Remember those brain-teaser type books you'd read as a kid? Well, that's pretty much what you'll find here. There are puzzles everywhere in St. Mystere (over 130 in all, if I remember correctly). Puzzles range in difficulty from pathetically easy to infuriatingly hard. Luckily, you don't need to solve all of them to complete the game. Each puzzle also features three hints that can be unlocked using special coins, which can be found in abundance around the village. These mechanics make the game very accessible to players of all levels. By and large, I was very happy with the gameplay. However, there were a handful of puzzles that were either designed poorly or just too obtuse to be figured out without hints. It's not that they were overly difficult per se, but more that the design behind them was flawed. I would give examples, but I actually don't want to give anything away for those who haven't played it yet. I just wanted to relay the point that the game is solid, but not perfect by any means. My hope is the upcoming sequel corrects some of these puzzle issues, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Until then, I can easily recommend this game to all puzzle lovers. Even non-puzzle lovers might find something to like here, as it's a really solid game regardless, and is a shining example of great pick-up-and-play handheld gaming. Check it out!
