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If you've played a Professor Layton game before, you know pretty much what to expect. And if you haven't, I'll enlighten you. The titular character, Professor Hershel Layton, is top-hat wearing academic who goes around solving puzzles and uncovering mysteries. Kind of like a reverse Professor Moriarty. He's accompanied by Luke Triton, his apprentice, and Emmy Altava, his assistant. You generally play as all three characters and have to help them solve the mysteries by finding clues and solving puzzles.
Don't think you're in for an easy ride, however, should you choose to pick up Professor Layton's latest outing. Unlike some of the 'hidden object' games on the PC, which require you to use very little brainpower, the puzzles in Miracle Mask are genuinely, er puzzling. Though they're rarely stupid and you'll more often than not feel a genuine sense of satisfaction at solving them. Should you get a bit stuck, you can use 'hint coins' to give you pointers, but these are in short supply. And while you can revisit some puzzles later if you can't solve them, some puzzles do need to be solved in order to for you to progress.
But what of the game's storyline? Without giving too much away, I can say that the game's story is pretty well written, and revolves around a town went from non-existence to total prosperity in the space of eighteen years. You might have to suspend your sense of disbelief at one or two points, but the storyline never gets really absurd. Layton's graphics are also excellent - there are a few animated cutscenes, and the in-game characters are rendered in 3D, although they aren't all fully voiced. Somehow the game retains its charm despite making the leap from hand-drawn graphics to proper 3D characters.
However, there is one problem with the game that might cause some of its audience some frustration. The bulk of the game involves puzzle solving, but there are also some short action sequences. There's not that many, but they generally can't be bypassed and could be a source of frustration. So if you're planning on buying the game for your gran, you might want to think again.
That aside, Professor Layton is a great game, and can actually be had for free if you register your 3DS XL between now the 15th of Jan. Though it's also worth paying for since the sheer amount of content and the additional downloadable puzzles means you'll be playing for ages. A great game that will keep you enthralled for ages.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Pros:
It's got a great storyline.
The graphics are pretty good.
There are plenty of puzzles.
Cons:
There a few potentially fiddly action sequences.
If you've played a Professor Layton game before, you know pretty much what to expect. And if you haven't, I'll enlighten you. The titular character, Professor Hershel Layton, is top-hat wearing academic who goes around solving puzzles and uncovering mysteries. Kind of like a reverse Professor Moriarty. He's accompanied by Luke Triton, his apprentice, and Emmy Altava, his assistant. You generally play as all three characters and have to help them solve the mysteries by finding clues and solving puzzles.
Don't think you're in for an easy ride, however, should you choose to pick up Professor Layton's latest outing. Unlike some of the 'hidden object' games on the PC, which require you to use very little brainpower, the puzzles in Miracle Mask are genuinely, er puzzling. Though they're rarely stupid and you'll more often than not feel a genuine sense of satisfaction at solving them. Should you get a bit stuck, you can use 'hint coins' to give you pointers, but these are in short supply. And while you can revisit some puzzles later if you can't solve them, some puzzles do need to be solved in order to for you to progress.
But what of the game's storyline? Without giving too much away, I can say that the game's story is pretty well written, and revolves around a town went from non-existence to total prosperity in the space of eighteen years. You might have to suspend your sense of disbelief at one or two points, but the storyline never gets really absurd. Layton's graphics are also excellent - there are a few animated cutscenes, and the in-game characters are rendered in 3D, although they aren't all fully voiced. Somehow the game retains its charm despite making the leap from hand-drawn graphics to proper 3D characters.
However, there is one problem with the game that might cause some of its audience some frustration. The bulk of the game involves puzzle solving, but there are also some short action sequences. There's not that many, but they generally can't be bypassed and could be a source of frustration. So if you're planning on buying the game for your gran, you might want to think again.
That aside, Professor Layton is a great game, and can actually be had for free if you register your 3DS XL between now the 15th of Jan. Though it's also worth paying for since the sheer amount of content and the additional downloadable puzzles means you'll be playing for ages. A great game that will keep you enthralled for ages.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Pros:
It's got a great storyline.
The graphics are pretty good.
There are plenty of puzzles.
Cons:
There a few potentially fiddly action sequences.