So I've got three pitchers of water. One holds 16 litres and is full, one 9, the other 7. The challenge is to distribute the 16 litres 50:50 between the two larger pitchers by pouring one into the other in the correct sequence. Simple, right? Not if you use my 57th pour as a barometer it isn't. I need to solve it though, not through any direct necessity the game is placing on it, but through my own stubborn refusal to accept I am doing a sound impersonation of Captain F***wit from the Starship Labotomised. But that's the simple beauty of Professor Layton. At a stroke it can resurrect the feelings of smug satisfaction of being the first to finish a Primary School test, then seconds later pull that smug rug from under you with a puzzle which contorts your grey matter, shaking its head in the corner as you scrawl unhelpful notes all over the screen with your stylus.
Clearly, those without their left-brain engaged will be turned away at the gates, as puzzles are the currency of St Mystere, a backwater town in the (subtly implied) French countryside. Appointed by an illustrious local family to decode the cryptic will left by its wealthy patriarch Baron Reinhold, you play the role of both Professor Layton and his pre-pubescent apprentice
Luke. From the outset it's clear this is going to be more than a mere treasure hunt; despite the cutesy cartoon presentation St Mystere has a distinctly foreboding feel to it, as if there's some other worldly force at work. This is compounded by the drawbridge crank being stolen upon your arrival, locking Layton & Luke within the walled confines of the town. As if this wasn't suspicious enough, random abductions of the villagers and a murder within the Reinhold family shortly after your arrival thicken the plot, adding a macabre subtext to the search for the mysterious 'Golden Apple', which holds the key to who inherits Reinhold's estate.
At its core, St Mystere and its eccentric citizens merely serve as a vehicle to dispense brain teasers to the player, each of varying difficulty and covering a variety of logic and reasoning disciplines. The colourful townsfolk usually request your assistance with a puzzle in return for offering some information surrounding the Reinhold family, or to allow access to a previously inaccessible area of the town. It's a charming and engaging method of tethering the simple act of puzzling to the investigative murder-mystery narrative, which I don't mind admitting had me hooked more than most big budget console titles released this year. Admittedly some of the tasks repeat themselves liberally, merely offering a more difficult version of the same concept, yet it's here the storyline steps in to offer an incentive to tough it out.
In fact charm is a word you could apply to pretty much anything in this game, from the chivalrous example Layton sets to the eager yet impatient Luke, to the subtle Gallic atmosphere of the audio and visuals. Level 5 have invested a lot of time in ensuring the experience of St Mystere elevates this game above the innumerable puzzlers on the DS, dusting it with a number of other side-quests to keep you entertained should your attention stray from the main objectives. My personal favourite, the inn puzzle, requires you to gradually populate Layton and Luke's sparse rooms with various items you receive throughout the game. The trick is to interchange the items according to who you think would appreciate it most, keeping a watchful eye on their verbal reactions. Actually, the picture puzzle runs it close, where you have to piece together scraps of an old oil-painting to reveal - well, I'll let you find out.
Layton is a game anyone can enjoy. The exclusively stylus control scheme is perfect for the task at hand, allowing you to furiously scribble away notes around particularly tricky riddles, which usually culminate in a confused mess of black squiggles as you grope around for the answer. It also comes in handy for locating the 'hint coins' scattered around St Mystere, which I guarantee you will result in a burgeoning OCD tendency to tap and re-tap every inanimate object in the game just in case you missed one. They do come in handy for the toughest puzzles, although often it's only the third and final available hint which is actually of any practical use, with the first two generally asking you to 'think harder' or something equally unhelpful and demeaning. In fact I'll make this my only real criticism, in that the hints system is perhaps unbalanced in practically giving you the answer by number three.
It's possible to see the end of the game without tackling each of the 150 puzzles on offer, so if you do grow tired of the grind you can always forsake a few to reach the conclusion. But why anyone would want to curtail their time with Layton and Luke in St Mystere is beyond me. Regardless, Level 5 even considered the impatient among us by including a little shop near the town entrance which automatically stocks the puzzles you may have missed along the way for future reference.
Professor Layton is a breath of fresh air. Despite the basic premise and comic strip aesthetic, this is as close as you'll get to a 'mature' game from 2008. Brimming with character and full of incentive to pursue the game's completion, it's an understated reminder of precisely how and why games are an escapists' dream.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have some pitchers to pour.
**Posted elsewhere on the internet under the username dj981**
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Dimensions: L14.6 x W12.6 x H1.6cm Weight: 114g Suitable for ages 7+ 130 puzzle Touch ... more
Screen controls make working through puzzles a snap New puzzles are available weekly for download via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Fully voiced animated scenes M&S i...
Postage & Packaging: £3.50 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
In the the curious village of St. Mystere, townsfolk greet each other with riddles, lock ... more
their doors with sliding puzzles, and hide their secrets within brainteasers. When a wealthy baron passes away, his will reveals an elusive treasure hidden somepla...
Postage & Packaging: £3.95 Availability: In stock. 3 working days
Advantages: Great fun puzzles and brain teasers!!!! Disadvantages: Some of the puzzles are very hard, once you have completed the game and all the puzzles it's over!
Mar 19th, 2009
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