Reiton kyôju to saigo no jikan ryokô

Don't get me wrong, I still overall enjoy professor Layton. However, this entry feels too short, jumps to conclusions that are well beyond even plausible, and honestly gets a little tiring. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood for it at the time. Or maybe I am weirdly outgrowing the franchise. Either way, I was satisfied with the series, but am happy to move on after this entry.

Others will likely disagree with me, and that is okay. I think it is sufficient to say this was a good game in 2008, but does not really hold up in 2022. The first game was probably the best in the series. Nevertheless, I will say that this one has one of the most heartfelt endings.

(www.plasticpals.com) Professor Layton and his loyal apprentice Luke are back in their third (of four) puzzle-solving adventures for the Nintendo DS. A time machine demonstration goes wrong, and its inventor and several others disappear in the accident. Layton then receives a letter from someone claiming to be Luke from ten years into the future. The Professor's itch to investigate leads to a wormhole that sends him and Luke to a strange, steam-punk London ruled by "The Family", an organized crime ring. Even more disturbing, it seems that the head honcho is known for his top hat – just like the Professor's. More than 165 puzzles await players along the way to solving the latest mystery.

The game is played entirely with the touch screen. A map appears on the top screen, while a snapshot of your current location appears on the bottom screen, populated by whatever characters might be milling about. You tap the screen to initiate conversations and move around. If you've tried the previous entries in the series you'll know what to expect from this one: talk to people, solve the puzzles they throw at you, and move to a new area to uncover clues (wash, rinse, repeat). It's a user-friendly system and a simple formula, but manages to draw you in with its characters and mystery story.

If you weren't already a fan before, this one probably won't convert you, but returning players will find the general formula improved in key ways. There's more voice acting than the previous games, which makes the story more enjoyable, and the puzzles feel more related to specific areas and characters. Thankfully there's less backtracking than the last game. You steadily gain access to new areas, populated by new characters, which helps to keep things fresh.

The puzzles are an enjoyable mix of block, maze, observation, and logic types. As usual, each puzzle is worth a certain number of Picarats (points) based on its difficulty. For a perfect score, you need to solve the puzzle on your first attempt – subsequent tries are worth less and less points. Scoring points isn't only a matter of personal pride, as your total will determine what bonuses you unlock after the game is over, in the form of extra puzzles and features. You can make it a bit easier on yourself by spending "hint coins". Each puzzle has three to four hints that will vaguely lead you in the right direction before outright ruining the puzzle.

One of Layton's "perks" are the weekly downloadable puzzles. You have to connect your Nintendo DS to the internet, and it will unlock any puzzles that are available. This is kind of stupid, because the game isn't really "downloading" the puzzles; they're already on the game card (it is simply "unlocking" them). Connecting to the internet over Wi-Fi isn't always easy, so why force players to connect at all?

It could be said that these games are nothing more than dressed-up activity books (many of the puzzles were originally created for just that purpose), but that would be doing them a huge disservice. The latest chapter is the best yet, with a more interesting mystery and deeper characterization that will have you tapping the screen like a good page-turner.

The Layton games are known for their lavish production values, and this one doesn't disappoint. The game contains the usual assortment of painterly backgrounds, charming character portraits, and wonderfully animated scenes. The multitude of puzzles are great for when you only have a few minutes to spare here and there, but expect to get at least 15 hours of enjoyment in total.

I'll do my very best not to spoil anything, because the plot is so damn important (excuse my language...) This is in my opinion one of the best Prof. Layton games. I'd say this is my favorite Prof. Layton story by far.

I've been playing these games for years. While I didn't play them entirely in order, that still did the Layton series justice. The THIRD installment of the franchise, this is almost a tribute to all things Layton, that while every Layton game has its motifs and E. eggs and trademarks, this game manages to take it a level further and celebrate what made Layton so lovable and unique.

The categorization of it being an "anime puzzle game" demeans it - while it does have anime influences and sequences and is a puzzle game - it uses these themes while being so much more. The stories of all the games are wonderful, even at their worst. In my opinion, The Azran Legacy's story felt more forced and stood out a bit from the series, but it was still a great game, which is to say The Unwound Future is all the more wonderful.

It is a tragedy that more people who play games DON'T know of or have played any Layton games - for me, growing up, Layton games were the staple of my participation as a gamer and taught me a very valuable lesson growing up: video games can be great, and can make you FEEL.

And boy, does this game hurt like a bitch because it's so good.

My top three games are Unwound Future, The Diabolical Box, and The Miracle Mask, respectively, but by far, I believe this is the best story (though TDB makes a close second).

In short, just like it's predecessors and sequels (or should I say prequels) the game is a work of art, with what looks to be hand-drawn sets, gorgeous scenery with tons of character. There's a lot to do with the game - Professor Layton knows how to keep you busy. The puzzles are amazing, as per usual. Some of them may be too hard for younger players or people like me who are to dumb, lazy, and impatient to spend the time to finish them all, but luckily, the games are usually more forgiving in that respect. A lot of the puzzles you get to save for later.

You love the characters, but this story has a lot more bittersweet emotion to it - in the Layton cannon, this is the supposed "last episode" of the series (the games coming afterward being prequels). From personal experience, this was emotional.

While I drew some relation and internalization from Diabolical Box, reminding me of relationships with people I knew and being a tender story about love and family (yes, I know, the usual...) TUF again, takes it to a whole other level with it's characters doing all the emotional buildup for us.

I'll try not to hype it up any more, although I easily could - but if you love Layton, you'll LOVE this game. I didn't give it the whole ten because I know people's tastes are different, but as far as alternative gaming material, at least in the late 00's, this is gold. It was even listed on GamesRadar's 25 best DS Games of all Time article, ranking #8. The reason I gave it a 9 out of 10 is out of understanding that maybe some people won't like the game as much as I or other 'near fanatics' would, and out of respect toward expectations - like I said, I don't want them to be too high before anyone plays this...

All in all, whether you've played Layton or not, GO PLAY LAYTON, AND PLAY THIS GAME. THAT IS WHAT A GENTLEMAN WOULD DO.