A Mystery Unsolved; What's Professor Layton to Do?
-- Overview --
The charming Professor Layton and his unstoppable child apprentice Luke are called away to a small village, St. Mystere. A quaint, isolated locale nestled in the woods, accessible only by a single drawbridge. The great Baron Reinhold has recently passed away, and his will bequeaths his entire estate to the one person who can locate the "Golden Apple". Everyone tried, and everyone failed.
And so the Lady Dahlia, the Baron's second wife, called on Layton to help solve the mystery. Very shortly after arriving, the drawbridge is rendered useless, and our intrepid pair are trapped in the village. The townsfolk seem non-plussed however, and take every chance they can to quiz and test Layton and Luke with puzzles of every kind imagineable. Many of them requiring a solution in order to continue on their quest.
As the game progresses, more mysteries are uncovered, to be eventually solved. Why does Lady Dahlia bear such a striking resemblance to the Baron's first wife, Violet? Who stole the crank to the village drawbridge? What is the purpose behind the ominous tower, several stories high, that looms over the village? What IS the "Golden Apple"?
Professor Layton and his sidekick Luke are bent on finding out. But only with your help...
-- Gameplay --
As "Professor Layton and the Curious Village" begins, you are treated to a highly professional, animated cut-scene of Layton and Luke driving to St. Mystere. Layton outlines the purpose of their journey, and the conversation sets up the relationship between these two characters you'll spend the rest of your gaming time with.
The first puzzle comes up almost immediately, and serves as an introduction to how puzzle-solving in the game works. Each puzzle is assigned a number, to help track those solved and those not, and worth a certain number of "picarats". "Picarats" are essentially a method of tracking your score, as each incorrect guess for a given puzzle decreases its "picarat" value.
However, don't worry if you're stumped. The game also offers hints, but not without a catch. As you travel through St. Mystere, you can poke around in the hopes of uncovering "hint coins". As you may have already guessed, each hint is worth one coin. Run out of coins, and you're out of luck in the hint department until you can find more. Though the game claims there to be a finite number of coins, you'll likely find you have plenty left over by the end of the game.
The plot progresses in a very linear fashion, with Layton and Luke traveling all over St. Mystere on various tasks and intents. The upper screen of the DS reveals a map as you travel about, along with a reminder of where to go next.
The puzzles crop up pretty much everywhere; many from the village folk themselves, but there are also plenty of hidden puzzles scattered around that aren't necessary to finish the game, but can offer extra "picarats" and rewards.
In particular, Layton and Luke will collect objects and items unrelated to their overall task. Scraps of a painting, strange robotic gizmos, and furniture and decorations for their rooms at the inn. Collect enough of each, and you'll unlock additional puzzles to be played from the main menu.
The puzzles come in all forms, some of which you may even recognize. Logic puzzles, shape puzzles, math problems...the list goes on and on. The best thing about this being, if you are poor at one type of puzzle, you will likely excel at another. Which means, even if you're stumped, you can explore elsewhere for a bit and solve other puzzles more up your alley, until you're ready to tackle the previous one again.
Interestingly, the puzzles don't really increase in difficulty except the last ten or so leading up to the conclusion of the game. This is likely due to the fact that you don't always encounter the puzzles in the same order, except those that are related to what you're currently trying to accomplish. This does mean some of the more difficult puzzles end up blind-siding you at unexpected times.
Also, the descriptions for some of the puzzles seem lacking in key pieces of information, leading you to use up valuable hint coins to discover something that was supposed to be given information. This does not happen often, but can be frustrating.
As an appreciated bonus, "Professor Layton and the Curious Village" also offers free downloadable weekly puzzles. Which means, even when you've solved the mysteries of St. Mystere, the games are far from over.
-- Graphics & Sound --
First off, the cinematics in this game are absolutely top-notch. Full cell-shaded animation really brings the story to life, even though they are generally short and fairly sporadic. The voice acting within the cinematics brings Layton and Luke to life, despite their being silent for the rest of the game.
The design of "Professor Layton and the Curious Village" is also spot-on, bringing old-world European stylings to life with grace and panache. St. Mystere feels like an old village that could actually exist, and the characters are various, humorous, and in some cases unnerving. Regardless of their constant puzzle-spouting, each seems to hold their own reasons for doing so, and are quick to congratulate you when you succeed.
The audio overall is highly enjoyable, though maybe a bit repetitive at times. Some of the music loops incessantly, especially while you're solving a puzzle, to the point of distraction. You may find yourself turning the volume down for a time to give your brain a little more breathing room.
Generally the music is excellent, especially while exploring St. Mystere. You'll hear plenty of accordions playing, again lending to the old-world feel created by the game's designers.
-- Conclusion --
If you're a puzzle lover of any kind, then "Professor Layton and the Curious Village" is definitely a game you'll want to pick up. Even if you're not, but enjoy a good story, well-rounded characters, and fun and interesting environments, you may want to give your brain a workout.
After all, as Professor Layton would say, every puzzle has an answer! Even if you have trouble finding it the first, second, or third time around.