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Home > Categories > Games & Puzzles > Nintendo DS & DSI > Professor Layton and the Curious Village review
In the curious village of St. Mystere, townsfolk speak to each other in riddles, lock their doors with sliding puzzles and hide their secrets within brainteasers. When a wealthy baron passes away, his will reveals an elusive treasure hidden someplace inside the village. Now it's up to Professor Layton to untangle St. Mystere's riddles and puzzles, find the hidden treasure, and crack the case.
When the wealthy Baron Augustus Reinhold passes away, his will reveals a hidden treasure in the village of St. Mystere. Unable to locate the treasure themselves, the baron's family calls upon renowned puzzle expert Professor Layton and his apprentice, Luke, for help. Upon the pair's arrival, their search for the treasure is interrupted by the suspicious death of another member of the Reinhold family. Now with two mysteries on their hands, Professor Layton and Luke must work their way through the village's many puzzles, riddles and brainteasers to find the truth.
Features
* As Professor Layton, players tackle more than 130 puzzles as they unravel the mysteries of the village. Challenges range from mazes and riddles to logic and sliding puzzles. Touch-screen controls make working through puzzles a snap for players of all skill levels, and new puzzles are available for download via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
* Unlike other puzzle-driven titles, Professor Layton is the first to offer a story, cast of characters and style that are just as strong as the game play. Fully voiced animated scenes bring the story to life, while the funny and eccentric villagers and the classic, hand-drawn art provide a stylish charm that will appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike.
* The storyline and puzzles are tightly integrated, so that as you explore the world and progress through the adventure, you will encounter more and more puzzles.
* Characters: Archaeologist and puzzle master Professor Layton, his wide-eyed apprentice, Luke, and a host of quirky townsfolk.
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Review by: kiwifi (Fiona)
Dated: 13th of December, 2009
This is definitely a fun and compelling game for riddle solvers.
I first saw this game when visiting family in Australia - we were out sight-seeing, but my young nieces had DS's open and were completely absorbed with solving the riddles and puzzles of St Mystere...and I might add that some had us all thinking very hard. Many are straight forward if you think outside the square a bit. But I was quite surprised to discover just how challenging some of the puzzles really were.
I have had the game for a few months now. Each time I have picked it up to solve a 'few' puzzles (and further my progress toward solving the grand mystery), I have spent more than an hour before noticing the time. It's very tempting to do just one more...
The game has an interesting story and the graphics are really nice, even on the relatively small screen of a DS. The riddles are woven into the game at every turn as you set about trying to follow the clues, find the hint coins, and solve the mysteries of the curious events that are unfolding - as well as the ultimate mystery of the hidden treasure of course.
On replayability - once you have solved the mystery, well...you have solved it. Having said that, there is a lot of gameplay to get that far, and along the way you can download more puzzles (free) if you want to.
This game is an enjoyable challenge for any age over about 7 or 8 (and great for taking away the tedium of a longhaul flight).
I find the DS games mostly overpriced when new. We got this one bundled with the DSi when we purchased it.
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Breakscore - 3 games in one!
These board games, first conceived over 26 years ago in New Zealand, have considerable depth. They are about ... carefully reading (not to mention, sometimes challenging) the rules, spotting dice scoring combinations, using the cards to best effect, strategising, taking calculated risks, avoiding mistakes and above all else, having fun with family, colleagues and friends!
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