Game Review: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Game: Professor Layton and The Curious Village
Console: Nintendo DS
Developer: Level-5
Release Date: 7th November 2008

Professor Layton games in general seem older to me than having started only 7 years ago, but I suppose the puzzle concept is a fairly simple one that all of the games tend to have in common, though they feature different stories and other extras. Professor Layton and the Curious Village is the first game in the series, and one which I have been playing for a very long time, albeit never to completion, until just before the time of writing this review.

Previously I had considered it a glorified set of puzzles, having only got a little way into the storyline but upon completion of the game this seems like an unfair judgement. While many puzzle games exist, especially for the handheld market, very few of them feature the depth of story and characters as well as the extra features and finishing touches of Professor Layton games.

Gameplay is fairly simple as players watch cutscenes explaining story details, and read various conversations between Professor Layton and the inhabitants of the village of St. Mystere. Inbetween these cutscenes and conversations, players must explore the village and solve puzzles to gain information and progress. Players are allowed not to solve puzzles, should they prove too hard, and puzzles which have been skipped can be attempted again from a location within the village. The only time that puzzle solving will have been necessary as far as I can see is to gain access to the tower, at the very end of the game (players must have completed a certain number of puzzles throughout the course of the game to enter).

The story of the game is told well and adds a lot of interest to the puzzling. The characters are generally well rounded and likeable, and the voiced cutscenes which play during major moments give a sense of continuity and bring the world of the game to life. Obviously those who don't enjoy puzzles or the storytelling aspect of games won't be well suited to the Professor Layton series, but that's pretty obvious already.

In terms of the overall puzzle difficulty in the game, it depends on which puzzles players are already skilled at tackling and have come across before, though there is a distinct difficulty curve towards the end of the game. Unless you're a puzzling master though, there's bound to be at least one puzzle that is new to you, if not quite a few.

When solving puzzles, players are able to draw and do working out on the touchscreen in most cases, and can have several attempts at getting a correct answer. It's a slight shame that more use isn't made of the touchscreen in this instalment as there are plenty of puzzles which could make use of a little rotation or exploration via the bottom screen.

Graphically the game has a consistent and enjoyable visual style which helps to add character to the experience as a whole. As well versed creators of video games and anime, Level-5 are able to depict the characters in a quaint and simple way that embodies who Professor Layton is, at least for me. Musically too there are some enjoyable tunes which characterise the village of St. Mystere and build tension in the final parts of the game and its cutscenes.

Overall Professor Layton and the Curious Village isn't a game that everyone will enjoy; it's slow pace and story based gameplay may well put some gamers off, but those who are able to settle into the mystery and story of the game will find that it offers more than simple puzzles for solving. It may well be that the other games in the series are somewhat summarized by this review. If that's the case, then I'll add their information and scores below this instead of writing a new review, but for now that's all!

Rating: 73/100
Grade: C