Professor Layton series
Encyclopedia
is a puzzle adventure
game series for the Nintendo DS
developed by Level-5
. The series consists of five games and one film, and at least two more games for the Nintendo 3DS
and one more film are due in 2011/2012. The first three games are about Professor Hershel Layton
and Luke Triton's adventures together. The next three games and the two films are prequels and are about how Luke and Layton met and their "original" adventures.
Each title is based in a series of puzzles and mysteries given by the citizens of towns that the main characters visit. It is not necessary to solve all the puzzles to progress, but some are mandatory and at certain points in the game a minimum number of puzzles must be solved before the story will continue.
The series has gone on to be one of the most successful Nintendo DS exclusive series, with the lifetime cumulative sales of Professor Layton games standing at 10 million units sold as of October 2010.
's childhood love of Akira Tago's popular Mental Gymnastics series of puzzle book
s, which have sold more than 12 million copies to date in Japan
.
The main character in the games is Professor Hershel Layton, a renowned archaeologist and a well-mannered gentleman. He is called to solve various mysteries in different places. Professor Layton is always accompanied by his apprentice Luke Triton, a cheerful and curious boy who brings a touch of humor to the story of Layton. According to Hino, Layton is partly inspired by the character of Phoenix Wright of the Ace Attorney series, wanting to improve over the "bad points" of Phoenix's character in developing Layton.
There was also a "Friendly Version" for The Curious Village, from which all weekly puzzles are unlocked, as well as the game being slightly easier for those who were troubled previously. For Diabolical Box, the Japan-only "Level-5 Premium Silver/Gold" collections on Nintendo DS included an exclusive side-story, in addition to the actual game and another Level-5 game, Inazuma Eleven
. The Holiday in London includes ten puzzles, some of which are from the first game, and a short storyline, set in Professor Layton's London office, in which he reminisces about his previous adventures around the world.
A new mobile phone Professor Layton game is intended for release around the same time as the fifth game. However it is unknown if and when the game will get an international release.
Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney is a crossover game between the Ace Attorney series and the Professor Layton series; it is being co-developed by Capcom
and Level-5 for the Nintendo 3DS
. It is described as a combination of the two game styles - puzzle solving and crime investigation. Shu Takumi, the main writer of the original Ace Attorney games, will be writing the script for this title.
, Inspector Chelmey. Layton also encounters a gifted inventor named Don Paolo (aka Paul), who is a master of disguise; he claims to be the nemesis of Layton, due to losing the love of his life, Claire, to Layton's charms. During the prequel trilogy, Layton's former assistant, Emmy Altava, joins up with him and Luke.
.
on February 26, 2011 in Japan, and was confirmed for an eventual release in North America, Australia and Europe at E3 2010. Professor Layton and Luke follow Jean Descole to a place known as Montdol in search of a powerful mask said to have created the city. Professor Layton is forced to recall his past in order to uncover the secret of the mask in the present. The truth is hidden deep within the Mask of Miracles. Level-5 claims that the game will have daily puzzles available for download over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for a full year.
, and Maya Fey, find themselves in a medieval world separate from both of their own, known as Labyrinth City. This world is controlled by a man known as the Storyteller, who can make anything he writes down a reality. The land also speaks tales of witches, who hide in the shadows. It will be released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS during 2012.
An iOS video game, , is currently being developed and will feature Hershel Layton's son, Alfendi Layton.
Level 5 CEO Akihiro Hino has expressed interest in porting the series to Wii U.
Additionally, there are plans for two further movies. One of these is stated to be an animated addition to the prequel trilogy like Eternal Diva before it, and the other is planned to be filmed in live-action.
The puzzles take the form of brain teasers and are only loosely tied to the plot. All puzzles were created for this series by Akira Tago, who is famous for his best-selling Mental Gymnastics series. They take the forms of math problems, logic puzzles, mazes, sliding-block puzzles
, and brain teasers. The games give the player the opportunity to bring up a translucent memo screen they can write on using the stylus to work out their answer before submission. If the player is stuck, they may spend one hint coin to receive a hint. Each puzzle has three hints available, and within The Unwound Future, the game introduces "super hints" that nearly solve the puzzle for the player but which can only be bought with two hint coins and after the three other hints have been revealed. The puzzles are not timed, though for puzzles such as mazes or sliding blocks, the player may be challenged to complete the puzzle in a limited number of moves.
Each game features an additional set of three unique meta-puzzles that can be accessed at any time through "Layton's Trunk". These puzzles generally require the player to complete specific puzzles in the game to receive items to use within the meta puzzle; for example, The Curious Village gives the player furniture as a reward for some puzzles, which then must be placed within a set of apartments to Layton's and Luke's exacting desires in the meta puzzle; the meta puzzle cannot be solved completely until all the furniture has been collected. Completing the game also opens a number of series of more difficult puzzles to be solved, including one that involves a curiously heavily-locked door that the player may encounter during the game. The games also can use the DS Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
features to connect to Nintendo world network and unlock additional puzzles for play for a number of weeks after each game's release.
was produced by Masakazu Kubo, who is mainly known for producing the Pokémon
films, and animated by P.A. Works, the same company that develops the animated cutscenes for the games. It contains an original story, separate from the game series, and taking place after the events of The Last Specter. It has been a general success in both Japan and Singapore where the movie was released. The film was released in the United Kingdom on DVD and Blu-ray by Manga Entertainment
on October 18, 2010.
The Professor Layton series has been generally successful in the US, the UK, and Japan. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
sold over 700,000 units in Japan in 2007. The game was also the top selling game for the Nintendo DS in the United States in the first three weeks after its release. After it was restocked in the UK, sales of Professor Layton increased 54%, moving it from 10th place to fourth place.
Curious Village received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game had an average score of 86% based on 48 reviews. On Metacritic, the game had an average score of 85/100, based on 57 reviews. The combination of the adventure game and "brain training" genres received mixed appreciation. Some reviewers praised the game for the successful combination with 1UP commenting on how the game's approach is much better than games where the puzzles were integrated into the environment. Other reviewers felt that these two genres do not merge well within the game; Game Informer noted that while the player is given numerous small puzzles to solve, the mysteries of the main plot are basically solved for the player. The game was noted to have little replay value; once all the puzzles were solved, there was no point in playing through them again. The presentation of the game, including both the general European animation style and cutscene animations, was appreciated by reviewers. Hyper's Darren Wells commends the game for its "clever concept, with plenty to solve and unlock as well as its fantastic presentation". However, he criticizes "some puzzles feeling tacked on and the music can get annoying".
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box was considered to be a major improvement from the original. In Japan, the game has sold 815,369 copies, according to Famitsu
, as of July 9, 2008. The UK's Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the game a score of 92% (and consequently their Gold Award medal), praising the increased number of puzzles, animated scenes and voice acting, but complained that it could be slightly repetitive at times. IGN gave the game a score of 8.5 and also their Editor's Choice Award.
The series was popular enough to have a movie called Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva
made. So far it has only been released in Japan, Singapore, France, Germany and the UK, but it has received positive reviews in all five countries. It was released in the UK on the 18th of October, with a full English Dub.
Nintendo Power
listed series mascot Professor Layton as their 10th favorite hero, citing his use of brains over brawn.
The series has gone on to be one of the most successful Nintendo DS exclusive series, with the lifetime cumulative sales of Professor Layton games standing at 10 million units sold as of October 2010. Level-5 reported 11.47 million unit sales worldwide for the franchisee ahead of the release of Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask in February 2011.
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
game series for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
developed by Level-5
Level-5
is an independent video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka, Japan. The company, which currently employs about 200 individuals, was founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino after he departed from the now defunct Japanese developer Riverhillsoft...
. The series consists of five games and one film, and at least two more games for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
and one more film are due in 2011/2012. The first three games are about Professor Hershel Layton
Professor Hershel Layton
is the eponymous fictional character of the Professor Layton series of video games, created by Level-5. He is the central protagonist in every entry to the series, which consists of five games that have combined sold over 11 million copies, three novels, and an animated...
and Luke Triton's adventures together. The next three games and the two films are prequels and are about how Luke and Layton met and their "original" adventures.
Each title is based in a series of puzzles and mysteries given by the citizens of towns that the main characters visit. It is not necessary to solve all the puzzles to progress, but some are mandatory and at certain points in the game a minimum number of puzzles must be solved before the story will continue.
The series has gone on to be one of the most successful Nintendo DS exclusive series, with the lifetime cumulative sales of Professor Layton games standing at 10 million units sold as of October 2010.
History
Professor Layton was a direct result of Akihiro HinoAkihiro Hino
is president and CEO of Japanese video game developer Level-5.- Biography :Prior to founding Level-5 in October 1998, Hino began his career in the video game industry in the early 90's at the now defunct Japanese developer Riverhillsoft, specifically on the Overblood series for the original...
's childhood love of Akira Tago's popular Mental Gymnastics series of puzzle book
Puzzle book
A puzzle book is a book of puzzles for the reader to complete. A puzzle book may contain puzzles all of one type or a mixture of different puzzle types. Puzzle books may be aimed at adults or children....
s, which have sold more than 12 million copies to date in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The main character in the games is Professor Hershel Layton, a renowned archaeologist and a well-mannered gentleman. He is called to solve various mysteries in different places. Professor Layton is always accompanied by his apprentice Luke Triton, a cheerful and curious boy who brings a touch of humor to the story of Layton. According to Hino, Layton is partly inspired by the character of Phoenix Wright of the Ace Attorney series, wanting to improve over the "bad points" of Phoenix's character in developing Layton.
Games
There was also a "Friendly Version" for The Curious Village, from which all weekly puzzles are unlocked, as well as the game being slightly easier for those who were troubled previously. For Diabolical Box, the Japan-only "Level-5 Premium Silver/Gold" collections on Nintendo DS included an exclusive side-story, in addition to the actual game and another Level-5 game, Inazuma Eleven
Inazuma Eleven
is a role-playing and sports video game for the Nintendo DS developed and published by Level-5. It was released on August 22, 2008 in Japan. A European release was confirmed by Nintendo and was released on January 29, 2011, three years after the Japanese release...
. The Holiday in London includes ten puzzles, some of which are from the first game, and a short storyline, set in Professor Layton's London office, in which he reminisces about his previous adventures around the world.
| 2007 – | – Professor Layton and the Curious Village Professor Layton and the Curious Village Professor Layton and the Curious Village, released in Japan as , is a puzzle adventure video game for the Nintendo DS system. It was developed by Level-5, and published by Level-5 within Japan and Nintendo internationally. It was released in Japan during 2007, and in PAL regions and North America a... – Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box |
|
| 2008 – | – Professor Layton and the Unwound Future | |
| 2009 – | – Professor Layton and the Last Specter | |
| 2010 – | ||
| 2011 – | – Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle is a puzzle adventure video game and one of the Nintendo 3DS' launch titles in Japan. It is the fifth game in the Professor Layton series, but the third story chronologically... |
|
| 2012 – | – Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney |
A new mobile phone Professor Layton game is intended for release around the same time as the fifth game. However it is unknown if and when the game will get an international release.
Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney is a crossover game between the Ace Attorney series and the Professor Layton series; it is being co-developed by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
and Level-5 for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
. It is described as a combination of the two game styles - puzzle solving and crime investigation. Shu Takumi, the main writer of the original Ace Attorney games, will be writing the script for this title.
Setting and characters
The game takes place in and around contemporary London. The titular character is Hershel Layton, a professor of archeology at the fictional Gressenheller University, who prides himself on gentlemanly conduct and puzzle mastery. He is often followed by his self-proclaimed apprentice, the young Luke Triton, who also proves adept at solving puzzles. Following the events of The Curious Village, Layton is joined by Flora Reinhold who helps to tend his university offices but also seeks to go on Layton's adventures. Layton's mysteries often run him into the police chief of Scotland YardScotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
, Inspector Chelmey. Layton also encounters a gifted inventor named Don Paolo (aka Paul), who is a master of disguise; he claims to be the nemesis of Layton, due to losing the love of his life, Claire, to Layton's charms. During the prequel trilogy, Layton's former assistant, Emmy Altava, joins up with him and Luke.
Plot
The games and other media in the Professor Layton series do not have any overarching structure or direct connection to each other, but do follow a chronological order through the appearance of reoccurring characters met in earlier works.The Curious Village
The first game in the series, released for the Nintendo DS in Japan during 2007 and localized elsewhere during 2008. Layton and his young apprentice Luke are invited to the town of St. Mystere by the family of late Baron Augustus Reinhold to figure out the secret behind his last will and testament, in which he stated that anyone who found the Golden Apple hidden within the town would be entitled to his entire fortune. Upon entering the town, it is clear to both of them that the curious village holds many more secrets than they had expected. They solve their way through 138 puzzles to discover the truth behind St. Mystere.The Diabolical Box
The second game in the series, released for the Nintendo DS in Japan during 2007 and localized elsewhere during 2009. It is known in PAL regions as Professor Layton and Pandora's Box. It begins with the Professor and Luke traveling to meet Layton's mentor, Dr. Schrader, who has sent the pair a letter detailing his procuring of the Elysian Box, a chest rumored to kill anyone who tried to open it. Upon walking into his apartment, he is found lying on the floor, dead, with the box missing. The only clue he left behind was a train ticket for the high-class Molentary Express without a mentioned destination, which they promptly catch to begin their investigation to find out more on the fate of Dr. Schrader, and the whereabouts of his diabolical box. During their search, they encounter 153 additional puzzles.The Unwound Future
The third game in the series, released for the Nintendo DS in Japan during 2008 and localized elsewhere during 2010. It is known in PAL regions as Professor Layton and the Lost Future. The game starts upon Luke receiving a letter purportedly sent by himself, ten years into the future, only a week after an accident in which Dr. Stahngun's failed demonstration of a time machine caused himself and the Prime Minister to vanish. He and Layton travel to a desolate part of town to investigate a clock shop, but upon walking out, find themselves to have been thrust forward into the future London, ten years from then. In their efforts to find the truth of their unwound future, they are forced to solve 168 new puzzles, and to remember a forgotten past. This game is currently the last in the series chronologically.The Last Specter
The fourth game in the series was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan during 2009 and North America on October 17, 2011. It is known in Europe as Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call. It is, chronologically, the first game in the series, in which Layton is called by an old friend called clark to the mysterious, dark and foggy town of Misthallery, where there are legends of a great, shadowy giant who protects the region whenever a special flute is played to summon him. However, recently, the figure has turned against the village, and it is up to the Professor, a young boy of the village named Luke Triton who is heavily involved in the legend of the Specter, and Layton's new assistant Emmy Altava, to figure out why the ghost is wreaking havoc in the town. Together, they investigate the village and the Last Specter, and, while doing so, solve another 170 puzzles. The game also includes an RPG called London Life, which was co-developed by Brownie BrownBrownie Brown
is a Japanese Nintendo-funded and owned video game development studio opened on June 30, 2000 and based in Tokyo, Japan.- History :The company consists of many ex-Square Co., Ltd. 2D artists. At least two of its founders had previously worked on the award-winning Mana series on the Game Boy and...
.
The Eternal Diva
The first movie based on the games, released in Japan during 2009 and in the United Kingdom during 2010. Chronologically, the events in the story take place after Last Specter, though the story is told as a flashback at some point between Curious Village and Diabolical Box (being the events of the flashback story took place 3 years prior). Emmy joins with Layton and Luke on a journey to meet Janice Quatlane, a previous student of Professor Layton experiencing success as an opera singer. One of her friends, Melina, a seven-year-old girl, claimed she had found eternal life. While investigating, Layton, Luke, and Janice become trapped on the ship, the Crown Petone, and are forced to cooperate with Descole's plans to restore the lost city of Ambrosia. Meanwhile, Emmy investigates mysterious disappearances of children around London. Many characters from the games make a cameo appearance, as does the Elysian Box itself. Over the course of the movie, the cast will solve four puzzles...The Mask of Miracle
The fifth game in the series, released as a launch title for the Nintendo 3DSNintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
on February 26, 2011 in Japan, and was confirmed for an eventual release in North America, Australia and Europe at E3 2010. Professor Layton and Luke follow Jean Descole to a place known as Montdol in search of a powerful mask said to have created the city. Professor Layton is forced to recall his past in order to uncover the secret of the mask in the present. The truth is hidden deep within the Mask of Miracles. Level-5 claims that the game will have daily puzzles available for download over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for a full year.
Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney
Announced on October 19, 2010 at Level-5's annual vision event, this game, also unofficially referred to as Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney, is a cooperative project between Level-5 and Capcom, and a crossover between the Professor Layton and Ace Attorney series. In it, Professor Layton, Luke, Phoenix WrightPhoenix Wright (character)
Phoenix Wright, known as in original Japanese language versions, is a fictional defense attorney in Capcom's Ace Attorney video game series. As of , the series has sold 3 million copies and is Capcom's 11th best-selling series of all time. Phoenix has been featured as the main protagonist in three...
, and Maya Fey, find themselves in a medieval world separate from both of their own, known as Labyrinth City. This world is controlled by a man known as the Storyteller, who can make anything he writes down a reality. The land also speaks tales of witches, who hide in the shadows. It will be released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS during 2012.
Future entries
Level-5 has confirmed that a sixth game in the main series is being made, to take place after Mask of Miracle. The title has not been revealed yet.An iOS video game, , is currently being developed and will feature Hershel Layton's son, Alfendi Layton.
Level 5 CEO Akihiro Hino has expressed interest in porting the series to Wii U.
Additionally, there are plans for two further movies. One of these is stated to be an animated addition to the prequel trilogy like Eternal Diva before it, and the other is planned to be filmed in live-action.
Gameplay
The game is essentially a collection of puzzles with exploration sections between them. The player, as Professor Layton and Luke, explore their environments in a point-and-click adventure game fashion using the DS's touchscreen. This can be used to talk with non-player characters, learn more about the environment, moving between different areas, or to find hint coins that are used during puzzles. Often, when interacting with a person or object, the player will be presented with a puzzle, valued at a number of "picarats", a type of currency within the game. Solving the puzzle correctly will earn the player that many picarats, but a wrong answer will reduce the value a small amount on subsequent attempts down to a minimal picarat number. In order to progress the plot, the player is required to solve specific puzzles, or to solve a minimum number of puzzles or gain a minimum amount of picarats. When the player leaves an area due to progression of the plot, puzzles they have yet to find or solve are collected into another location where they can return and attempt to resolve later. Curious Village contains 135 puzzles, Diabolical Box contains 153 puzzles, Unwound Future contains 168 (The latter two having another special puzzle obtained via the use of codes found in the previous game), and Last Specter contains 170.The puzzles take the form of brain teasers and are only loosely tied to the plot. All puzzles were created for this series by Akira Tago, who is famous for his best-selling Mental Gymnastics series. They take the forms of math problems, logic puzzles, mazes, sliding-block puzzles
Sliding puzzle
A sliding puzzle, sliding block puzzle, or sliding tile puzzle is a puzzle that challenges a player to slide usually flat pieces along certain routes to establish a certain end-configuration....
, and brain teasers. The games give the player the opportunity to bring up a translucent memo screen they can write on using the stylus to work out their answer before submission. If the player is stuck, they may spend one hint coin to receive a hint. Each puzzle has three hints available, and within The Unwound Future, the game introduces "super hints" that nearly solve the puzzle for the player but which can only be bought with two hint coins and after the three other hints have been revealed. The puzzles are not timed, though for puzzles such as mazes or sliding blocks, the player may be challenged to complete the puzzle in a limited number of moves.
Each game features an additional set of three unique meta-puzzles that can be accessed at any time through "Layton's Trunk". These puzzles generally require the player to complete specific puzzles in the game to receive items to use within the meta puzzle; for example, The Curious Village gives the player furniture as a reward for some puzzles, which then must be placed within a set of apartments to Layton's and Luke's exacting desires in the meta puzzle; the meta puzzle cannot be solved completely until all the furniture has been collected. Completing the game also opens a number of series of more difficult puzzles to be solved, including one that involves a curiously heavily-locked door that the player may encounter during the game. The games also can use the DS Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
features to connect to Nintendo world network and unlock additional puzzles for play for a number of weeks after each game's release.
Manga
Manga intended for child audiences has been serialized since the February 2008 special edition of Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic. The title of this manga is , covering many mysteries in the story. Three volumes have been released as of June 2011.Feature film
An animation film called Professor Layton and the Eternal DivaProfessor Layton and the Eternal Diva
also known as , is a 2009 Japanese animated mystery film directed by Masakazu Hashimoto. The film is a continuation of the Professor Layton series...
was produced by Masakazu Kubo, who is mainly known for producing the Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
films, and animated by P.A. Works, the same company that develops the animated cutscenes for the games. It contains an original story, separate from the game series, and taking place after the events of The Last Specter. It has been a general success in both Japan and Singapore where the movie was released. The film was released in the United Kingdom on DVD and Blu-ray by Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment is a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand...
on October 18, 2010.
Novels
Three books based on the Professor Layton series were also made, though they are still in Japan only. They consist of Professor Layton and the Wandering Castle in 2008, Professor Layton and the Phantom Deity in 2009, and Professor Layton and the Illusory Forest in 2010.Reception
| Game | Metacritic Metacritic Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,... |
GameRankings |
|---|---|---|
| Professor Layton and the Curious Village Professor Layton and the Curious Village Professor Layton and the Curious Village, released in Japan as , is a puzzle adventure video game for the Nintendo DS system. It was developed by Level-5, and published by Level-5 within Japan and Nintendo internationally. It was released in Japan during 2007, and in PAL regions and North America a... |
85% | 86% |
| Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box | 84% | 85% |
| Professor Layton and the Unwound Future | 86% | 87% |
| Professor Layton and the Last Specter | 84% | 85% |
The Professor Layton series has been generally successful in the US, the UK, and Japan. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Professor Layton and the Curious Village, released in Japan as , is a puzzle adventure video game for the Nintendo DS system. It was developed by Level-5, and published by Level-5 within Japan and Nintendo internationally. It was released in Japan during 2007, and in PAL regions and North America a...
sold over 700,000 units in Japan in 2007. The game was also the top selling game for the Nintendo DS in the United States in the first three weeks after its release. After it was restocked in the UK, sales of Professor Layton increased 54%, moving it from 10th place to fourth place.
Curious Village received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game had an average score of 86% based on 48 reviews. On Metacritic, the game had an average score of 85/100, based on 57 reviews. The combination of the adventure game and "brain training" genres received mixed appreciation. Some reviewers praised the game for the successful combination with 1UP commenting on how the game's approach is much better than games where the puzzles were integrated into the environment. Other reviewers felt that these two genres do not merge well within the game; Game Informer noted that while the player is given numerous small puzzles to solve, the mysteries of the main plot are basically solved for the player. The game was noted to have little replay value; once all the puzzles were solved, there was no point in playing through them again. The presentation of the game, including both the general European animation style and cutscene animations, was appreciated by reviewers. Hyper's Darren Wells commends the game for its "clever concept, with plenty to solve and unlock as well as its fantastic presentation". However, he criticizes "some puzzles feeling tacked on and the music can get annoying".
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box was considered to be a major improvement from the original. In Japan, the game has sold 815,369 copies, according to Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
, as of July 9, 2008. The UK's Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the game a score of 92% (and consequently their Gold Award medal), praising the increased number of puzzles, animated scenes and voice acting, but complained that it could be slightly repetitive at times. IGN gave the game a score of 8.5 and also their Editor's Choice Award.
The series was popular enough to have a movie called Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva
also known as , is a 2009 Japanese animated mystery film directed by Masakazu Hashimoto. The film is a continuation of the Professor Layton series...
made. So far it has only been released in Japan, Singapore, France, Germany and the UK, but it has received positive reviews in all five countries. It was released in the UK on the 18th of October, with a full English Dub.
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
listed series mascot Professor Layton as their 10th favorite hero, citing his use of brains over brawn.
The series has gone on to be one of the most successful Nintendo DS exclusive series, with the lifetime cumulative sales of Professor Layton games standing at 10 million units sold as of October 2010. Level-5 reported 11.47 million unit sales worldwide for the franchisee ahead of the release of Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask in February 2011.