Professor Layton and the Curious Village Review by: Uzar - 8.4/10
Curious beginnings to a puzzling seriesProfessor Layton, everyone’s favorite puzzle solvin’, top hat totin’, English Gentlemen makes his debut in Curious Village.Well, it’s the first made. Not the first story-wise. It’s the beginning of the first trilogy and we leave the questions there. Here, we meet Layton, his apprentice,
Chowder Luke Triton, and a few other series regulars. But can he solve the mysteries that lay in the curious village of St. Mystere?
Graphics: 6/10
Well, gameplay-wise it’s not the greatest around in the graphical department. The overworld sprites for all the people you can talk to don’t look that great. And talking to them improves it a little. This, like most of the game’s shortcomings, is improved in the other games.
The puzzles themselves look nice actually. The artwork, buttons, objects used in the puzzle, it’s all great.
The cutscenes look nice as well. It's almost one of the game's highest points. But it’s about one step under amazing. The animation this time around wasn't as smooth as later installments.
Sound: 7/10
The music is great! The background music in the Layton series is always amazing. The only problem with the sound is the voice acting. This, was probably one of the first games to use voices on the DS. Not for sound effects like: jumping, dying, being hit, or anything like that; but actual dialogue. It’s great! But because of it being one of the first, it doesn’t stand so well when compared to later games; both Layton, and otherwise. It’s good, but whatever microphone they used isn’t high quality when compared to later games from the series, still on the DS. But for it's time, it was amazing!
Addictiveness: 6/10
During a first playthrough, it’s really addicting! If you like puzzle games that is. The only problem with the Layton series has with addictiveness, in the sense of coming back to it is; there is only one answer to the puzzles. This isn’t a bad thing, but as long as you remember the solution to them, the game will be a lot faster, and easier than you remembered it. And it kind of spoils everything.
Story: 7/10
This story, while decent, is a bit of an underscore compared to the other games. As in, this one isn’t as dark, or elaborate.
*Ahem * Professor Layton, and his young apprentice, Luke receive a letter from Lady Dahlia the wife of an old friend of the Professor. Her husband, Baron Augustus Reinhold has died. His will says that all his money would go to whoever found the “Golden Apple” hidden somewhere in the town. The town he lived in, named St. Mystere, is in an uproar as everyone tries to find this golden apple for themselves. When not obsessing over brain teasers, that is. Everything seems boring, and business as usual for Layton until…A MURDER STRIKES! And then more mysterious happenings occur like the disappearances of more townsfolk. But can the professor figure out why all this is happening? Can he find the golden apple? Can he solve all these puzzles? You gotta find out for yourself~ :P
Depth: 5/10
There isn’t too much depth, but more than what you would expect from a puzzle game / point and click / visual novel. There are quite a few hidden puzzles scattered around, and by tapping the right spot on the touch screen, they’ll pop out, and have you solve them. Be warned though, they’re a bit harder than the normal puzzles. Then there is Hint Coins, they are exactly what they sound like. Coins that you can use in-puzzle to buy hints. They, like hidden puzzles, are hidden. Tapping their location on the touch screen can draw them out. Once you know where to look for them (Inside lamps, any pointed end, anything that seems somewhat out of place) you’ll have plenty before you know it. There are also hidden robot gears, and painting scraps. They can be found from solving puzzles. The robot gears, once completed, make a robot dog that helps you track down hint coins. And the painting, when assembled, forms a vital part and potential spoiler to the true location of the Golden Apple.
This sounds like a lot, given the mid rating I gave it. But all of this is on a very small scale. But with each game, that scale will grow a bit larger, so this is a good game to start out with. You won't feel overwhelmed, trust me.
Difficulty: 7/10
Brainteasers have a varying amount of difficulty. Sometimes they can be incredibly easy; sometimes they can take you what feels like hours to solve. And since that’s a good 85% of the game, that’s basically where all the difficulty comes into play. But, I had a bit of trouble with some puzzles, so that’s where an extra point came from. :P
Things not covered:
Pro: Traveling on an adventure with an English Gentleman, who teaches his apprentice how to be one as well has it's benefits. Who knows? You may be a nicer person by the end of this game.
Con: You have a saddeningly small scale on which you can explore.
Pro: The puzzle solving actually does help your brain. So this is one fun brain booster!
All in all, it’s a well made, somewhat charming game. It’s fun, and while in my opinion the weakest story in the series. It has all around solid puzzles. And it’s a great game to play if you want to start out the Layton series. It’s a good, humble beginning to a great franchise. It may be the weakest in my opinion, but it's by no means a bad game. I highly recommend it. :)
Overall: 8.4/10
Graphics
6 Sound
7 Addictive
6 Depth
5 Story
7 Difficulty
7
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