Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

I played this a few weeks ago and was too lazy to post here.  It has been up on Amazon for that time.  But here it is in all its glory.

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

My Playtime: 18 Hours+

Genre: Puzzle Game with some RPG elements

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

Professor Layton received a letter from an old friend, Angela Ledore, that he haven't seen in 18 years. In her town of Monte d'Or, a mysterious man called "The Masked Gentleman" have been creating havoc, by turning people to stone and burning people alive. But there was more than meets the eye and by using his deductive puzzling skills and delving into his own past, the mystery of the "Mask of Chaos" can be finally be solved.

There are a few things to note that are slightly different from its DS counterpart:

1) The characters are now outlined 3D figures on the screen. They are now moving! It can be a bit awkward though. Their outlines are jagged and wholly incomplete. But the background is superbly done. Even without using the 3D function, you can still gain an illusion of distance and movement. I still kind of preferred the 2D graphics but these new graphics have their charm.

2) It was easier to find things on screen. Remember tapping the screen all over the place to find 3-4 hidden hint coins? Now, that pain is over. There is a magnifying glass function that you use on the screen to search for clues. When it turned orange, there were either hint coins, comments, character interactions or puzzles. So there is less chance of missing anything.

3) There are a couple of parts of the games that are not exactly puzzles per se. At the beginning, you are chasing down the Masked Gentleman on horseback. You have to dodge barrels by moving side to side. The other will occur in chapter 6. Similar to Dr. Lautrec, Layton navigated an underground labyrinth, while avoiding ancient mummies and solving puzzles, to find the final goal. The creators were definitely trying to add an element of role-play.

4) And a slight difference is the navigation screen. This time around, you will have a map on the bottom screen that have location points. Instead of using arrows on the side of the screen, you hit the locations points. Instead of just hitting characters on screen right away to talk to them, you will have to use the magnifying glass to do so. If you want to move again, you have to exit back onto the map. Even after finishing the game, I still haven't gotten use to this new feature.

5) In the Layton games, there are always different mini games located in the briefcase:

a) Robot - There will be obstacle courses and with a maximum of 30 steps, you have to navigate a way for your robot to reach the designated red square.
b) Store - You will be given a 6-10 items to place on shelf. You have the place these items in a certain order so that a customer will impulsively buy it all.
c) Rabbit - Luke rescued an adorable rabbit from the circus. It wants to go back but the ringmaster will only take it back when it works really hard and learn new tricks. Luke will teach the rabbit some new moves and used these skills in a play.

Hooray for the long awaited return of our beloved Professor Layton. The plot and puzzles still maintained the utmost quality to tease your brain. For the returning fans of Layton, you will not be disappointed with the mystery and the difficulty and variety of the puzzles. And I noticed that the puzzles appeared to be more interactive than just calculating and writing down an answer this time around. You will be using your stylus a bit more. The only learning curve is getting use to the new controls. It can get annoying when you forget you're still in magnifying mode and vice versa.

The plot was decent. It lacked the mysteriousness of the previous games. I'm usually slow on the uptake and I pretty much figured out the tricks and 'miracles' right from the start. So, there wasn't that elusive twist that I usual expect from a Layton game. I even figured out the villain with apparent ease. However, the ending was great. It brought a tear to my eye. What an amazing ending that shows the power of love, friendship and loyalty. Also, there will be a FMV that will reveal a new villain that may put Layton to the test in future games.

For first timers, you are Professor Layton. Your help is needed in solving a strange mystery that revolves around a town. You will talk to people scatter throughout the town for clues but you won't get these easily. You will have to solve a puzzle to earn them. You earn picarats for each puzzle depending on the difficulty. Picarats are mostly used for the bonus section. If you are having problems, there are 3 hints and 1 super hint. I suggest using them sparingly since you have a limited amount of hint coins (I accrued 245). However, a few of the puzzles can be still be difficult and an online guide is pretty helpful. As you gather clues and solve puzzles, you get closer to solving the mystery. Should you play the other games before? You should, but not necessary. You still will enjoy the plot without knowing the other games. But it does help with the history of guest characters and inside jokes.

The voice actors were the same and perfect in their roles as usual. There was a nice amount of dubbed scenes. The music is nostalgic but not memorable. I managed to finish the main game within 18 hours. And there is an additional 10-20 hours of extra puzzles to solve and bonuses to see. Layton and puzzle fans will find another winner in "Miracle Mask." If you are not into puzzles, then I don't think you should start here. If you are currently a fan of Layton's or just into mindbending games, pick this up. You won't be disappointed. I really got into this game and definitely couldn't put it down. The only reason I gave this game a 4 star was that the plot was predictable, navigation was an issue and maybe the puzzles were a tad easier. However, the game offered me hours of entertainment. Another win from Level-5. Can't wait for the next one.