Professor Layton and the Curious Village
- January 29, 2008 14:42 PM PST
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Everyone loves a good puzzle, and Professor Layton will have players scratching their heads and laughing as they work to find the hidden treasure in the village of St. Mystere.
How do you get three chickens and three wolves across a river? Can you keep 7 pigs from fighting with only three ropes? Is it really possible to save a sinking ship with one row boat? All these questions are answered and more in Professor Layton and the Curious Village.
Riddle me this...
Professor Layton is a puzzle game. But what sets it apart from other puzzle games? Just as much as it is about solving puzzles, it's about telling a story. As players work their way through the game they will be part of an amazing story that's told in rich detail, with fully-voiced animations that are very much in the style of acclaimed film, The Triplets of Belleville.
The original story line will have gamers captivated from the beginning. Players are on a mission to help solve the mystery: find the location of a hidden golden apple treasure. The Baron Augustus Reinhold has passed away, leaving a mysterious message behind with his will: find the apple and inherit my fortune. Professor Layton and his young apprentice Luke are asked by the late Baron's widow to help solve the case. Unfortunately, this won't be that easy because the entire town of St. Mystere speaks in riddles and lives in puzzles.
The puzzles in Professor Layton are not your typical puzzles. The eccentric villagers are seemingly addicted to riddles. Just to gain entrance to the town you must help a man figure out which cog must be used to lower the draw bridge. At just about every turn in the game there's a new riddle to solve.
The puzzles are based on a point system called Picarats. When you are offered a puzzle it's worth a certain amount. The more Picarats it's worth the harder the puzzle is. In most cases you can choose to pass up a puzzle so you never get stuck. There are also hint coins scattered around the town that can be used to unlock clues when you're trying to solve a puzzle. With all the additional side quests and items to collect players will be occupied for a very long time.
The cast of characters is unique and will have gamers wanting more. Thankfully this is the first in a trilogy from the acclaimed development team at Level 5, so the chances of a sequel being released in the US are pretty high. On February 10th Professor Layton and the Curious Village hits store shelves, and from the looks of things it's one not to be missed. With over 130 puzzles, and new ones offered each month for download via Nintendo WiFi, Professor Layton is sure to satisfy any puzzle lover.
