Professor Layton and the Curious Village is one of those gems that seems to surface only on the DS--a unique breed of adventure game and brainteasing puzzler. You guide the titular character and his sidekick Luke as they enter the town of St. Mystere in search of the Golden Apple. What unfolds then is a unique mini-mystery tied together by a train of logic, math and perception puzzles, all manipulated by the stylus.
The art style is clean and endearing, with excellently animated FMV cutscenes propelling things along and crisp writing keeping you interested and upbeat. The music is slightly repetitive, but suitable, as it combines an overall unique French-style ambience while you futz over the latest puzzle.
The meat of the gamplay--the puzzles--is where things truly shine. Never really entering the realm of impossible, these are some of the most unique and clever challenges I've come across in a long while. You'll furrow your brow, working your mind like a Sherlock of sorts, and feel the delightful "Ah HAH!" moment when the answer suddenly strikes--and considering the depth, variety, challenge and multitude of these puzzles, you'll have that moment quite often. Plus, with weekly downloadable puzzles, it'll keep you thinking long after the main story is over.
Overall, any puzzle-loving gamer with a DS owes it to themselves to pick up this marvel of a title. It's money well spent, and a cart that I'm finding a hard time removing from my system.
Well worth your time. Puzzles vary from easy to challenging. Story is interesting and graphics are good. Looking forward to their next Professor Layton game.
This is a great game. I bought it for my wife. She has had many hours of enjoyment. She is sometimes frustrated trying to solve the puzles and problems but she is never bored.
"Since i enjoy puzzle games, i really enjoyed this one and finished it in a couple of days."
"Puzzles are extremely challenging. Great game and i'm looking forwarad to purchasing the diabolical box."
