A True Gentleman
Professor Layton is the very rare breed of game that, along with the types of Boom Blox on the Wii (reportedly... I've not played it!), could only exist on the console it was released for. Expertly mimicing a newspaper logic puzzles, complete with space for your bizarre doodles and workings-out, it's hard to imagine a game more suited to the DS.
Cut down into 135 different 1-5 minute puzzles, the game is playable for any length of time, drawing the player in for a single puzzle, or keeping them there for an hour with a compelling mystery that eventually unravels to a touching, innocent story. The innocence is a stark reminder of how few narratives of quality, be they video games or other mediums, actually focus on sweet, family-friendly tales.
The game could definitely benefit from an easy setting, so that children could play with their parents through the majority of the game, perhaps by stripping out many of the harder puzzles). It could well be edutainment at its finest, logical, mathematical and, above all, enjoyable, puzzles dressed in a toy's clothing.
Professor Layton: educator, mentor, and a True Gentleman.
Cut down into 135 different 1-5 minute puzzles, the game is playable for any length of time, drawing the player in for a single puzzle, or keeping them there for an hour with a compelling mystery that eventually unravels to a touching, innocent story. The innocence is a stark reminder of how few narratives of quality, be they video games or other mediums, actually focus on sweet, family-friendly tales.
The game could definitely benefit from an easy setting, so that children could play with their parents through the majority of the game, perhaps by stripping out many of the harder puzzles). It could well be edutainment at its finest, logical, mathematical and, above all, enjoyable, puzzles dressed in a toy's clothing.
Professor Layton: educator, mentor, and a True Gentleman.
