The Backlog: Professor Layton and the Curious Village HD

I chose to play Professor Layton: and the Curious Village HD this time around because I had a handful of games I bought on my phone that I haven't gotten around too. That, and I was interested in finally playing a Professor Layton game.

Professor Layton: and the Curious Village HD is an adventure puzzle game. In it you play as the titular Professor Layton, and sometimes as his assistant Luke. The game plays like an old point and click adventure, with a world laden with puzzles that you can explore. Almost every NPC has a puzzle they have kept in their cupboard until the very moment they meet you. This very aspect shows both the quirky humor and how the game pushed you from puzzle to puzzle. Not every puzzle is needed to continue the story, and all are kept for you if you want to do them later.

A story of mystery and murder propel you forward, meeting NPC, after NPC, exploring and clicking on the screen, going from inside buildings, to out in streets. Sometimes you are literally tasked with fetch quests, for example, looking for a missing cat.

The character designs are simple but beautiful to look at. Everyone has a caricature quality to them, making each feel unique. The backgrounds also feel very painterly.

Something I wanted to mention was how I noticed the Nintendo DS origins of the way the game is displayed. The top and bottom screen are obviously represented like the ds would be. The touch controls are also all there, but I did notice how much more precision they require. Using a stylus is much better than my Vienna sausage sized fingers. The touch screen puzzles are super different and enjoyable.

I haven't played any Professor Layton games before. But I have played a Phoenix Wright game on the Nintendo DS. The Professor Layton game series  began on the DS. And although I heard it was good, I had never approached it. Both series have a point and click adventure control scheme to them. And looking where I'm at in the Layton game, both have mystery type events to solve, though the Phoenix Wright games focus more on legal cases than this series. Different flavors, kind of same games.

While playing, I focused on how Professor Layton made me feel. That may sound vague, but just like how a food recipe's ingredients combine to make something unique, games also follow the same idea. Except, one you can eat, and the other you experience as a videogame. When every aspect of the game, music, gameplay, art style, come together, I know if I'll like it or not. And I do indeed like this Professor Layton game.