Professor Layton and the Curious Village

I picked up this game a while back, and I think I even mentioned it in a blog but I felt that it deserved a better review than just a passing thought. This game is for the Nintendo DS, and if I had to put it in a category I'd say its a puzzle mystery.

You play as Professor Layton, or his boy genius assistant Luke, depending on the puzzle. You have been sent to a village to solve the mystery of the golden apple, but as soon as you show up all hell breaks loose and you find that there is more going on in the village than first meets the eye.

It soon becomes apparent that it is no longer just your task to solve the mystery of the golden apple, but also those of a couple other mysteries.

It is really hard to talk about this game without giving away much of the game. The basic controls of the game are simple arrows at the sides of the screen that will navigate you from one section of the city to another. You'll meet several people who all seem to have a riddle, or a puzzle that is stumping them, and if you can solve it they will give you information to help you solve the mysteries.

There are three side quests in the game you'll also be trying to complete. They are a painting, a mechanical machine, and room setups. Throughout the game while your adventuring there will be times when you successfully solve a puzzle that you'll be given an item, those items will be used in one of the three side quests.

I've played the entire game, I didn't get a 100% completion, but I have to say that this game hooked me and I couldn't put it down until I beat it. I would constantly find myself sneaking away to get in a couple more puzzles.

The graphics were pretty standard for a DS game, most of the game was either a flat background drawn in 3D, or 2D characters shifting back and forth in one spot. From a programmer's prospective that means that there is the possibility of more game because the memory really isn't being all that used by graphics. So as a gamer that makes me a happy camper because that means more game for me, and its the kind of game that I'd like to have more of.

There is also the option of downloading new puzzles, but I really haven't looked into that sadly.

If I had to give this game a score I'd give it a 9.4.