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'Professor Layton and the Unwound Future' is all about the puzzles. (Nintendo)
Professor Layton and his young friend Luke roam the streets of London solving the puzzles and mysteries. (Nintendo)
Time gets a bit twisted in Professor Layton’s latest adventure.
London’s great puzzle-solver returns in “Professor Layton and the Unwound Future,” a T-rated game developed by Level 5 for the Nintendo DS handheld game system.
If you’ve already helped Layton solve the mysteries of the Curious Village and the Diabolical Box, you know what to expect. The professor and his sidekick, Luke, get involved in a mystery that requires completing scores of puzzles before it’s solved.
This time, Layton and Luke appear to be propelled a decade into the future and it’s your job to figure out what’s going on. The storyline is very interesting, but this game is really about the puzzles.
The puzzles — more than 165 in this edition — will strenuously test your skills in math, logic, observation and deduction. You’ll need to arrange items in a specific order, figure out numerical sequences, twist and turn objects to reveal clues and much more. Some of the puzzles can be quite difficult — even when you check out the hints. However, they can be very addictive.
The game play and control system are very smooth and intuitive — nothing gimmicky at all.
The graphics are pleasantly cartoony — but don’t let them fool you because this isn’t an easy kids’ game.
Overall, the game doesn’t really bring anything new to the franchise, but it didn’t need to. Just like its predecessors, it delivers a good story, interesting puzzles and plenty of fun.
Platform: Nintendo DS
Online: www.professorlaytonds.com
