So, I'm going to attempt to review all of the 3DS games I own at some point, and as I just finished playing this game (as well as it being my favorite 3DS game along with Virtue's Last Reward), I think it's a good time to revive this thread.
Game Review:
Professor Layton and the Miracle MaskSystem: Nintendo 3DS
ESRB: E 10+ (Mild Violence)
It’s no secret that Professor Layton is my favorite video game series. The first time I played
Professor Layton and the Curious Village, I knew I had found something special, and as the series continued to evolve with increasingly polished installments, it became apparent that the puzzle genre had a new leading contender. Today I’m taking a look at the fifth entry in the series,
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, and evaluating it not only as a standalone experience, but as the 2D Professor’s first step into a 3D world.
The gameplay has been slightly altered from the DS entries, the main change being that the focus has moved from the lower screen to the upper screen to utilize both the bigger screen and the 3D effect. Finding hint coins, collection items, and puzzles is accomplished in a different manner as well--rather than tapping around the bottom screen aimlessly, you can instead enter Investigation Mode. While in Investigation Mode, you can slide a magnifying glass around on the top screen using the bottom screen. When the magnifying glass lights up, you can tap the bottom screen to get a hint coin, collection item, puzzle, or just hear the party’s thoughts on the object you’re tapping. It may sound complicated, but the system is very fluid. It also allows for bigger backgrounds, as you can sometimes zoom into the background to discover other areas.
Moving around is also slightly easier, as the map is always displayed on the bottom screen. The player simply has to tap the next area to walk there. And it might seem like a small thing to be impressed by, but in
Miracle Mask, the screen doesn’t fade to black when you move to a new area. The camera simply zooms to the next area, making it feel as if you are indeed walking around in one big town, rather than moving to and from separate areas.
The puzzles themselves remain as addictive as ever, while being fresh and new. The 3D effect isn’t necessary to solve any puzzles, but it does make some of them easier. For example, there’s a puzzle which requires the player to look through a shop window and deduce how many people are in line; however, there is a large poster on the window, obscuring the view. Turning the 3D effect up brings the poster to the forefront, allowing the player to better distinguish the people behind it. And yes, Layton still triumphantly points his pointer finger at the screen, though in this case he’s literally pointing through the screen.
The minigames are easily the best of the series. As usual, Layton receives three minigames to tinker with during his adventure. The first is a toy robot that, much like the toy car in
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, must reach a goal while avoiding enemies. The catch is that the robot can only walk in sets of three steps, meaning that you might start out right next to the goal but be unable to reach it. The next is a shopping game in which the player needs to stock shelves in such a way that customers will want to buy everything for sale--a great example of taking something that sounds boring and making it addictive and fun. The final one is of course a pet, in this case a rabbit. Luke must train the rabbit in a format not unlike the
Nintendogs series, and then have it act in a series of plays in an attempt to convince a tough ringmaster to allow it back into the circus. All three of these minigames are endlessly charming, and they’re all a lot more fun than they should be, considering they’re meant to be a bonus game, a distraction from Professor Layton’s adventure.
And while we’re on the subject of Layton, you may notice he looks a bit different in this adventure. That’s not your imagination; all characters in this game are represented by moving 3D models, rather than hand-drawn two-dimensional models. Don’t bother worrying about whether any of the game’s traditional atmosphere has been sacrificed--if anything, the wildly gesturing 3D models only serve to bring more charm to Layton’s world. Whether you’re watching Layton stroke his chin as he proposes a theory, a circus clown juggling as he bestows a puzzle on you, or even our old friend Inspector Grosky literally hurling himself off the screen to fight crime, the 3D models are a pure delight. 2D animation enthusiasts, fear not; not only do the backgrounds remain traditional Layton art, the animated cutscenes that so frequently crop up in the story are still in 2D. The cutscenes are also viewable in 3D, with two basic layers, and this use of the 3D effect is the most clever I’ve seen on the system thus far.
As a side note about the 3D models, they’re not entirely good. While they add a lot to the text-based parts of the game, there are at a few points in the story where they use the 3D models for cutscenes, which just does not work very well. The models add a lot of expression to the previously-inanimate 2D characters, but they don’t have nearly enough expression to act out these pivotal moments, and Level-5 would have been better off either sticking to text or going ahead with a 2D cutscene. Thankfully, these moments are mercifully few in number.
The story, which takes place after the events of
Professor Layton and the Last Specter and the subsequent movie
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (which I only mention due to it being referenced within the game), is the classic formula: Layton receives a letter, requesting that he go investigate a series of mysterious events in a town. This time, he’s visiting Monte d’Or, which is pretty much the equivalent of Las Vegas, if Las Vegas were in the middle of the desert in Britain (just go with it, okay?). The one writing is Angela Ledore, a woman with whom the professor had been friends as a teenager. She’s concerned about one Masked Gentleman, who has been appearing in town and wreaking havoc with so-called “dark miracles.” As is usually the case with this series, nothing is what it appears to be and you’ll have a wonderful time strolling through the streets of Monte d’Or and talking to the eccentric townsfolk, solving their puzzles in exchange for clues and information. In addition, there are several chapters in which you play as a teenage Layton, reliving through flashbacks a terrible event involving his best friend, Randall, who was dating Angela at the time.
All of this is backed by a European, accordion-laden soundtrack, which benefits from the enriching soundfont of the Nintendo 3DS--the strings, in particular, have an absolutely lovely sound that the Nintendo DS simply could not produce. A few favorite pieces from earlier games also get a soundfont upgrade, and the main theme of the game (heard over the title screen) is a live orchestra performance! Given all of that information, it seems odd that this is the only entry in the series without an official album release.
"Monte d'Or: City of Miracles"
"Stansbury: Halcyon Days"
Also in the sound department, voice acting is as high quality as ever. Christopher Robin Miller continues to be the perfect voice of reason for the professor. Lani Manella is on triple duty this time voicing three major characters (Luke, Emmy, and Angela Ledore). Liam O’Brien, in his third major supporting role for the series as Henry Ledore, is as great as ever and offers a stark contrast to his role as Dio in
Virtue’s Last Reward. Rounding out the cast is Yuri Lowenthal, most famous perhaps for his role as Sasuke in the
Naruto series, as Randall Ascot. All of these actors do such a phenomenal job.
Finally, the game’s post-credits sequence is shockingly dark, and sets up very intriguing plot points to be resolved in the professor’s final adventure, which promises to be excellent.
As if the game’s content weren’t enough, Nintendo is offering free DLC for the game--one downloadable puzzle per day for a full year after the game’s release. That’s 365 puzzles! They’re all just as fun as the main story ones, with a little bit of extra challenge due to there being no hint coin option.
Everything comes together to make one charming little package and a game that is undoubtedly one of the most polished and fulfilling on the Nintendo 3DS system. Everything has been tweaked to perfection, be it the interface or even the in-game font! It seems petty to focus on the text font of a game, but it legitimately makes the game look more professional. You’ll see what I mean. You’ll spend hours and hours with the various minigames and puzzles, and you’ll definitely want to go for a second helping of the story.
Graphics: 9/10
Lovely blend of 2D animation and backgrounds with 3D models that add lots of character and charm. I’m taking away a point for those rare-but-there “cutscenes” featuring the 3D models, which do not achieve a very good effect.
Sound: 10/10
A typically Laytonesque soundtrack heavily using the accordion and violin suits the game marvelously. You’ll be waltzing right out the door upon hearing this lavishly orchestrated music. Voice acting is very high quality, as usual.
Gameplay: 10/10
Find hint coins, gather clues, solve puzzles, rinse, repeat. What’s not to love?
Plot: 8/10
Watching Layton solve the mystery is a blast, and the story surely trumps that of
Last Specter, but one can’t help feeling that some plot twists are too predictable, and the conclusion feels less grand in scope than the professor’s earlier adventures. Points for that post-credits scene, though.
Overall: 9/10
You’ll like:
The fontSolving puzzles, meeting the highly entertaining cast of characters, and viewing those lovely animated cutscenes.
You’ll dislike: The occasional predictability of the plot, the occasionally slow pace, and the infrequent but off-putting cutscenes featuring the 3D models.
You’ll love: Teenage Layton’s hairstyle. Looks like that terrible event isn’t the only thing the professor would rather forget.
