Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Review
Riddle me this
by Chris Capel
reviewed on NDS
Parrots, Picture Books and Toy Cars
Finally there is the Toy Car minigame. You have to set a course for a car that will allow it to run over all the special items and then reach the exit, just with a limited amount of moves. It is a lot of fun and certainly the best game, especially when you start the car and a cute animation illustrates your chosen route.
The Art of Simplicity is a Puzzle of Complexity
Getting on to the meat of the game, the puzzles, I’m pleased to report that they are probably the strongest selection yet in a Layton game. And I only counted one goddamned matchstick-moving trick.
I was taxed plenty of times but never defeated enough to go scrabbling to the internet, as had to in the last two games. Even more astonishingly, there were just two out of the entire 150-odd here that made no sense.
There was an early “carrying boxes of glasses, which type of glass can you carry the most of” puzzle that was just frankly stupid, but it was the later “A heartfelt heart” that got me really annoyed just because it was utterly impossible to get. It was really easy thankfully, a one in three chance of getting it right, but I picked both of the other two first and still had no clue as to why the answer was correct until I chose it. The answer involved basically just making something appear that any of them could have had. Fortunately the rest are an absolute joy to solve.
Your Answer Must Be In the Form of a Question
Perhaps the most surprisingly thing about PLUF is how funny it is. I mean genuinely laugh-out-loud funny in places, and considering the traditional voiceovers and stilted dialogue that’s quite a feat. The last two games were enjoyable, but never hilarious.
The voiceovers are pretty good this time, especially once you get used to them. The only thing about the sound, and my biggest criticism of the whole game, is the music. Seriously, there must be like four continuously repeating tracks in the whole game. It’s not too bad for the most part, but during the cutscenes the constant looping of the same four seconds of music really stands out.
Graphically the game is still just as lovely (and simple) as ever, with the wonderful unique anime art style that gives the Layton games their distinct personality. The animated cutscenes are also still superb, and are really professional quality anime. Amazing for the underpowered DS.
For Everyone With a Strong Brain
Really, barring the music and literally two puzzles, I don’t have a single bad word to say about Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. Granted it is still pretty much the exact same game as before and I very much doubt you will play it again once you know all the answers. But it has got an extra layer of polish that simply makes it better than its predecessors. The best in the Professor Layton series, and a worthy purchase for anyone with a Nintendo DS and a strong brain.
8.9
fun score
Pros
Excellently designed puzzles, entertaining story, distinct anime style.
Cons
Repetitive music, really boils down to more of the same, my brain hurts.
