Sipex
2011-10-19, 08:04 AM
So the fourth installment of the translated Professor Layton games was released yesterday for DS: Professor Layton and the Last Spectre. I picked it up, did anyone else?
Don't know the Professor Layton games? No problem! Here's a brief synopsis
Professor Layton games follow the adventures of an English university Professor named Hershal Layton and his assistant Luke. Each game follows them as they attempt to unwravel a new mystery which tends to grow only more complex as the game runs on.
Basic gameplay has you playing the duo (plus anyone who joins them) as they wander the area speaking to locals and investigating. Fairly often you'll be given puzzles to solve by the locals to help advance the story or just earn you Picarats (sort of a score measurement to see how well you're doing). The types of puzzles you solve tend to be fairly difficult logic puzzles or brain teasers and are absolutely engaging. Most games have 150+ of these puzzles.
Each game is usually supplemented with no less than three minigames which you can unlock as you play the base game and expand. These games can all be accessed at any time an are actually worked right into the base game itself (so it's not like a jarring change of pace or anything).
Currently there are four games which were released in the following order:
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Professor Layton and the Last Spectre
The Last Spectre is identified as the first chapter in the Layton saga and the opening cinematic is a lot deeper (and longer) than any of the previous layton games. I'm looking forward to digging into it but unfortunately I've been hooked on the sub-game which is included with it. London Life
London Life (spoilered because there's a lot to it).
London Life (included on the Prof Layton cart) is a sort of animal crossing-esque game. You make a character who arrives (by train) in London where your goal is to help people with their requests (in exchange for a stat called Happiness and sometimes a reward) and generally improve your life by buying new furniture/clothing and getting a bigger place to live.
There are jobs you can work which are all their own little mini games which take place in town (no puzzle screen or anything), so far I've been a trash collector (collect trash while you run about the town), a taxi driver (pick up a person, go where they ask you to go. You need to know the city for this one) and a bus driver (drive around the city picking up passengers and dropping them off at designated bus stops).
What makes the game different is you have a variety of stats which are all affected in different ways and all do different things for you.
Base Stats:
Happiness - Your main stat. Sort of like the cross between a health bar and a high score. You do requests for people to increase your Max Happiness (which doesn't go down) and doing work or running into negative situations (bats, people who yell at you, etc) reduces your total happiness. Happiness is used as a requirement for most new apartments (ie: You must have X happiness to apply), acts as a pay multiplier (get paid more the happier you are) and opens up new requests from the townsfolk.
Wealth - This is money. It's used to buy furniture, items, clothing, food and apartments. While this section is short I assure you, there is A LOT to buy.
Clothing Stats: In addition to allowing you to further customise your character each piece of clothing has three stats which affect you in game. You have several clothing slots for different things so you can customise your little 16-bit avatar however you want. Typically there doesn't seem to be any penultimate clothing, you're always trading off one thing for another.
Cool: The cooler you are the less happiness you lose when something bad happens to you.
Image: The higher image you have the more likely people will come to you with requests.
Formality: The higher formality you have the more places you can have access to. Little London has a lot of places with strict dress codes :/
Furniture Stats: In addition to customising your avatar, you also have access to furniture to customise your apartment. Furniture also has stats which will affect you in game.
Decor: The better Decor you have the better chance you'll have of your roommates being happy with you. Not sure what good a happy roommate is yet but I'm sure I'll find out soon.
Atmosphere: The better Atmosphere your room has the faster you recover Happiness while in your room.
Anyone else got/getting this? I'm completely addicted already but I have a hard time choosing which game to play.
Don't know the Professor Layton games? No problem! Here's a brief synopsis
Professor Layton games follow the adventures of an English university Professor named Hershal Layton and his assistant Luke. Each game follows them as they attempt to unwravel a new mystery which tends to grow only more complex as the game runs on.
Basic gameplay has you playing the duo (plus anyone who joins them) as they wander the area speaking to locals and investigating. Fairly often you'll be given puzzles to solve by the locals to help advance the story or just earn you Picarats (sort of a score measurement to see how well you're doing). The types of puzzles you solve tend to be fairly difficult logic puzzles or brain teasers and are absolutely engaging. Most games have 150+ of these puzzles.
Each game is usually supplemented with no less than three minigames which you can unlock as you play the base game and expand. These games can all be accessed at any time an are actually worked right into the base game itself (so it's not like a jarring change of pace or anything).
Currently there are four games which were released in the following order:
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Professor Layton and the Last Spectre
The Last Spectre is identified as the first chapter in the Layton saga and the opening cinematic is a lot deeper (and longer) than any of the previous layton games. I'm looking forward to digging into it but unfortunately I've been hooked on the sub-game which is included with it. London Life
London Life (spoilered because there's a lot to it).
London Life (included on the Prof Layton cart) is a sort of animal crossing-esque game. You make a character who arrives (by train) in London where your goal is to help people with their requests (in exchange for a stat called Happiness and sometimes a reward) and generally improve your life by buying new furniture/clothing and getting a bigger place to live.
There are jobs you can work which are all their own little mini games which take place in town (no puzzle screen or anything), so far I've been a trash collector (collect trash while you run about the town), a taxi driver (pick up a person, go where they ask you to go. You need to know the city for this one) and a bus driver (drive around the city picking up passengers and dropping them off at designated bus stops).
What makes the game different is you have a variety of stats which are all affected in different ways and all do different things for you.
Base Stats:
Happiness - Your main stat. Sort of like the cross between a health bar and a high score. You do requests for people to increase your Max Happiness (which doesn't go down) and doing work or running into negative situations (bats, people who yell at you, etc) reduces your total happiness. Happiness is used as a requirement for most new apartments (ie: You must have X happiness to apply), acts as a pay multiplier (get paid more the happier you are) and opens up new requests from the townsfolk.
Wealth - This is money. It's used to buy furniture, items, clothing, food and apartments. While this section is short I assure you, there is A LOT to buy.
Clothing Stats: In addition to allowing you to further customise your character each piece of clothing has three stats which affect you in game. You have several clothing slots for different things so you can customise your little 16-bit avatar however you want. Typically there doesn't seem to be any penultimate clothing, you're always trading off one thing for another.
Cool: The cooler you are the less happiness you lose when something bad happens to you.
Image: The higher image you have the more likely people will come to you with requests.
Formality: The higher formality you have the more places you can have access to. Little London has a lot of places with strict dress codes :/
Furniture Stats: In addition to customising your avatar, you also have access to furniture to customise your apartment. Furniture also has stats which will affect you in game.
Decor: The better Decor you have the better chance you'll have of your roommates being happy with you. Not sure what good a happy roommate is yet but I'm sure I'll find out soon.
Atmosphere: The better Atmosphere your room has the faster you recover Happiness while in your room.
Anyone else got/getting this? I'm completely addicted already but I have a hard time choosing which game to play.