Level-5 & Nintendo paired up again to bring us a new mysterious journey that will bring you across London. In this preview, I’ll briefly describe what the game is about. Keep an eye out for the review!
What is it?
A puzzle adventure game where you step into the shoes of Katrielle Layton. You go about London investigating mysteries by solving puzzles using the touchscreen.
First impressions
Charming, witty and clever are a few adjectives you can use to describe Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy. You play as Katrielle, Layton’s daughter, on a quest to find her dad. Her journey begins in London, where she opens her detective agency. Her first customer is a talking dog. Yep, you read it right, a talking dog. This one throws you the very first puzzle of the game; make a K out of 3 triangles. From then on, your progress further into the story, cracking your first case; the missing hand of the Big Ben. The game mechanics are all explained in the first case, effectively teaching you how to play along the way. The further you advance, the more complex puzzles you’ll stumble upon.
Detective work
I’m not really a brain puzzle person, but man this game is pure cocaine. The puzzles are sometimes punishingly difficult, but when you jot down the explanation and solve it, you get a rush of adrenaline. It’s not always logic that you’re gonna have to use, but also thinking outside of the box. It’s this combination of mathematical logic, intuition and creative thinking that makes this game so addicting. It’s well balanced and you want to continue the story, exploring every nook and cranny for hint coins hidden away in the environment. I haven’t used them yet, as the puzzles are easy to solve, using some logic and thought. You can scribble down your findings on the memo page in the game, but I suggest using a sheet of paper, as the screen simply isn’t big enough. It’s a handy feature for small puzzles, like the pipe puzzle, but for math, it isn’t.
Visual Novel
Visually, the game is gorgeous; the art style is a beautiful mix of matte-like backgrounds and hard cartoon lines. It really has that vital novel feel to it. The sound design is also on point, with its cutesy undertone and light-hearted music. It’s best experienced with headphones, as the 3DS’ speakers aren’t up to standard. The game itself doesn’t play in 3D, and that’s perfectly understandable. There’s no need for it to be.
From what I could gather, there’s not much difference from previous Layton titles, but there’s one distinct change; the game is split up in 12 cases following one theme, unlike the 1-continuous-story formula.
PREVIEW CONCLUSION
“LAYTON’S MYSTERY JOURNEY IS A GAME WORTH INVESTIGATING”
I’ve heard of the game before and we all know that they are good. “It would honestly surprise me if a Layton game would suddenly be crap” Lander said. And he’s right. The Professor Layton series have a well-respected reputation in the gaming community, and the seventh game builds upon that same premise, adding a little bit of something new.
Now, let’s have a crack at this case in the review!
