POSTED 28/12/11


PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE LAST SPECTER

Nintendo
DS

Professor Hershel Layton. He’s kinda the Batman of videogaming. Well, except that Batman’s kinda the Batman of videogaming. Bat – uh, but - they do have stuff in common.

Alright, we’re just basing that on their propensity for puzzle solving, and because they each have junior hangers-on. Hey, you try coming up with engaging opening paras all the time!

Anyway, this here adventure does the de rigueur prequel thang, giving us not only the story of how young Luke came to hang out with the Prof, but also a glimpse into the world of a younger hat-worshipping Layton, who didn’t quite have that smooth gentlemanly swagger down as yet. It also introduces Emmy, a girl rather than an award, who’s his former assistant if you look at the world through a previously-released-but-future-set Layton adventure bubble.

The setting may be earlier, but the name of the game’s the same – puzzles, and plenty of them. As those already acquainted would expect, they’re interspersed within an overarching story possessing a bit of hokey and a whole lotta exploration, and they veer from the mind-numbingly obvious to the mind-numbingly mind-numbing. This one involves a big black blotty thing with e-vil red peepers. Eep!

With some 170-plus puzzles you’re assured head-scratching value, and assorted minigames such as toy trains add to that. Insert bonus RPG London Life, however, which is basically Animal Crossing with some Sims and lotsa Layton lore splodged in and you’ve oodles of engrossingmentasticness. For some this’ll be worth the admission price alone.

The Yank spelling from the title downwards gives us the shits – especially for something revelling in more blatant tweegasmic Englishness than the queen pogoing - but then the Euro release doesn’t include London Life. Irony noted.

If you loved the other three then you’d be batty to miss this. Top (t)hat!

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