Reviews// Professor Layton and the Lost Future

Judicious use of the hint system helps out, but it can be a bit annoying having to spend hint coins just to get a grasp on what you’re being asked to do. Mercifully this doesn’t happen too often, but it’s certainly noticeable.

Most of the puzzles in the game are new, only a few that I encountered were obviously based on ones that I’d come across previously, so it’s good to see that Level-5 isn’t just going back to the classics. If anything, I’d like to see them push the games a little further in future. With luck, the forthcoming games (on DS and 3DS) will see some new ideas.

For now though, Level 5 has done well – much of what you’re asked to do is quite challenging, so much so that there’s a new Super Hint option for each puzzle. After working your way through the first three hints, you’re given the opportunity to spend a further two coins (found by tapping on interesting looking bits of your environment) to basically be given a full solution. It’s a good idea; the frustration of being stuck on something is now removed… as long as you’ve got the coins.

Future London
Presentation-wise, Lost Future is beautiful. The distinctive Layton art style is still there, with a lot more animated cutscenes than the previous games. They’ve been well voiced, and the script isn’t even that annoying - that first game made me want to kill, but this is very well done.

Static scenes look great and each character you come across has their own distinct style – you even end up meeting a few old faces. The future London is particularly striking; it’s got a real steampunk feel that you can tell the artists loved creating. Things may look simple, but the scenes they’ve made really stand out.

So, it looks good, plays well… what about the downsides? Well, it still shoehorns those puzzles in (“You want to go into the restaurant? That reminds me of this puzzle… solve it and you can go in!”) which is often followed by your head hitting your desk. As mentioned earlier, some of the puzzles are also a bit poorly translated, leading to wasted hints.

Luke can still be annoying, but he’s not as brain-drillingly awful as in The Curious Village. All in all, Professor Layton and the Lost Future is pretty damn good. It's challenging enough despite some little bumps, and well worth getting if you’re looking for something that’ll exercise more than your trigger finger.

Conclusion
Despite initial worries, I found that I really enjoyed Professor Layton and the Lost Future. The range of puzzles is well created, even if they’re not always introduced in the best manner. A more mature attitude is prevalent throughout the game, showing that the developers have considered who this game is really for. Care and attention has been paid to the story, script and general look of the game – it’s certainly moved on from the earlier releases and I look forward to seeing what kind of things Level-5 get up to with the new 3DS. For now though, Layton is in good hands.

SPOnG score: 82%