In this iteration of the Layton games, instead of an overarching story broken up by chapters, there are various cases. The game features twelve distinct cases in all, each with its own unique mystery to solve.  After solving a case, you then move on to the next case and so on. This isn’t a terrible change, but I did feel like the quality of each story was less than having one complete storyline, which has more time to be developed. On that note, the cases themselves seemed to be very simple and quickly solved. I am not sure if it was the game developers were trying to be more accessible to younger audiences, but I found myself solving the case long before the reveal. This made going through all the dialogue and finding all the clues much more tedious as I waited for the characters to catch up with me.

In each case you must find six clues, which helps unravel the mystery, and ultimately solve the case. You find clues by talking to people along your way. Some people give you clues, some direct you to the next location, some give you a puzzle to solve, and some just comment on their surroundings. After finding the sixth clue, you have the option to go ahead and solve the case or continue searching your surroundings. This is nice as you may tap the person with the clue first before searching around for puzzles. If you tap ‘solve’, you start into some more dialogue as Katrielle begins her big reveal. There is a short cutscene, and then the reveal and a short epilogue.  After you finish a case you return to Katrielle’s office and can then start a new case. I would like to note that in this game there are very few, short cutscenes and way too much dialogue. The dialogue does set up each case and progresses the story, but I felt like I was in constant dialogue more than needed. Some of which was just small talk between characters. Ultimately, I wish there was more puzzle-solving over dialogue.

Puzzles are the bread and butter of Layton games. Sure, there is a mystery to unravel, but puzzles are at the core of the gameplay. Unfortunately, in this Layton game, they are few and far between. The most I found in one area was two, but this is not the average, as some places didn’t even have one. This may be because in a case you explore a small area of the city, to which you will revisit multiple times. This makes the world feel small and stale due to the fact that other cases may use some of the same settings as well. The puzzles themselves are average—they are fun but not too challenging. There are a few puzzles that where trick questions and, after awhile, became more annoying than challenging. What made them super annoying was I would always end up losing a picarat (the point system in the game). Each puzzle is given a point value and it will decrease with each wrong answer you give. You can get hints by using the hint coins you find and you don’t lose any points for using them. In this game, picarats are not just your overall score on puzzle solving. They now hold more weight. If you get a high picarat score after solving all the cases, you will get a secret bonus ending that will reveal more about the missing professor. So I suggest using your hint coins, but very carefully as there is a limited amount.

Other than solving cases and puzzles, the game offers a variety of mini-games, collectibles, and bonus content. In the bottom right corner of your touch screen there is a suitcase. When you tap on it, it opens up a menu screen. There you can save your game, keep track of your puzzles, review your progress, make memos, view your collection, and play mini-games. After solving three cases you will get Case Files in your suitcase. This allows you to revisit past cases and find hint coins you missed as well as puzzles. Areas you missed something in or that have a new puzzle, will highlight in orange and you can go straight there. This is nice as hint coins and puzzle picarats are needed, but also frustrating because you must go through the whole reveal again to save your progress. What is also frustrating is that the “added puzzles” are actually marked as puzzles you missed. I have gone through every area in a case twice and I still can’t seem to find all of the puzzles before solving the case. So I have concluded the puzzles I “missed” are actually added after you solve the case the first time. Why they are added afterwards, I don’t know, but more puzzles can’t be bad right?

The game also offers some customization. As you search areas you will also find Fashion Farthings which you can exchange for outfits to dress Katrielle in. You can find the outfits in your Wardrobe in the suitcase. The only downside of changing outfits is that in cutscenes, her outfit doesn’t change so there is a bit of inconsistency. The other customization is Kat’s office. In the bottom left corner of your touch screen is a chair. Tap on it and you can change the color and style of Kat’s office. Every time you solve ten puzzles you get a Decor Docket which you exchange for furniture items.

All in all I would have to say that this game has a lot of extra content to keep any player coming back. The visuals are beautiful as well as the music. The characters are average as well as the puzzles. The story is okay but not compelling, and ends with you wanting more. You can also play more puzzles in the bonus area by playing the daily puzzle if you didn’t get your fix with the main game. It is a decent game that provides some enjoyment, and has a unique gameplay style. I would love to see more Layton games—just make them with shorter titles and much less dialogue.

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In The Legend of Zelda series, the main character, Link has a set of hearts, symbolizing his health. This is a recurring theme in all the Zelda games, excluding The Adventure of Link where his health is symbolized by a life bar. Depending on the game Link must find either Pieces of Heart or a full Heart Container to increase his maximum health. Heart Containers in most games are gained by defeating a major boss.

In the majority of the games Link can collect Pieces of Heart to create a full Heart Container. This concept was first introduced in A Link to the Past, and has since been a recurring theme in the following games, except for Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, which only have full Heart Containers. Pieces of Heart are scattered throughout the world, and can be won in a mini game, found in treasure chests, or given as a thanks for helping someone. Traditionally one only had to collect four Pieces of Heart to make a full Heart Container, but in Twilight Prin cess you must find five pieces of heart, and so far is the only game that requires five. Although heart pieces are collected in fifths, Link still loses health in minimums of fourths.

The amount of heart pieces in a game depends primarily on how many Heart Containers there are, and the number of Heart Containers are usually determined by how many dungeons or bosses there are in the game. Majora’s Mask holds the record for the most Pieces of Heart, fifty-two. The majority of the games finish with link gaining a total of twenty hearts.

The only games to have in-game guides that help players find Pieces of Heart, are The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword. This is a recent theme in the Zelda series and has been a very beneficial add-on.

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The story starts with Layton at the university, where he receives a mysterious letter from an old colleague. From there he and his new assistant Emmy, go to the small town of Misthallery to solve the mystery. The story continues with lots of fun, absurd characters to talk to and a mystery that keeps you guessing. The stylistic graphics and music make the game unique and entertaining.

If you have played a Layton game before, you will know that you must tap around each scene with your stylus to find hint coins and hidden items. In this game I found that I had to be very deliberate in my tapping or I would miss stuff, so be thorough. Each new place you visit, you will be sure to find at least three hint coins to help you solve puzzles and maybe even a hidden item. One thing that annoyed me a little was in my search for coins and items I would accidentally hit a door and enter it, even when I was still looking for hint coins. But it is easy enough to return and continue your search. The town is big and luckily there are boats that will take you from one end to the other, but don’t take them too often or you will miss some puzzles along the way. Don’t worry about getting lost either. There is a map and arrows on the top screen that will show you where to go. There are new types of puzzles to solve and some good, old ones too. And if you haven’t satisfied your puzzle solving needs, there are tons more in the bonus puzzles and even some you can download. If you have played any recent Layton games you have enjoyed the memo option given to you when solving puzzles. I love this option, it gives me a place to scribble and do calculations without having to roam the house for some paper. In this new game they still have the memo option and they give you more colors and different size diameters for your pencil and eraser. It makes things a little less confusing and more organized.

The London life bonus game is a fun RPG game. You collect happiness and health points by talking to people, buying things, and other various activities. Most of the people you meet are characters from the Layton games. It is a simple RPG game and can get a little monotonous after awhile. But it is a nice change for your brain after doing a lot of puzzling.

Conclusion

In summary, Professor Layton and the Last Specter is a fun, in-depth mystery/puzzle game. It has tons of new puzzles to solve and some helpful new additions to set it apart from its predecessors. If you’re a newcomer to the series or if you’re an old puzzle pro, Professor Layton and the Last Specter does not disappoint and makes you eager for the next one.

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