Review: Professor Layton & The Spectre’s Call

The Professor is back, and this time with a new female colleague by his side.  This is Level-5′s 4th installment of the Professor and we are still yet to receive the Professors first 3DS title that launched in Japan for the 3DS. If you haven’t checked out our Professor Layton and the Lost Future review then click here to check out our rating.

Story

The story takes place three years before Professor Layton and the Curious Village, making it a prequel to the previous titles. The game takes place in a fictional village going by the name of Misthalley. The story is based around a legend known as specter who rose from the mist to defend the village whenever the Specter’s Flute was played. Now the spectre is known to be causing havoc in this little village which catches the Professor’s Eye to go and investigate. The story begins with a cut scene showing a woman named Emmy Altava, who mentions she has met the Professor before but the Professor insist’s he hasn’t. Emmy who is hired to become Professor Layton’s Assistant at the Gressenheller University where the Professor works.  As the story progress Luke get’s brought into the story and helps with the hunt for the Spectre. The story this time around appealed to me so much more than the other titles. I think probably for the fact that you don’t start the game off with the Professor and Luke so the variety of characters before the orignal storyline open up and you see how the Professor was before Luke helped him with his adventures.

Gameplay

If you have played previous Professor Layton titles then the gameplay style of this wont come to a shock. This installment continues to play as a  puzzle game, with a mix of adventure presented with the story line and gameplay elements.  Throughout the game you will not only play as Layton as there are three protagonists . The game is set in a village called Misthallery. During the game you will notice that the Professor has a new assistant known as Emmy Altava, and don’t worry Luke returns. As you progress you will take control of these three characters and aim to solve the mysteries of the village and progress further in the main story. The village Misthallery sets the story  into separate sections, and you will have to complete a certain section before the other parts of the game can be accessed.  Throughout the game you will be able to find hidden collectibles, investigate objects and unlock more parts of the dialogue, hint coins and hidden puzzles.  The gameplay is solid like the other Professor Layton titles and starts of easy for new players unlike the other titles. I however found that some of the puzzles wern’t interesting enough and felt a bit repetitive compared to the previous titles. There is a lot of new puzzles and some will cause some issues for previous players of the series, if you like a challenge then this title will pack a punch. At first I didn’t enjoy the puzzles as I found them to be a bit to full on, but as I actually sat there thinking about them more I felt proud that I accomplished the puzzles. My brain and I slept well once we completed the game. If you are struggling however don’t forget there are hint coins to give you hints on how to complete that puzzle, I recomend saving them for the harder ones as you may need it.
Some players may not notice whilst playing but there is another feature that grabbed my attention and this was caused by the new small mini-games that are playable in the main game, which come available by selecting them from the Professor’s Suitcase, which you can play whenever you are moving across the town. However you will have to progress far enough in the main game before being able to play the mini-games. The mini-games included are a Toy Train, a Fish, and a Puppet Theater. After progressing far enough into the story, you will also be on the hunt for mice in Misthallery to earn “mouse badges” and gain access to another minigame, known as “Mouse Alley.”

Design

The design still follows the same artistic vision the previous titles have, there haven’t been any noticeable upgrades with the graphical detail with the game, this isn’t an issue at all as the game has always looked amazing. The story location actually makes this Professor title stand out amugst the previous trillogy. The cutscenes still remain to look like a brilliant animated film, keeping animations smooth and looking how we want the Professor to look. I always have wondered however… Does he sleep in that suit?

Soundtrack

The soundtrack in the game made me just sit there with my DS on playing these amazing songs. The theme of The Spectre’s Call welcomed me to the game with open arms and I just wanted to hug the musical notes that were being played. I couldn’t. I would even recommend just picking up the title just to experience the soundtrack for yourself. It makes the game almost perfect and makes it easy to forget it’s flaws. Heck, even Square Enix Music rated the soundtrack an 8 out of 10.

Overall

Professor Layton in the Spectre’s Call is probably one of my favourite titles for the story line, for some reason I just enjoyed the presentation in this title much more than the others and this is one I will revisit to find the hidden gems the game has to offer. The soundtrack makes the experience an even more enjoyable one, with the puzzles still putting a challenge on who ever dares to adventure into the Spectre’s Call.