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 Welcome to the Professor Layton megathread. This thread covers all topics regarding the series. As a common courtesy, please spoiler all plot points and puzzle solutions! Be sure to label each spoiler to make sure nobody stumbles upon something they didn't want to find out yet. A game about a PROFESSOR?! What is this all about? The Professor Layton series is all about the adventures of Herschel Layton and his apprentice Luke Triton, The two of them travel around solving mysteries and generally helping everyone they come across figure out how to get a ball out of a sliding box puzzle, or how to move a matchstick to turn one image into another. Each game revolves around a large mystery that the good professor must solve. Along the way you will run into many mini mysteries and side quests, many of which will unlock new puzzles upon completion. How do you play these games? The Layton series is basically a point and click adventure game, you click on people, objects and various other things in order to find clues and progress the plot. You can also find puzzles that make up the meat of the games. These puzzles can range from sliding block puzzles, math puzzles, brain teasers and more. Each puzzle is worth a set amount of Picarats, which can be "spent" to unlock bonus features. Getting the wrong answer on a puzzle causes the amount of Picarats earned to lower. To make the puzzle solving experience a little easier, you can spend hint coins (found by poking around the scenery) to get that extra little boost towards the correct answer. Each game also includes side quests that usually involve using items found by solving puzzles, these include mixing tea for characters, repairing a robotic dog and arranging furniture in a room to suit the tastes of Layton and Luke. Every Layton game released so far has had access to weekly released Wi-Fi puzzles. For a couple of months, players can get a new puzzle each week to complete. Why do we love these games so drat much? The mix of excellent music, gorgeous european animation inspired art style (Complete with amazing fully voiced cut scenes), and at-times brain bustingly tricky puzzles combined with a great mystery storyline makes the Layton series a tremendous joy to play. The Games  Game 1: Professor Layton and the Curious Village Releases: Japan: February 15th 2007 North America: February 10th 2008 Europe: November 7th 2008 Australia: March 10th 2008 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy_Q4k-kCmc  Game 2: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (Also known as Professor Layton and Pandora's Box) Releases: Japan: November 29th 2007 North America: August 24th 2009 Europe: September 25th 2009 Australia: September 24th 2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8XlsiwlGAE  Game 3: Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (Also known as Professor Layton and the Lost Future) Releases: Japan: November 27th 2008 North America: September 12th 2010 Europe: October 22nd 2010 Australia: October 21st 2010 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8yTvLc1Sb4  Game 4: Professor Layton and the Last Specter (Also known as Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call) Releases: Japan: November 26th 2009 North America: October 18th 2011 Europe: November 25th 2011 Australia: December 1st 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_X2Bh0XwM  Game 5: Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask for the Nintendo 3DS Releases: Japan: February 26th 2011 North America: October 28th 2012 Europe: October 26th 2012 Australia: October 27th 2012  Game 6: Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy For the Nintendo 3DS Releases: Japan: February 28th 2013 North America: TBA 2014 Europe: November 8th 2013 Australia: November 9th 2013 Movie: Professor Layton And the Eternal Diva  Yes! Layton even has his own film! Releases: Japan: December 19th 2009 North America: November 8th 2011 Europe: October 11th 2010 Australia: TBA Other Stuff  Layton 7 (For iOS and 3DS) Release: TBA (Everywhere) Premise: ???  Layton Brothers: Mystery Room (For iOS) Releases; Japan: September 21st 2012 North America: June 27th 2013 Premise: Play as Layton's son, who with his assistant solve murders. A kind of Phoenix Wright-ish game. All in all about $5 for all cases, a decent bit of fun.  Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney Releases: Japan: November 29th 2012 North America: TBA 2014 Europe: TBA 2014 Australia: TBA 2014 Premise:  CROSSOVER OF THE CENTURY!!!! Happy Puzzling! And remember: Critical Thinking is the key to a Success! SereneCrimson fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Sep 23, 2013 |
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Sep 15, 2010 06:23
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Holy crap the European boxarts are awesome.
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Sep 15, 2010 06:30
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I've been thinking about picking up a Professor Layton game. But I was wondering, how long would a play-through be and what is the replay value?
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Sep 15, 2010 06:34
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warsow fucked around with this message at 03:21 on Jan 26, 2012 |
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Sep 15, 2010 06:34
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SovietSteel posted:I've been thinking about picking up a Professor Layton game. But I was wondering, how long would a play-through be and what is the replay value? Plus all of the hidden puzzles, extra features, unlockable content and downloadable stuff make them all really worth it and decently replayable. I do so love these games.
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Sep 15, 2010 06:42
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Punch Drunk Drewsky posted:Depending on your puzzle affinity, anywhere from five to ten hours. I think that the stories of both games are really charming so I tended to slow down to take it all in. "Both games" There's a third one out now, you know. I'm really liking The Unwound Future so far. These games are addicting as hell.
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Sep 15, 2010 06:54
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Dr. Video Games 0031 posted:"Both games" She probably meant she's just played the first two, since the third one has been out two or three days only. 
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Sep 15, 2010 07:01
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I picked up the first game some months ago. The loving "pigs-and-ropes" puzzle nearly killed me, but drat is it satisftying when you solve a really hard puzzle.
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Sep 15, 2010 07:17
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Capsaicin posted:She probably meant she's just played the first two, since the third one has been out two or three days only. Heck, seems like something's wrong if someone plays with them for more than five minutes and isn't sucked in.
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Sep 15, 2010 07:58
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SovietSteel posted:I've been thinking about picking up a Professor Layton game. But I was wondering, how long would a play-through be and what is the replay value? I've got about 20 hours on DB from doing everything, and UF is looking like at least that amount. You don't need to solve every single puzzle, of course, but why wouldn't you? A true gentleman leaves no puzzle unsolved.
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Sep 15, 2010 11:14
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Neat, I love these games. Can't believe that Japan has four of them though, that's just greedy. Looking forward to the new one, but since i'm in the UK I get to wait another month and a bit first. I will admit that the puzzles are sometimes too complex for me and I end up using a walkthrough 
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Sep 15, 2010 13:46
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Never could be arsed to beat the second game. Hit some fuzzy logic puzzle, took the Penny Arcade route of shouting gently caress YOU! at the man giving me the puzzle, then put it aside. Didn't want to look at a FAQ since then you go "...Oh, god dammit, that was easy, I should've gotten that!" Part of it was the setting just kinda felt bland to me. The first was all in the same general place and you were just trying to figure it out. I didn't give two flying shits about any of the locations in Diabolical Box. I think I stopped somewhere in that town of perpetual night, when you're trying to reassemble a macguffin.
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Sep 15, 2010 13:53
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An Unwound Future question. I was stuck on Puzzle No. 40, which is required to progress (it's the one on the door while Future Luke is leading you back to the Midland Road Clock Shop by an alternate route). I've bought all the hints, including the super hint, and played around with it. I don't think I understand what it's asking me to do. It seems like they want things to equal each other that can't possibly equal each other, and I'm not sure if the arrows in the middle row are supposed to indicate some kind of relationship. I eventually gave up and looked up the answer but it doesn't make any sense to me. How was this supposed to work? EDIT: Never mind, right after I posted this I figured it out. It makes sense now but the way they set it up seemed very unclear to me.
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Sep 15, 2010 14:40
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guppy posted:An Unwound Future question. Yeah, that one was very, very unclear. I didn't know if it wanted the two sides of two things to equal each other in sum, product, both, or if it was one big long equation or what. Now, what can really go gently caress itself is the third parrot puzzle - the one with the cake.
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Sep 15, 2010 14:46
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When I saw the previews for Mysterious Village in 05/06 I thought it was going to be a cool animated RPG (basically what Ni No Kuni is) but was disappointed when it turned out to be a puzzle game. Then I played it and was amazed it was a puzzle game. Then the story got strangely dark out of nowhere and I fell in love right there. I know absolutely nothing about Mask of Miracles and I don't want to spoil it. Whatever Level 5 is planning to use the 3D tracking for will hopefully be amazing aside from any obvious Where's Waldo or I Spy moments. I'm hoping for some neat, mind gently caress moments like in echochrome or one of those cheap toys where you have to figure out how to separate the three rings or piece wooden boxes into each other.
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Sep 15, 2010 15:58
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al-azad posted:one of those cheap toys where you have to figure out how to separate the three rings or piece wooden boxes into each other. Realtalk: gently caress those toys, There is one that is like, two horseshoes connected at each tip by a chain (so two chains total), and a ring going around the chains. You have to get the ring off. gently caress it.
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Sep 15, 2010 16:01
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Capsaicin posted:Now, what can really go gently caress itself is the third parrot puzzle - the one with the cake. So far the parrot puzzles are pretty much the hardest thing I've encountered in the game. I keep thinking there's got to be a trick to them that I'm missing. Or maybe your parrot is supposed to launch itself into oblivion every time, I dunno.
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Sep 15, 2010 16:22
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I've only gotten the first three parrot puzzles, and they were pretty easy to solve after a little trial and error. If that French construction worker asks me to cut some boards one more time I might throw my DS up against a wall. A non-puzzle related question about UF- where have I heard Dr. Stahngun's voice before? I want to say he was a voice actor in Disgaea 3 but I can't place him to save my life.
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Sep 15, 2010 16:40
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Thread title reference:
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Sep 15, 2010 16:50
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I love these games but goddamn the plots bother the hell out of me, especially Diabolical Box. EDIT: I had NO idea Unwound Future was out yet. Yes!
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Sep 15, 2010 16:58
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I feel better about myself now, since I've not had to resort to walkthroughs in playing the first two games. I usually only have to use hints when the description is too vague about what the actual question is. I am absolutely stuck on the very last bonus puzzle in Pandora's Box. #153, the Ultimate Escape sliding block puzzle. The huge cross shaped block can't be manoeuvred out of the left hand side of the field, and it's not possible to get anything past it, so it seems to be impossible to clear a path for the gem.
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Sep 15, 2010 17:09
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:I love these games but goddamn the plots bother the hell out of me, especially Diabolical Box. Need to get going on the new one now, always a treat 
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Sep 15, 2010 17:19
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Cybernetic Vermin posted:The plot and setting of diabolical box did nothing for me, but the mysterious village was great. The weirdness of all the puzzle setups kind of works better when the villagers all turn out not to be real humans at all, and the whole thing is the construct of an old eccentric. Poisonous gas illusions were not nearly as interesting to me somehow. The thing that bothered me about Diabolical Box's plot was that they ALL had the same illusion? The exact same thing? Every little detail? Also the box being made of macguffinite. But I agree Curious Village's plot was much better. The only thing I didn't like about it was how Layton jumped to insane conclusions like "Everyone is a robot!" based on a few small gears and people getting tired, then kidnapped, and re-appearing feeling much better. EDIT: Oh! I just remembered a few Layton references in Nelson Tethers! Nelson Tethers should be an honorary Layton game in this thread. Irish Taxi Driver fucked around with this message at 17:24 on Sep 15, 2010 |
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Sep 15, 2010 17:21
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The point is that Layton is the ultimate gentleman. Considering the plots show him as some sort of brilliant deductive archeologist/swordfighting Macguyver, he's clearing humoring EVERYONE he meets with these puzzles 100% of the time. Including the player.
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Sep 15, 2010 17:25
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I worked out both plot twists and I liked both the games, especially the ending of the second one. Layton sword fighting was really cool 
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Sep 15, 2010 17:26
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I do have to admit that so far this is my favorite plot of the three. Also, I am terrible at the third car bonus puzzle. I think this game shows how much it hates you in the bonus puzzles if it involves cake.
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Sep 15, 2010 17:52
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Yesss. I love these games. Unwound Future isn't out in the UK for another few weeks and I can't afford to import it right now. Laaame. Can't wait to get it. Incidentally the movie is really, really good, if you can get hold of it. It's getting a Western release some time but I really like it in Japanese. Layton-sensei I think it follows on from the prequel games so the main villain isn't in any of the games we've got, but it doesn't suffer from that. Don Paolo makes an appearance anyway
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Sep 15, 2010 17:58
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:I love these games but goddamn the plots bother the hell out of me, especially Diabolical Box. If you were bothered by how absurd The Diabolical Box was you're going to love The Unwound Future.
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Sep 15, 2010 22:39
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I still really prefer "100% steampunk clock puzzles" as a thread title. 
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Sep 15, 2010 22:58
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I'd agree with you, but that's really more applicable to a UF thread than a megathread. Layton has proved to be a good series in the past for the GF and I to play together. She's a lot better at some of the spatial reasoning puzzles than I am, whereas I do better with the procedural logic and box puzzles. Not that I'm good at box puzzles. gently caress box puzzles.
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Sep 15, 2010 23:14
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I had to wait in line behind 30 people buying Halo yesterday, but it was so worth it. So far, Unwound Future is blowing Diabolical Box out of the water; I'm 5 hours and maybe 40? puzzles in, which implies it's quite a bit longer. The plot is actually getting really intriguing, especially... a certain aspect of it that fills in backstory. I haven't actually gotten the Parrot yet, but the other two minigames are a major improvement over Box's (god I would play an entire spinoff based on Picture Book Time, and the car is basically Chu Chu Rocket only far more complex). On the whole, if Village were a 9 and Box a 7, Future is a 10. IIRC the consensus among those who imported or are Japanese is that Box is objectively the weakest, so I hope nobody gets put off by it. One puzzle in Future so far did strike me as obnoxious: it literally requires you to "brute force" it by counting "how many ways can this happen". I prefer the logic/trick puzzles. Also them graphics sure did get prettier, and lots more voice and animation this time. The only thing I slightly dislike is obsessively worrying I'll miss a puzzle that gives a piece for a minigame. TLDR: If you're new, get Village then this, then Box for completeness' sake if you really want to.
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Sep 15, 2010 23:32
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precision posted:One puzzle in Future so far did strike me as obnoxious: it literally requires you to "brute force" it by counting "how many ways can this happen". I prefer the logic/trick puzzles. I. HATE. THIS. PUZZLE. I tried, I really did, and after I covered my memo pad with a million multicolored lines (love that upgrade, btw), I just started guessing because fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-
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Sep 15, 2010 23:40
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precision posted:The only thing I slightly dislike is obsessively worrying I'll miss a puzzle that gives a piece for a minigame. None of these games ever allow you to miss anything. Any puzzle that can no longer be accessed is put in a room, where you can get any minigame reward that it would have normally given you. Even after you beat the game, you can reload and wander around for the puzzles and such you don't have. It actually almost feels like Unwound Future is shorter, due to leaning more towards riddles than Box. On the other hand, less time spent doing sliding puzzles and seven-loving-disk Hanoi is fine by me. I was also pleased that the plot is still completely insane.
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Sep 15, 2010 23:47
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eating only apples posted:Incidentally the movie is really, really good, if you can get hold of it. It's getting a Western release some time Movie release is next month in the UK along with the game I would import the game from the US but then I wouldn't be able to unlock whatever from beating Pandora's Box. e: Oh man the Movie collectors version has a 600 page story board book with it. Sodium Chloride fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Sep 16, 2010 |
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Sep 15, 2010 23:55
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Opendork posted:None of these games ever allow you to miss anything. Any puzzle that can no longer be accessed is put in a room, where you can get any minigame reward that it would have normally given you. Even after you beat the game, you can reload and wander around for the puzzles and such you don't have. Yeah, I know you can't "actually" miss anything, what I meant was more "missing the chance to get it asap". The worst puzzles in Box for me were the more advanced peg-jumping ones. It's really lame that those type puzzles don't allow you to "back up" your moves instead of having to restart the entire goddamn process.
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Sep 16, 2010 00:07
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paisleyfox posted:I. HATE. THIS. PUZZLE. I tried, I really did, and after I covered my memo pad with a million multicolored lines (love that upgrade, btw), I just started guessing because fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu- Which one is this? I'm thinking it's either the one about the tunnels where you have to determine which one you have to go over-ground on or the checkerboard path one where you have to determine how many different ways you can get to the end by stepping on 4 black squares and 3 white squares Overall, the worst puzzle I've found so far is the one where you have to determine which article of clothing Layton wants to buy. Capsaicin fucked around with this message at 00:51 on Sep 16, 2010 |
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Sep 16, 2010 00:49
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Capsaicin posted:I still really prefer "100% steampunk clock puzzles" as a thread title. This cannot be stressed enough. I'm five hours into the game and I now hate clocks and the concept of numbers. So many numbers. So far the only puzzle that's pissed me off is the police officer and his problem parking the car. It SAYS you can only go left/ right but they mean left/right as if you were standing on the square, not if you were looking down on it. Also the fact that the plots are loving insane is what makes them awesome.
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Sep 16, 2010 01:18
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I was just playing and the thought of doing a Layton game in the Discworld setting would be so good. Now I can't stop wishing it existed.
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Sep 16, 2010 02:55
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By the way, regarding the anime movie? It's loving awesome. There's not much by way of puzzles, but it does have Layton fighting a crazy guy on top of a giant robot. Very strange in that I could not get used to the Japanese voices at all. The English ones are too ingrained in me. Gonna be amazing once the dub comes out, though, since I'm pretty sure I saw that the game's VAs will be lending their talents to it. It's silly as hell in the last quarter, which kinda follows the Professor Layton flowchart to a T. But damned if it isn't a great movie. One of the few I've seen in recent years I haven't fast forwarded through any portion of. It starts strong, there's a nice mystery building throughout, and the latter half is full of poo poo the writers had to be on some pretty gnarly stuff to think up.
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Sep 16, 2010 03:04
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Capsaicin posted:Which one is this? I'm thinking it's either the one about the tunnels where you have to determine which one you have to go over-ground on or the checkerboard path one where you have to determine how many different ways you can get to the end by stepping on 4 black squares and 3 white squares Oh, it's totally the checkerboard one. The first one wasn't so bad except it was pretty misleading. The tunnels get pretty confusing and when you draw over them to trace, you lose the over under.  Ooh, I have not reached that one yet. I look forward to it...maybe. Right now I'm just starting Chapter 9: The Master of the Towering Pagoda. I'm very excited.
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Sep 16, 2010 04:38
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