Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

DS puzzle game lovers: The third installment of the professor Layton trilogy is about to hit shelves in the next few months. We take a look at what you should expect from this devilish puzzler.

At the beginning of Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (Nintendo DS) (also known as ‘Lost Future’ – oh, when will those game studios decide what to call it!), the pair receive a letter, apparently written by Luke ten years into the future. This will become the first main mystery for you to solve. Following clues left in the letter, the professor suggests they start by going to London to see Dr Alain Strahngun. Dr Strahngun has helpfully just invented a time machine and is preparing to unveil it. The presentation however goes horribly wrong and our hero’s are left following clues to piece together the mystery of the futuristic letter.

If you have already played either of the first two games: Professor Layton and the Curious Village or Professor Layton and Pandora’s/the diabolical box then you should already be at home with the control system and know what to expect. You use the stylus to tap on the footprint to move and tap on people or places to interact. The puzzles themselves are still in the same style being almost like mini-games. As in the original games each puzzles difficulty is shown by the maximum possible number of ‘picarats’ available, each time you guess the wrong solution the possible score goes down. If you want to max your score to show people just how much of a genius you are, but can’t quite solve that last puzzle even with the first 3 hints, celebrate! A new option is included that means for the princely sum of 2 hint coins you can have an extra super hint.

The puzzles test your logic and ability to think outside the box. The game starts off fairly easy as with most, and provides a tutorial. The first few puzzles are a good warm up to get you into the right frame of mind for some of the harder challenges later on. If you come across a particularly hard puzzle try re-reading the question or even approaching it from a completely different angle. The game itself sports the anime-esque cut scenes that populated the first two games and help a strong plot develop.

Although this is the third game in a trilogy this will almost certainly not be the last we see of a certain top-hatted gentleman. Another game under the name of Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle is in development for the 3D generation of DS. On top of that a Professor Layton film is due for release in Japan in December, under the name of Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva this follows Luke and the Professor on their first big adventure together. Fingers crossed we shall see it grace our shores in the next year.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future will be released on September 20th in North America and October 22nd for the UK market.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (Nintendo DS)